2020/21 James Rodriguez

[kenada_blue]

There's a reason why he bags so many assists.

Don't think I've seen a game for us where he hasn't put something on a plate with gravy on for one of our lumps not to score from

 

[arbok]

I'm of the opinion, James rescued a point for us last night. If it wasn't for his highly accurate shot in the bottom corner, we would have lost last night, just like Newcastle (twice), Fulham, Leeds and all those other games we wasted.

I hope we get Europe. We can still get 5th-7th. But 4th is probably down the toilet. There's too many teams in and around 49 points.

 

[Brisan123]

OK, I'll get fierce abuse here. He scored the goal, fair enough, but was he as good tonight, as being suggested in the forum ? . The stats would be interesting. First half , he was not in the game imo , and again, beside the goal , created by Digne and Seamus, he wasn't all that in the second half, fitness seems to be a regular problem for him.
I Would argue Zaha caused more trouble for our defence than James did for them.

Tin hat on !.

Depends on weather you like to watch football or read stats

 

[Brisan123]

OK, I'll get fierce abuse here. He scored the goal, fair enough, but was he as good tonight, as being suggested in the forum ? . The stats would be interesting. First half , he was not in the game imo , and again, beside the goal , created by Digne and Seamus, he wasn't all that in the second half, fitness seems to be a regular problem for him.
I Would argue Zaha caused more trouble for our defence than James did for them.

Tin hat on !.

bang on there lad
a

 

[Dario Terracotta]

We have to have him operating in the final third,75% of the time he is just outside our own box,he can't hurt teams from there!!

 

[McMagicT]

Different opinion isnt

Well thats not exactly backing up your opinion is it.

Take no notice of him Bilko, I can remember 2 shots from James, the first one he screwed 2 foot wide of
the right post and another he brought the ball down well from 10 yards and hoofed it well over the bar,
not the greatest of finishes by the worlds greatest player eh?

 

[WA Toffee]

Allan does too. And Doucoure is certainly closer to the downside than the up.

James is worth it of course but I'm not sure about the others.

29, 29, 27, 22.

I would hardly call those over the hill. And given that the alternatives are Davies and Delph, I would definitely say they were worth it

 

[BlueToff]

We have to have him operating in the final third,75% of the time he is just outside our own box,he can't hurt teams from there!!

This is a massive issue with playing him central.

Wasn't helped yesterday by the Gomes injury tbf.

We've looked at our best in a 4-3-3. I actually think yesterday, even with Allan, we could have had that shape if needed with Holgate in there.

Regardless, it's ultimately not why we lost the game, but when James gets the ball in the box, you can bet that he's hitting the target. Need him in that position 2-3 times a game.

 

[Prevenger17]

Maybe not an investment, but it's money out of the budget. It is hoped that this money will pay off in the form of games in Europe. It's not charity. But a strategy to make the club competitive. Personally, I like watching JR play football, he's the little entertainment on the team, but I see it as an unsuitable strategy to bring in players like him to make Everton competitive against the best. Although Everton have decided to return to Serie A in the 70's, the rest of the football world emphasizes high-intensity football. B Munich, Manchester City, Liverpool, etc., have determined the level and we have to match it.

Lol. What a take.

 

[roy vernon]

What a sad indictment on the present day Evertonians when a player with James’ ability is not adored. Without his creativity, as we saw against Fulham, Newcastle etc. we create very little. Yes it’s a worry that we rely so much on James, who will always have fitness issues. The bigger worry though is that we have a squad which is so very short on creativity without him.

Rather than finding fault with James’ defensive contributions or his ability to play 38 games per season, just enjoy him for what he is and hope that the coaching staff find a way to manage his fitness and a system to accommodate his flaws.

He really is a special talent.

 

[steven]

What a sad indictment on the present day Evertonians when a player with James’ ability is not adored. Without his creativity, as we saw against Fulham, Newcastle etc. we create very little. Yes it’s a worry that we rely so much on James, who will always have fitness issues. The bigger worry though is that we have a squad which is so very short on creativity without him.

Rather than finding fault with James’ defensive contributions or his ability to play 38 games per season, just enjoy him for what he is and hope that the coaching staff find a way to manage his fitness and a system to accommodate his flaws.

He really is a special talent.

Tbf he played against both Fulham and Newcastle...

Not his fault though - I think the main issue we have in lots of games is that we don’t seem to be able to win the ball back quickly enough - Sigurdsson and/or gomes in centre midfield are nowhere near mobile and physical enough in the prem.

Talent wise- He’s obviously miles ahead of what we have have had in a long while / possibly ever had...needs to be complemented by better players.

 

[Egil Olsen]

Yeah so we ship out James to satisfy the 'intensity' critics and... what? Just go out and buy a couple James Maddisons?
Easy this football lark.

None of your arguments are grounded in reality.

I do not think that was what I said. But let me be clear, and since you have a clear grasp of reality:

JR and Allan have played about half of the total playing time in the series. This is no surprise, especially if you watch football outside the PL. The last two seasons, before joining Everton, he missed about 15 games per season due to injuries. There was nothing to suggest that he should improve this statistic in the PL, given the intensity and the match program.

We also know that older players have a higher risk of injury, and that this risk increases when the player has previously been exposed to a lot of injuries. It is a fact, and reality.

You can not build your team around players who are more in the hospital than in the training field - no matter how good they are.

The second fact is that No. 10 in international football is almost dead. This has to do with the intensity of the game, and coaches no longer have the luxury of using these types of players. This is not my opinion, but an international trend in football. These are facts. Maybe the role, and these types of players will return, but not immediately.

I did not mention James Maddison. How many football players are there in the world? That is why we have a scout network, and top clubs have a data-driven model for mapping players. You can not just go out and buy players because the manager has worked with them before. It is extremely unprofessional.

But again, I think JR is a great player to watch, but I disagree with the strategy. Precisely because he is frequently exposed to injuries, and at the top level he is yesterday's player. He is not someone we can build the team around in the long run.

 

[Jadubsee]

Really hope he stays with us for at least another season. Must be frustrating for him to line up alongside some of these players though.

 

[kenada_blue]

Really hope he stays with us for at least another season. Must be frustrating for him to line up alongside some of these players though.

Think we need another marquee signing to keep him happy

 

[Terrarian]

JR is a fantastic footballer, but he is not relevant for any top clubs in Europe. The reason is simple: He lacks the necessary intensity in his game, too often slightly injured, and is too expensive. If we are to build a competitive squad, he is the type we must steer clear of.

Crikey