Navigating Conor Bradley’s Return with Compassion | OneFootball

Conor Bradley – The Need to Hold Him Back

Personal Reflections and Experiences

My father is in his mid-seventies and still going relatively strong. As I approach my 43rd birthday, I am yet to know the loss of a parent and the feelings that surround such a horrid event. I am a parent to two young daughters and was too young to have understood the passing of my grandparents, therefore, I am fortunate that I have gotten this age, with the only real loss around me being that of pets and people I only casually knew. As a mature and responsible adult, I feel I am well equipped to endure the inevitably of passing that will arrive and ensure I am the strong one when needed. I have responsibilities and life experiences that will enable me to process incoming tragedy, probably in quiet silence when no one is around.

The Challenge Conor Bradley Faces

Conor Bradley, on the other hand, is a mere 20-years-old and just lost his dad to motor neuron disease, which was a long-term disease that Joe Bradley had been battling. I have read so many messages and opinions, stating that he should be the one to replace the injured Trent Alexander Arnold, given his injuries issues that may well keep him out of the upcoming EFL Cup Final. My own opinion would be to refrain from putting this young man into the limelight, having just experienced a life altering event.

In being so inexperienced in both life and football, putting him in such a high-pressure situation could have an adverse impact. Despite my assumption that to the Northern Irish defender, life is indeed football, there must be a sense of what is right for the boy both today and tomorrow.

Managing Conor Bradley’s Return to Action

Having returned to the group at the AXA Training Centre at the start of the week, I am sure that the former Dungannon Swifts youngster would have been warmly received by the players and staff, whilst being delighted to be back doing what he loves the most. The frenetic and infectious atmosphere at the reds training ground must act as the perfect distraction from what must have been an horrendous moment in his personal life.

Klopp’s Role in Bradley’s Return

The entire Liverpool fanbase adores Jürgen Klopp for the person he is, probably just as much as the football achievements he has overseen. He himself will understand and know how to interact with and manage the situation, in a way that will best suit the situation of his player. If an immediate return football is something he believes will best serve the player, then I am sure that that will happen. What I suspect will occur, is that he will look beyond the now and the fact that a young man may have stated he was ready and willing to play.

Photo: IMAGO

The Decision on Bradley’s Participation in the Final

To protect an emerging talent from himself and public scrutiny is vital to development, before you even consider personal tragedy. The skillset and quality of the footballer is one thing, however, the pressure in the first final of the 2023/24 season may be a step too far, given recent circumstances. Though Conor produced a man of the man display Chelsea just a few weeks ago, that was a game undertaken in a hostile Anfield environment, before that which sadly followed. Chelsea will not be that poor again and this brilliant young footballer will not be in the same frame of mind as that night.

The exposure of such a huge game can be affecting, especially given the Wembley setting of the encounter. The reds entertain Luton Town next Wednesday evening, which would be the ideal setting to ease the 13-cap Northern Ireland international back into the fray. Even if he were to excel, I cannot see how you would not prefer the experience of Joe Gomez and Andy Robertson as the starting fullbacks for the final just days later. Both those senior professionals are trusted quantities that are in good form. The excitement of youth is all well and good, yet the timing and logic behind the Conor Bradley decision must be bigger than any game of football.

Supporting Bradley Beyond the Field

I have awarded this talented and exciting player man of the match twice in the last batch of games; therefore, it is not the level of talent that worries me. My want is for this young man (who was a mere boy not long ago) to be protected and guided, as that is the club he plays for and that is the type of club we all support.