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2021/22 James Rodriguez

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Barnfred 55 said:
We need a balance of players that can do different things. He can do extraordinary things that few can match. I'm prepared to put up with the downside to have that brilliance in our armoury, even if we're not able to call on it 24/7.

Plus I don't want to see us play boring one dimensional football. There was a time I thought you were the same.
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Plus, not being so reliant on him should allow us to get more minutes out of him in total.

He could be rotated out with Townsend, or Gray even if we need more pace.

There's other players our focus should be on shifting - and those players don't want to be here either.
 
Barnfred 55 said:
We need a balance of players that can do different things. He can do extraordinary things that few can match. I'm prepared to put up with the downside to have that brilliance in our armoury, even if we're not able to call on it 24/7.

Plus I don't want to see us play boring one dimensional football. There was a time I thought you were the same.
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I am always all for talented players. They have to fit into the team ethic though. If not they are worse than useless, they are disruptive.

I think we'll see Benitez's team getting the ball back to front and wide very quickly. That might have to be the only tactic this seasoin until we can secure a midfield we dont have to by-pass.
 

BlueToff said:
Plus, not being so reliant on him should allow us to get more minutes out of him in total.

He could be rotated out with Townsend, or Gray even if we need more pace.

There's other players our focus should be on shifting - and those players don't want to be here either.
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I did a post the other day when I said that I still had hope he wouldn't find a suitor and he'd end up staying by default. I can't see Benitez starting him in many games but, if he's still here, he'd be an absolute fool not to have him on the bench. He could be a game changer from there and, as you say, playing such a minimal role could actually work in our favour because he'd be available more often and when we need him most. Coming on against tiring legs would also hopefully give him a bit more time on the ball to wield his magic.
 
davek said:
I am always all for talented players. They have to fit into the team ethic though. If not they are worse than useless, they are disruptive.

I think we'll see Benitez's team getting the ball back to front and wide very quickly. That might have to be the only tactic this seasoin until we can secure a midfield we dont have to by-pass.
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But he is neither worse than useless (actually the opposite) nor disruptive. He is unreliable due to his injuries/fitness and this could have been managed better under Ancelotti. There is room for James in a well balanced squad. This is why we have a squad.
 
Barnfred 55 said:
I was responding to a post that said he has downed tools. He also said he is divisive. Neither is true.

Unlike Delph, Gylfi and Schneiderlin, James has proved in the past that he is prepared to move to get game time. He did it when he went to Bayern on loan and he did it when he came here on half his salary.

People like you are making stuff up about him to suit your narrative or justify the way the club is treating him, and trying to pass it off as fact. The truth is, the only thing you can throw at him is that he is injury prone. I have no problem with anyone claiming the latter, it's a valid opinion.
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Not making anything up. He jetted off to Colombia instead of staying with his teammates for a critical game.

He has left things very ambiguous at best.
 
BlueToff said:
Bloody hell

Has there been a global pandemic for the last 10 years?
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What did the pandemic have to do with it??? Are you suggesting that if there wasn't a pandemic then James would have been hopping on a flight to South America for 2 nights each week?

Nonsense. Like most things - people create justification that they wouldn't for others. He probably sees his daughter very infrequently and facetimes lots ...... Let's not make his private jet flight and photo a nomination for daddy of the year and it was all due to Covid.
 
HumbleWedbetters said:
Not making anything up. He jetted off to Colombia instead of staying with his teammates for a critical game.

He has left things very ambiguous at best.
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He was injured and out for the rest of the season. He didn't even make the Copa America and it's well documented how much he loves playing for his country. His family were back in Colombia and he'd hardly seen them for the best part of a year due to the covid pandemic.

The club allowed him to travel back to Colombia early to be with his family. I'm not sure what this critical game was that you speak of, but not being there for a game he was unable to play in anyway is not a valid reason for the club selling him IMO. Anybody who does needs to take a long cold look at how they prioritise things.
 

JR's biggest problem is:

1) He is injury prone and very rarely match fit.

Of course, there are many factors here that can explain this, but JR has been accused of not being professional enough. That is, he does not take good enough care of his body. Among other things, the former Colombian national team doctor has mentioned this. This is also a connection you generally see, players who do not take good enough care of their body, are more often injured. Still, this is speculation.

2) The traditional No. 10 is virtually outdated in European top football, and JR is struggling to adapt to today's requirements in modern football.

This is a development that most people agree has occurred, and the requirements for No. 10 have changed. KDB and Bruno Fernandes are examples of this. Both are players who run and sprint enormously, and are at the same time very creative. It is quite difficult to obtain these types of statistics, but I assume that JR is not very high on these statistics. This development has also contributed to the system taking precedence over the individual. If the team has a player who does not do his job, then the opponents will take advantage of this immediately. The question is why has JR not been able to adapt to these role requirements?

3) The salary is too high. A player who is often injured and rarely match fit, who is unable to adapt to modern football, who requires playing regular first-team football when he is available, and has a high salary is not very lucrative for other clubs.
 
Barnfred 55 said:
But he is neither worse than useless (actually the opposite) nor disruptive. He is unreliable due to his injuries/fitness and this could have been managed better under Ancelotti. There is room for James in a well balanced squad. This is why we have a squad.
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I think he's pulling away rather than being pushed away. So the emphasis should be on him.

I'm looking for what's best for the club in terms of coherence and best value. I really dont think James adds to that.
 

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