James Rodríguez

fps

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Like Coutinho he is sort of lost in Football right now since he is a natural #10 while almost all of the top sides are playing 4-3-3.
Well this is what I came to post. I wonder when the 10 will make a resurgence. The inverted wingers are in some ways a pair of 10s at clubs.
 
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Why on earth would anyone want to take their family to a place like that? They are 100 years behind the rest of the world with their views and rights. Surely he doesn't need the cash that badly.

Pep went out there too didn't he when he left Barca as a player?
Why does anyone go there - money and perceived luxury.
 

Infordin

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Like Coutinho he is sort of lost in Football right now since he is a natural #10 while almost all of the top sides are playing 4-3-3.
Bayern do play 4231, the ideal formation for Coutinho. He failed because he’s not good enough. Thomas Muller benched him by performing better.
 

GhastlyHun

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I think he definitely needs the right manager, personality-wise, to get the best out of him. In the season when Heynckes played caretaker for us after Ancelotti was let go, James really turned up and bossed the midfield. Especially his defensive contributions were something I had never even suspected him capable of.
 

elmo

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Reckon Everton should go for him.

Ancelotti can indulge him and get the best out of him if he's willing to take a step down for clubs.
 

limerickcitykid

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Sad really. He won't be earning peanuts in Miami either. Miami or live in the desert? Wouldn't be a tough decision for me.
He’d make 3-4x as much in Qatar. And let’s not kid ourselves like he’d be living like some peasant in the desert. He’d have a luxury penthouse by the beach with all the other rich people along with Xavi and all the other Spanish people there. Not exactly slumming it.
 

André Dominguez

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He was also inconsistent at Porto. Even in his best seasons there, he would spent quite a goof number games in the bench, hence the reason why Belluschi played a lot of minutes in Porto.

He only imposed himself when Vitor Pereira became a coach and moved him to the wings (mainly a cut inside winger) where he played his best seasons.
 

carvajal

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He is too young to go to the MLS.
He may not be a player for certain teams (I think he is very slow among other things) but still has a lot of individual quality and a fantastic left foot.
Surely there are a lot of upper-middle-level teams like Milan, Napoli, Valencia, etc. that might be interested.
His agent is Mendes, so I'm sure he'll come up with something.
With Atlético it was done, but apparently Madrid were scared after the 7-3 in preseason and paralyzed everything. Perhaps this summer the opportunity will arise again
 

Wednesday at Stoke

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Wolves want players that they can play and package for a good price later when they decide to sell. Reckon he's too old for their project.
Who have they packaged recently? They've held onto all their assets like Neves, Jota, Jimenez and Traore. Maybe a couple of them will leave this summer but they have looked more like a club that wants to compete than sell like Southampton.
 

RooneyLegend

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Won't Newcastle be looking for big name players if they get sold? Available big name players dont come bigger than Coutinho and James for a club that side.
 

Renegade

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Reckon Everton should go for him.

Ancelotti can indulge him and get the best out of him if he's willing to take a step down for clubs.
Theyre playing a 442 currently and would need to sell Siggy to accommodate James.
 

BigDunc9

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Theyre playing a 442 currently and would need to sell Siggy to accommodate James.
Sadly I don't think anyone will be willing to take Sigurdsson as his wages will be to much for someone who looks done at Premier League level. I think the only reason we are playing 442 is because our Midfielders are that bad it makes no sense to play 3 of them. I think in time Carlo will put Richarlson back on the wing if we can sign two midfield players to play with Gomes. I think James is not what we need though, our team feels very slow down the middle as it is.
 

Nou_Camp99

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He’d make 3-4x as much in Qatar. And let’s not kid ourselves like he’d be living like some peasant in the desert. He’d have a luxury penthouse by the beach with all the other rich people along with Xavi and all the other Spanish people there. Not exactly slumming it.
He's got a bit of a partyboy reputation hasn't he? Miami is probably in top 5 cities to party in.

I don't think Qatar has such an attraction other than the cash.
 

limerickcitykid

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He's got a bit of a partyboy reputation hasn't he? Miami is probably in top 5 cities to party in.

I don't think Qatar has such an attraction other than the cash.
David Silva? I have no clue, I’ve never heard it being a problem anyway.

Either way there are clubs in Qatar too. There are over 100,000 westerners in Qatar, many of which are young professionals. There are plenty of clubs for them to go to. He’s a massively rich westerner, not a slave labourer.
 

FootballHQ

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Mad to think it's six years now since he was lighting up the world cup.

There's always been talk of him going to play again for Ancelotti isn't there? Can remember him being linked with Napoli a fair bit but that never happened and there's the odd link to Everton. Guess he's on stupid wages at Real Madrid so that rules it out. How long's left on his deal given he signed for them straight after the 14 world cup?
 

Nou_Camp99

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David Silva? I have no clue, I’ve never heard it being a problem anyway.

Either way there are clubs in Qatar too. There are over 100,000 westerners in Qatar, many of which are young professionals. There are plenty of clubs for them to go to. He’s a massively rich westerner, not a slave labourer.
I was back talking about James there mate. Sorry I didn't make that clear at all.

Silva definitely not a party boy. However they both speak Spanish and Miami is very Spanish. Just makes sense.
 

Acrobat7

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If they are used the same then one of them is misused completely.
Of course Müller and James are not the same type of player. But both were competitors for the spot behind Lewandowski and between the two wingers.
 

Mark Pawelek

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... He could play in a 3 man midfield, would never work if Pogba was also in the midfield however as it would be too attacking.
He can definitely tackle and defend. If the 3-man midfield had a top CDM specialist I think a Pogba/Rodriguez midfield will work.

I can see United signing him for €25 m; and selling our other #10s like Mata, Lingard & Pereira. He can play RW and can alternatively take the load off Bruno in less crucial games. I don't think United have €120m for Sancho either. Players arriving will depend on who United can sell.
 

FootballHQ

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When did he last have a really good club season, Monaco?
 

JPRouve

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When did he last have a really good club season, Monaco?
For Ancelotti at Madrid. For Monaco he was inconsistent and Ranieri was upset with his attitude in training.
 

marktan

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Shouldn't sign cast offs that have been rejected by multiple other clubs.
 

Rozay

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He’s still a very good player, he’s just had a little difficulty fitting in as the 10 has been phased out a bit. Lazy onlookers who don’t really watch will simply think James hasn’t player well these last few years. That’s not the case to me. He’s got great vision and finishing, but is absolutely best as a 10. He’s not fairweather either, and has the character to deliver on the big stage, as shown at the World Cup, and the clubs he’s played for.
 

Idxomer

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29 years old from South America who plays for Madrid and unwanted.

Sign him up.
 

Rozay

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29 years old from South America who plays for Madrid and unwanted.

Sign him up.
The fact that he is from South America is not some sort of stick to beat with. And the fact that Real Madrid don’t want a player doesn’t make them bad either.

I really am a crusader against narrative/storyline consumption of football. Watch it yourself and make an opinion for yourself. The game is just full of lazy rhetoric and echo.
 

Idxomer

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The fact that he is from South America is not some sort of stick to beat with. And the fact that Real Madrid don’t want a player doesn’t make them bad either.

I really am a crusader against narrative/storyline consumption of football. Watch it yourself and make an opinion for yourself. The game is just full of lazy rhetoric and echo.
Well, you said he excels at the biggest stage. That was only true six years ago, so he did that once. His playing in two big clubs doesn't help him either as he failed to cement a starting place in Madrid and didn't do enough in his loan spell either to be sold and this is where he played in his favorite position most of the time. Bayern went and got on loan another #10 after his return to Madrid. He also got a lot of injuries in the last couple of years and this where his age comes into the picture. You're right about the South American bit, that doesn't usually matter. If you couple that though with his age and him not knowing the league, also for the last 6 years he only played in teams where they expect to dominate every game, do you really think he's worth the gamble?

You might see it as lazy rhetoric but the club tried similar signings like this before and failed and they will definitely be aware of that if someone suggests him as an option for them.
 

carvajal

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If I were United I would not sign him. He has a very high salary. He is slow for a top team in la liga, I imagine he would suffer a lot in the Premier.
Technically very good, but I think he would have to go to a smaller league or some Villarreal-type team (like Riquelme), where his contribution of talent was needed in free kicks, possession and assists with a strong midfield to protect him.
 

Rozay

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Well, you said he excels at the biggest stage. That was only true six years ago, so he did that once. His playing in two big clubs doesn't help him either as he failed to cement a starting place in Madrid and didn't do enough in his loan spell either to be sold and this is where he played in his favorite position most of the time. Bayern went and got on loan another #10 after his return to Madrid. He also got a lot of injuries in the last couple of years and this where his age comes into the picture. You're right about the South American bit, that doesn't usually matter. If you couple that though with his age and him not knowing the league, also for the last 6 years he only played in teams where they expect to dominate every game, do you really think he's worth the gamble?

You might see it as lazy rhetoric but the club tried similar signings like this before and failed and they will definitely be aware of that if someone suggests him as an option for them.
By the ‘biggest stage’, I mean he is comfortable in the shirt at Real and Bayern. He is used to that level, and has played well under the pressure of those shirts.

Ultimately, with any signing, I think you need to sit down and evaluate his motivations. Someone like Gareth Bale is more concerning, as he seems to have little interest in playing football. James joined Real to play, and when he started being left out, he sought a loan, and then if he is now seeking a move so that he can continue his career - it is not concerning, it is commendable.

He was a starter and performed very well for much of his time at both clubs. Bayern liked him, but they are a frugal club, and didn’t want to pay another 42m on top of the 13m they had already paid. Watching the player though, it isn’t that he was rubbish.