2020/21 James Rodriguez

[mahermi1]

Part of the game. Nobody is above reproach. Play well get praised, don’t play well receive criticism. It’s nothing new. This place would be pointless if everyone just blew bubbles up each other’s bum hole.

He needs to get involved more in games, needs to realise the game isn’t gonna come to him like it does at Real Madrid, when we put ourselves into a dog fight with big dossers like Fulham we have to be prepared to dig deep and get in the trenches, if he’s not about that it’s pointless us playing him. I made my point on him on the last page, he’s not solely to blame for his recent performances, definitely a team thing.

We should expect to see a lot more of him on the ball tonight given City shouldn’t/won’t squeeze us to death for 90 minutes. I’m hoping his team mates can actually move for once and make something available for him to work with.

A fair few good points raised, on my one fault with that was, you were right to say Fulham wanted a dog fight, trouble almost our whole team didn't. Either because Fulham were far better at it or we were just plain worn out, (the Spurs game). He will never though be a player for the trenches, he just isn't that type of player, some aren't. But he will throw the odd challenge in, but surely we want him further up the pitch, where he is best. Though I agreed with most of your post to be fair.

 

[Jim Hopper]

He is not performing, surely you can see that.

He is too slow & injury prone...

I would love him to be playing well & contributing to the team but he isn't...

We have to be honest & call it out...

Well in all fairness only he has second best amount of goals and second best amount of assists this season, he’s also created more goal scoring chances than any other player so it’s not like he isn’t performing. It’s just in games like against Fulham where he has to do more. As do all of them really.

Edit: Typed that out wrong initially.

 

[mahermi1]

He is not performing, surely you can see that.

He is too slow & injury prone...

I would love him to be playing well & contributing to the team but he isn't...

We have to be honest & call it out...

He has scored a fair few this season and created a fair few as well, don't know what you are watching to be honest, unless you are going by the last game only when the whole team was rubbish. Every player in the world at some point has a couple of bad games, get over it, he has consistently been among our best players this season and at times is a joy to watch.

 

[Groucho]

In terms of technical ability, Rodriguez is by far our best player at the club.

The idea that we're better off without him is ludicrous. If Rodriguez went in the next transfer window, who would we replace him with that would match or surpass Rodriguez's quality?

He's a world-class player, albeit a player who has been hampered by fitness issues and injuries.

I’m sorry mate, John from Litherland says his legs are gone so he’ll be sold, with one of the under 8’s who Bill from Woolton says needs to be given a chance, replacing him.

 

[Lanolin]

My honest opinion...

His legs & old injuries just do not allow him to display his great skills as he can not compete at a level to beat the high intestity & energy that players have in the premiership.

He has had the odd cameo role during his spell with us but has fallen short of expectations due to lack of fitness & annoying injuries, his legs have gone & he has recurring injury problems that will continue to haunt his fitness levels.

We have had some of our best results when he has been absent from the team where the players have worked hard together & produced a workmanlike performance built on playing for the team.

Honestly I don't know how anyone can think he's fallen short of expectations. My expectations were for him to be a bit like Rooney in his second spell, or Eto'o. A player who showed once or twice in the season that he was a star, but generally looked like a washed up has been. He's been infinitely better than I expected, some of his play is genuinely breathtaking. That little shimmy and pass to Gomes for a shot on Sunday would be the best thing i'd seen about 90% of Everton players in my lifetime do, and it's something he does 2 or 3 times a game. If he hasn't lived up to your expectations, I would suggest it's your expectations that are the problem rather than his performances.

 

[Terrarian]

To those saying he doesn't perform, even now where I doubt he is fully fit, he IS creating at least one goalscoring opportunity per game, that is what he is here for, that is the guaranteed quality his name brings, we need to maximise his input.

 

[abrigael]

 

[Jim Hopper]

A fair few good points raised, on my one fault with that was, you were right to say Fulham wanted a dog fight, trouble almost our whole team didn't. Either because Fulham were far better at it or we were just plain worn out, (the Spurs game). He will never though be a player for the trenches, he just isn't that type of player, some aren't. But he will throw the odd challenge in, but surely we want him further up the pitch, where he is best. Though I agreed with most of your post to be fair.

