The father and son duo of Bob and Michael Bradley has already famously functioned well as coach and player before, when Bob managed Michael on the US men's national team.
But as Bob arrives as Toronto FC's new manager and sporting director in a move announced on Wednesday, Extratime co-host Charlie Davies believes there's a critical factor that will be different this time: An older Michael's declining mobility.
"They’re both stewards of the game," said Davies, having played for Bob and played with Michael with the USMNT. "They watch it religiously, they talk about it religiously, and so it’s going to be interesting, not so much the dynamic because I’ve seen it, it’s worked, (but) Michael being 34 and not being able to play the way he used to play. He can’t cover the amount of space that he used to."
Davies suggested Bob's arrival might lead to Michael's transition from defensive midfield to center back, where the captain's played occasionally in recent years in emergency duty. That would mirror a transition Javier Mascherano and at times Sergio Busquets have made at La Liga's FC Barcelona.
"Bob is a big fan of Barca, right?" Davies said. "If Barca could play with a Busquets or Mascherano, not that I’m saying Michael Bradley is either of those two players. … [But it's a] similar style of a midfielder coming back and playing as a center back, just because they can see the field, they can anticipate things. And if you surround them with the right people you can have success."
And Davies believes the father-son duo can avoid any discontent or allegations of favoritism from elsewhere in the dressing room, contingent on one key detail.
"Results matter," Davies said. "If Michael’s playing and they’re winning, no one is going to say a thing. But if he’s playing and things aren’t going well and maybe guys start the chatter and say 'Hey, it’s not because of me we’re losing,' or, 'It wasn’t me who got beat for that goal,' those things can happen."
For his part, Bob made clear that their family ties won't carry onto the pitch. The former LAFC boss, based on his introductory press conference, is eager to discover the right tactical wrinkle as well.
Check out the clip above and the entire Extratime episode for more analysis from co-hosts Davies, Andrew Wiebe and David Gass.
