Originally Posted by
MightyDM
I don't see the same narrative about last year, and I think it matters for this year. Last year, our decline in form came about when Defoe was hurt, and post World Cup, because of Bradley's play. I thought that the problem with Bradley was that he tried to do too much, and they couldn't find someone to cover for him. But now they are saying he was hurt the whole time. I think that makes the narrative "we were a playoff team with a healthy Bradley and Defoe, without them we weren't." This year, we may have a little more skill and a little more depth, particularly at the back, so perhaps injuries to Altidore/ Giovinco or Bradley/ Altidore won't affect the results as much, but I still think it's most likely that the playoffs depend on these guys staying injury free. And that's the real lesson from last year.