This is where Ancelotti needs to utilise him better. It’s evident he doesn’t like having to get into a war, I get it, he’s not that type of player. I’m not saying he doesn’t track back and help out because he can do, we’ve seen him do it this season. I just think he’s best suited for us when we are in games where we know we are going to see more of the ball and look to control the game (if that’s even a thing for Everton anymore....) against work horses like Fulham who are right in our faces and have us on the back foot, with our plan seemingly being sit deep and counter I don’t think it’s a game he’s suited to.

 

[Pabbers]

He is not performing, surely you can see that.

He is too slow & injury prone...

I would love him to be playing well & contributing to the team but he isn't...

We have to be honest & call it out...

He scored at Old Trafford, and at home to Leicester....2 massive games against good teams, he IS contributing ffs.

This is all based on the Fulham game, its pathetic.

 

[marcus]

Well in all fairness only he has more goals than Calvert Lewin and more assists than Digne this season, he’s also created more goal scoring chances than any other player so it’s not like he isn’t performing. It’s just in games like against Fulham where he has to do more. As do all of them really.

Just saying he has been disappointing for me, his fitness & lack of pace deters his great skill to a degree that is detrimental to the team.

He has scored 5 goals & 7assists but overall the bad has outweighed the good in an on/off stop/start season where he has failed to impress on many occasions.

Trouble for me is I don't see him getting any fitter, it looks like he is on his last legs & almost finished as a player in today's high press & high intestity play.

 

[ToffeeTim]

Just saying he has been disappointing for me, his fitness & lack of pace deters his great skill to a degree that is detrimental to the team.

He has scored 5 goals & 7assists but overall the bad has outweighed the good in an on/off stop/start season where he has failed to impress on many occasions.

Trouble for me is I don't see him getting any fitter, it looks like he is on his last legs & almost finished as a player in today's high press & high intestity play.

The good has definitely outweighed the bad - and by a considerable margin. He was not good on Sunday but he was good in plenty of other games. The reason he was not good on Sunday was because the centre halves couldn't pass forward and the line up was all wrong. Sigurdsson and Gomes alongside James means we are carrying 3 players defensively. His work rate could have been much better but he wasn't the only one last week.

You pick a team to get the best out of him or there is no point picking him.

 

[marcus]

The good has definitely outweighed the bad - and by a considerable margin. He was not good on Sunday but he was good in plenty of other games. The reason he was not good on Sunday was because the centre halves couldn't pass forward and the line up was all wrong. Sigurdsson and Gomes alongside James means we are carrying 3 players defensively. His work rate could have been much better but he wasn't the only one last week.

You pick a team to get the best out of him or there is no point picking him.

Maybe I am being a bit harsh as you make some good points...

Just frustrated as our home games have been awful...Leeds,west ham,Newcastle,Fulham...

 

[jimmythenut]

Maybe I am being a bit harsh as you make some good points...

Just frustrated as our home games have been awful...Leeds,west ham,Newcastle,Fulham...

Think he's been top class at times. Unreal technically and can perform magic in the blink of an eye. But against Fulham, he didn't want to be on the pitch for whatever reason, yes he may have a few niggles, every single player in the game goes through certain levels of pain and injuries, most get on with it if it's not serious. I just caught the expression on Ancelloti and Fergusons face as he sat down on the pitch and it said it all really.

He needs wrapping up in cotton wool, so much to the extent that if thing's aren't going right for him personally on the pitch or as a team he will hide. I want to see him bang in a crucial goal in the derby or tonight and I might be able fall back in love again. Just so disappointed with that Fulham performance, not singling him out but looking at his performance personally that's what agitated me the most.

 

[Terrarian]

If I was the man trusted to create everything for my team but I never received the ball in any areas where I could hurt the opposition or when I did, nobody else had the intelligence to move to receive it back, I'd be peed off as well.

 

[BlueToff]

He's been fit for 16 of our league games and created 30 chances - 7 more chances than second-placed Gylfi (23 from 21 games) and then 8 more than Digne (22 from 14 games).

He's not the problem.

But, he shouldn't be playing central unless it's like how we saw him at Wolves and, to an extent, in the Leicester home game.

Any other system - like we saw v Utd in the first half and then against Fulham - it's just too easy for him to get bogged down and pushed back deep. And unless we have runners around him, he hasn't got the pace to drive forward with the ball so has to rely on a precise, pinpoint pass.