When Donkeys Fly: Michael Bradley at Chievo, pt 1 [R]

the best news ive heard all day.

 

Turns out today is Inter's 104th birthday too. Can't think of a better time for Chievo to beat them

 

here is the MLS link:

http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/american-exports-bundesliga-teams-eye-bradley

 

A rather pedestrian and seemingly tired performance from Michael against Inter, particularly in the 2nd half. In the 1st half he looked sharper and closed down Maicon and Zanetti more effectively. Was caught napping at one point that nearly led to Maicon scoring as he came in and swooped the ball from Bradley in his own box. He had a pretty dangerous free kick, and put in some good corners overall.

If Bradley wants a move to one of the top teams in Italy, to me he's going to need to improve in his vision and passing in the final third. Guys like De Rossi, Pirlo, Montolivo, and to a lesser extent Arturo Vidal and Walter Gargano offer a little more for their clubs when they're on the ball as opposed to Bradley. I don't think Michael's too far off these guys, but in my opinion there is a noticeable drop off in this aspect.

 

I didn't watch this game.... but from your comments... that's what makes michael who he is! He is a '6' and realy shouldnt be dependent on creating from that deep. At the club level though... i am sure its something he has to think about.

 

Here's the match report from La Gazzetta dello Sport for Chievo 0-2 Inter:

Inter: finally, a win

 

Here are the ratings from La Gazzetta dello Sport for Chievo 0-2 Inter:

Chievo: 5
Sorrentino: 6.5 (chosen as Chievo's best player)
Frey: 5.5
Andreolli: 5.5
Acerbi: 4.5
Dramè: 5.5
Luciano: 6
Rigoni: 5.5
Bradley: 6
Thereau: 5.5
Sammarco: 5
Pellissier: 5.5
Hetemaj: 5.5
Dainelli: 5
Di Carlo (coach): 5

Inter: 6.5
Julio Cesar: 6
Maicon: 6
Samuel: 7.5 (chosen as Inter's best player)
Lucio: 6
Nagatomo: 5
Zanetti: 6.5
Stankovic: 6.5
Poli: 6
Sneijder: 7
Forlan: 5
Milito: 6
Pazzini: 6
Cambiasso: N/R
Ranieri (coach): 6.5

The comment with Bradley's rating: "Weight and lungs. An impressive horse that made Maicon suffer and one of the few to show a nasty streak. Tried for goal on a free kick but it didn't go well."

 

The positive is they're still mid-table. 10th spot with 11 matches to go.

 

First half was a good defensive display by Chievo. Bradley was very solid. But, things slowed way down in the second half, then Chievo seemed to go senseless for about 2 min, allowing Inter to score easily. Four defenders in the PA and nobody watches the late arriving and only attacker? You've got to be kidding! At the other end, Chievo had several decent attacks with well struck far post crosses. Unfortunately for Chievo, they only had 2 players in the PA and both were at the near post. It seemed as if the team had been told, "Don't do anything that will get us caught forward." Hence, all decent attacking opportunities went a-glimmering.

 

Translated from today's edition of L'Arena:


"The team is strong"

Few words and many good intentions. With the declared aim of recovering against Bologna what was lost against Inter. Michael Bradley now speaks fluent Italian but he does not waste words. And regarding last Friday’s KO, their last league match, he revealed: "We reviewed the video of the game but now that story is closed. It’s useless to continue thinking about Inter. Instead we want to do everything possible to play a good game against Bologna."

A team that, incidentally, is doing very well. In fact, it is one of the most in form teams in the league. "Yes, they’re playing very well. They’ve found a good rhythm and it will be a very difficult game for us." Let's go back to Inter: didn’t it seem to you guys that you played too cautiously? "That may be, but when you play against the big teams – and Inter still are, even though they haven’t had a great season – it’s more difficult. Because you have to concentrate above all on the defensive end. Perhaps we could have done more up front, but it’s not always so simple."

Yet against Juve, just six days earlier, you guys seemed much more aggressive. "Yes, because after a few minutes we were already behind. Against Inter we had kept the 0-0 almost until the end. Different games." However, at Chievo the scoring problem remains; have you spoken about it within the team? "We have to work to improve. Careful however, because it’s not a problem in that department. Actually we have a good team. We’re strong, but if we want to grow we need to score. More goals. But I’m not speaking only about the forwards but also about the midfielders and defenders. It’s a problem that regards the entire team."

How is it playing next to Rigoni? "I feel very well, which I've already said. He’s a very good player and when you play with someone of his level it’s always easier." Praise for his teammates, but Bradley still lacks his first goal in the Serie A. "I hope to do it soon." On Sunday in Bologna? "Maybe. I’m hoping so."

http://www.larena.it/stories/Sport/343514_la_squadra__forte/?refresh_ce

 

How the ******** does MB pick up languages so quick?

 

He's become like a European. It's normal there. And they're all related. If he moved to China that would be much different.

 

How is Italian related to Dutch or German?

 

Picking up a language is not that hard if you immerse yourself in the culture every day. It becomes easier if you study it a bit as well.

 

Indo-European

 

How is it not? They use the same alphabet for one thing.

 

It's more closely related to English.

 

Well, sure, but my point is that you have to go pretty far back for that.

 

What's a couple of millennia or so among friends?

 

Yep, Italian is a Romance language and both German and Dutch are Germanic. And btw, English is also Germanic, and as such is actually more closely related to Dutch or German than Italian.

 

There's a lot of loan words and interactions between all those languages. And they do all use the same alphabet and similar grammatical structures.

 

Dudes, this is a soccer forum. Can we skip the high-level language/history analysis this time, before we start debating the proper way to spell Verona?

 

His quick ability to learn languages has helped his career, would you agree?

 

24 Dec 2011, 04:30 PM from "When Donkeys Fly: Michael Bradley at Chievo, pt 1 [R]":

...

 

Everybody thinks Bradley learns languages fast. But really he only learns three, non-interactive phrases and then uses them over and over again:

• "I suspect that has nothing to do with soccer and therefore don't care about it."
• "Your presence is interfering with my study of soccer. Kindly depart."
• "Ultimately Sparta fell because its citizens were too interested in creature comforts."