heid3ster Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 The majority of my US friends agree with me and weren't happy with his inclusion from the start. It seems they, and I, were right. He lacked energy in a big way in the first game and that's about the biggest part of his game. Today he was no better and hurt the team even more. The majority of your U.S. friends don't know what they're talking about. Bradley will be vital to the U.S. against Germany. To start anyone else ahead of him would be folly from the get-go. There's probably room for some middle ground in this disagreement. Bradley had a poor game vs. Ghana. My belief is that Klinsman is playing him out of position when he tries to push him further up the pitch starting the attacks. Bradley's best game is sitting deep, breaking up the opposition and maintaining possession (usually), and occasionally making those great surging runs from deep. He was much improved today sitting deeper, his passing was a lot better, and he looked threatening getting forward. He's very important to us defensively, and takes a lot of pressure off our defense. But he also made a very costly error in the dying moments of a game we were winning. If I were Klinsmann I don't know if I'd drop him for Germany or not. I think Bradley's got the mental toughness to learn from that and bounce back, and his positives outweigh his negatives. But he's made some high-profile errors and it wouldn't really surprise me to see him dropped to the bench. For who, though? Diskerud? Brad Davis? When I look at those options I'd rather stick with Bradley. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted June 23, 2014 VT Supporter Share Posted June 23, 2014 Fingers crossed for the drawU gone for a Desmond?Wtf, now did you know? Respect. Cleaned up? I was gonna take your 2-2 bet thought nah, too much of a long shot. I salute you my friend.didn't bet. But it will go towards me winning work's prediction league I hope which is 200 odd quid Nice. So what you think for tomorrow's games? Australia will win 9-0. Honest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa4europe Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 levi might like that 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amo69 Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 levi might like that Interesting grid you got there. You put that together yourself? Fingers crossed for the drawU gone for a Desmond?Wtf, now did you know? Respect. Cleaned up? I was gonna take your 2-2 bet thought nah, too much of a long shot. I salute you my friend.didn't bet. But it will go towards me winning work's prediction league I hope which is 200 odd quid Nice. So what you think for tomorrow's games? Australia will win 9-0. Honest. I'm on it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villaajax Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 levi might like that Doesn't take into account a 4-0 win Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa4europe Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 levi might like that Doesn't take into account a 4-0 win or a 6-2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarewsEyebrowDesigner Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 I don't even know what's going on in that colourful block thing but **** whatever it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villaajax Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 If I've worked out how that chart works, I'm hoping for 3-0 wins for USA and Ghana. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa4europe Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 i like it, only taking it to 3-0 it means that out of 256 possible results 3 of them will see portugal go through (1.1%), 30 of them will see ghana go through (11.7%) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Czechlad Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 Anybody else think "Guzan would have come out and caught that cross" ? Tim Howard has been immense for us. He really has not. Just from the Portugal match, Howard was making so many mistakes. The first goal you can't really fault him for, but he did go down way to early. He was already down before nani even shot so it was an even simpler goal for him. Even Howard's "spectacular" save he made off that shot that initially hit the post, it was an easy save if he did not decide to react before the shot was taken. The ball was shot straight. Howard was already leaning so he had to punch the ball over. Even later into the match when leading 2-1, Howard came out to collect a cross, missed and the ball fell right to I think it was Moutinho. Howard has been far from immense. He has been lucky largely. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa4europe Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 agree, i think his highlight reel will consist of good saves he's made after making a mistake disagree with the comment that guzan would have caught the ronaldo cross, the ball in really was that good, but i dont think howard is a better keeper, just the face of nike, do the yanks here think that guzan would have got any game time if the states were already out by now or was he never getting a look in? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted June 23, 2014 VT Supporter Share Posted June 23, 2014 I'd agree with that. He's made some great saves, but they all seem to be recoveries after he's made a **** up. And not sure what he was doing for Portugal's first goal yesterday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villaajax Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 He was confidently having a lay down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heid3ster Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 I rate Guzan as highly as the next Villa fan, don't get me wrong. But he hasn't earned a start in front of Howard for the national team, not yet. It's true that Howard had a couple of flubs. Not denying that. But his overall game is much much better than Guzan's, particularly his distribution. Howard's throws are the catalyst for many of our counter attacks. Howard's one irreplaceable asset is his mentality. He is a complete rock, and his ability to stay calm when the rest of our young and inexperienced back four is panicking cannot be overstated. Much in the same way that Guzan is that calm influence for Villa. With the national team, Guzan is still inexperienced and he doesn't have that "Wise Old Man" influence yet -- but he'll get there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xela Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 Bit late to this thread as been at work...but what a cross by Ronaldo! Feel sorry for the USA team Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xela Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 (edited) Interesting stats. Kind of dispels the thought that Klose only got the record by playing more games and in more World Cups. He is actually more clinical than Ronaldo Edited June 23, 2014 by Xela 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srsmithusa Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 I think Guzan is great, has better reactions and more aggressive coming off the line to control the box. But I still start howard. the back 4 for the US is always leaky and weak. Howard does a better job of coaching them, chewing them out, making them better. It's actually the only part of the game I think he's better. But it's a part we NEED someone to do. love the chart above. makes me feel much more encourage, although I said before it all started that there was no possible way we would get out of the group. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heid3ster Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 Stolen off Twitter: 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamieZ Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 (edited) The majority of my US friends agree with me and weren't happy with his inclusion from the start. It seems they, and I, were right. He lacked energy in a big way in the first game and that's about the biggest part of his game. Today he was no better and hurt the team even more. The majority of your U.S. friends don't know what they're talking about. Bradley will be vital to the U.S. against Germany. To start anyone else ahead of him would be folly from the get-go. There's probably room for some middle ground in this disagreement. Bradley had a poor game vs. Ghana. My belief is that Klinsman is playing him out of position when he tries to push him further up the pitch starting the attacks. Bradley's best game is sitting deep, breaking up the opposition and maintaining possession (usually), and occasionally making those great surging runs from deep. He was much improved today sitting deeper, his passing was a lot better, and he looked threatening getting forward. He's very important to us defensively, and takes a lot of pressure off our defense. But he also made a very costly error in the dying moments of a game we were winning. If I were Klinsmann I don't know if I'd drop him for Germany or not. I think Bradley's got the mental toughness to learn from that and bounce back, and his positives outweigh his negatives. But he's made some high-profile errors and it wouldn't really surprise me to see him dropped to the bench. For who, though? Diskerud? Brad Davis? When I look at those options I'd rather stick with Bradley. I tend to agree with you. What I have a problem with is the kind of binary thinking that assumes that just because Bradley had a poor game against Ghana and some lapses last night, any alternative would have been a better choice. We're not Germany or Spain; we can't pull a starting midfielder and still field a Fabregas or Schweinsteiger. The simple fact of the matter is that Bradley, even when he's not firing on all cylinders, is still pretty critical to our team and should be the starter for lack of another clear cut option. Tweak his role, maybe, but if he's fit, he plays. And I think there's a time and a place for players like Diskerud (or for Bedoya or Zusi moving in to a central role if Bradley can't close out a match), but I don't think it's just "swap out Bradley, swap in Mix". That's reactionary thinking and the only reason people are calling for it is because it hasn't been done and therefore it can't be demonstrated how lousy an idea it is. Edited June 23, 2014 by JamieZ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voinjama Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 Anyone seen the funny clip of Guzan trying to play keepy uppy? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts