How Real Madrid Can Get the Best out of James Rodriguez

Real Madrid paid €80 million to sign James Rodriguez from Monaco in the aftermath of his superb performances at the World Cup. Carlo Ancelotti currently has a number of tactical issues to address, but getting the best out of his new Colombian star will surely be one of his priorities over the coming weeks.

Rodriguez sparkled at the World Cup as the central attacking midfielder in a 4-2-3-1 formation, scoring six goals and providing two assists as Colombia reached the last eight of the competition for the first time in their history. He was awarded the Golden Boot as the tournament’s top scorer.

He was similarly impressive for Monaco in a comparable role—behind two strikers in a 4-3-1-2 formation—during the 2013/14 season, scoring nine goals and providing 12 assists as the principality club finished second in Ligue 1.

The majority of his open-play assists and, as per the diagram below from Squawka, created chances came from central areas in the attacking half.

Courtesy of Squawka

Rodriguez is ideally suited to this position. His slick dribbling and keen eye for a pass are best utilised in a central role in which he has license to drift around in search of space to receive the ball and move forward towards goal.

In contrast with his free-wheeling World Cup performances, Rodriguez was a little subdued during his debut for Real Madrid, against Sevilla in the UEFA Super Cup in mid-August. He was employed as the left of three central midfielders in a 4-3-3 formation—the role fulfilled by Angel Di Maria last season.

Rodriguez does not have the requisite skill set to provide the same balance as Di Maria, whose pace and energy played such a key role in Madrid’s Champions League success. He made a couple of good contributions in attack but was very awkward in his defensive work. He nearly gifted Sevilla a goal with a miscued clearance inside his own box during the first half.

Ancelotti employed Rodriguez in the same position in Madrid’s Primera Division opener against Cordoba, with similar results. Marca report that the Italian is now considering Gareth Bale and Fabio Coentrao as alternatives for the Di Maria role.

Rodriguez did begin his career as a left midfielder at Banfield, and played in that position throughout Colombia’s World Cup qualifying campaign. The difference, however, is that he was expected to do less defensive work than is required by Ancelotti’s system.

With both Banfield and Colombia he had two dedicated defensive midfielders behind him and just two forwards ahead. At Madrid there are three forwards ahead of him, while his fellow midfielders are less defensively inclined.

The most promising performance of Rodriguez’s short Madrid career to date came in the first half of the second leg of their Spanish Super Cup tie against Atletico Madrid. He started as the left of three forwards in a 4-3-3 formation, but with license to rotate with Gareth Bale on the opposite flank.

He had a low, placed effort well-saved by Miguel Angel Moya following a neat exchange of passes with Dani Carvajal, curled another effort just wide and found good space between the lines to link with midfield. “He was fantastic,” Ancelotti remarked afterwards, as per AS.

Rodriguez also performed well in a right-sided forward role during his time with Porto, scoring 23 league goals over the course of his final two seasons at the Dragao, as per Soccerway. The cover of three midfielders provides him with the freedom to concentrate on the attacking side of his game.

He, was, however, less impressive as part of the forward line during Madrid’s 4-2 defeat to Real Sociedad, with only his set-piece deliveries causing real danger. Regular deployment in this position also depends on Bale moving back into midfield. Otherwise, the forward three of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Bale seems pretty much set in stone.

Of course, if Ancelotti does place Bale in midfield, the possibility would open up of replicating the 4-3-1-2 formation in which Rodriguez starred for Monaco, with Benzema and Ronaldo up front and Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Bale in midfield.

Per Marca, Rodriguez has stated that he is happy to play wherever Ancelotti wants him to—“as a playmaker, up front, on the wing, wherever”—but the Italian will surely be keen to find a defined role for the 23-year-old that makes best use of his attributes.

Ideally, a central attacking midfield role would be the best fit for Rodriguez, but with Ancelotti seemingly reticent to employ a 4-2-3-1 formation—having last done so against Celta Vigo in January—that is currently unlikely. In the circumstances, a place in the front three appears the most realistic and most suitable solution at this stage of his career in the capital.

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