Jose Rodriguez: Unglorified Real Madrid Loanee Plodding Along

Loaned out to Deportivo de La Coruna, Real Madrid Spanish utility player Jose Rodriguez, 20, is working perseveringly without fanfare.

Acclimatising to La Liga is a certainty, but what is Rodriguez's status with Real Madrid?

Pawn

"

@Josseroodriguez pic.twitter.com/yIJJHaR6

— Vause (@mariaaguado17) February 20, 2013"

You can imagine Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger randomly dropping the tidbit of almost signing Rodriguez if he develops into a star. 

Three years and six months ago, Arsenal desperately tried convincing Cesc Fabregas to stay, attempted to buy Juan Mata, and expected Rodriguez to become a Gunner, per Jeremy Wilson of The Telegraph.

Nothing went according to plan for Arsenal.

The following year, when then-Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho promoted Rodriguez, Hugo Cerezo of Marca's headline was "Jose Rodriguez, the kid that Wenger tried to 'steal'."

Watching Real Madrid centre-forward Karim Benzema evade lunging tackles from Alcoyano's players, Rodriguez camped on the left side of the penalty box unmarked. 

A millisecond from getting tackled, Benzema poked the ball to Rodriguez, who curled the ball toward goal, and it was palmed into the back of the net by then-Alcoyano goalkeeper Unai Alba.

"[Rodriguez] has potential and the time to progress to be a [Real Madrid] first-team player, not just to pass through, but to arrive and stay," Mourinho said, per Miguel Delaney of ESPN FC. "That is important."

The tip-of-the-iceberg take was Rodriguez striving to make a name for himself at Real Madrid.

If you look below the surface of the water, though, you will see that Rodriguez was one of Mourinho's puppets in a feud against then-Real Madrid Castilla manager Alberto Toril.

Infuriated by Toril opting to field more experienced players, Mourinho grandstanded by allocating first-team minutes to Rodriguez, per Marca:

"

[Toril] went through the same situation when he was a player and his advice really helped me to understand the situation ... I wasn't playing for [Real Madrid Castilla] and, all of a sudden, Mourinho calls me up.

I made my debut in the UEFA Champions League, the league and the cup ... To go from playing in the Champions League against Ajax to not playing in the reserves, well it wasn't easy.

"

Since then, Rodriguez has been pertinacious.

He was named in the 2013 UEFA European U19 Championship Team of the Tournament and played 37 league games for Real Madrid Castilla during the 2013-14 season.

Loan

With Real Madrid Castilla relegated to the Segunda Division B, it was imperative that Rodriguez was either loaned to a Segunda Division team or thrown into the deep end in La Liga.

The latter option turned into a reality when Deportivo de La Coruna came calling.

"[I talked] to players who have been here before, such as Alvaro Arbeloa, who spoke very well of the club," Rodriguez said, per Heath Chesters of Inside Spanish Football. "I've been competing in the Segunda Division for the last two seasons, so [playing in La Liga] is a really good opportunity for me."

Rodriguez revealed his decision was swayed by Deportivo de La Coruna manager Victor Fernandez.

"Last season [for Real Madrid Castilla], I played behind the striker, but I prefer [starting as a] central midfielder," Rodriguez said, per Chesters. "I believe [Fernandez] here wants me in my natural position."

However, Fernandez prefers a midfield tandem of Alex Bergantinos, a tenacious tackler, and Haris Medunjanin, an elegant and languid passer. 

Celso Borges driving forward from midfield tells you he becomes a more valid option centrally than Rodriguez.

This means Fernandez has pigeonholed Rodriguez as a right attacking midfielder, forcing him to adjust his playing style.

"Before I lost a lot of risky balls, and now I've cut that out [after Fernandez] spoke to me," Rodriguez said, per Luis de la Cruz of AS. "I've been gaining confidence, I'm better at defending and I think I've grown a lot as a player."

Rodriguez has more tackles per 90 minutes (2.8) than Isco (2.7), and his tackle-success percentage (73.1) is more efficient than that of Toni Kroos (63.3).

Defensively, Rodriguez has been a quasi-right-back at times—think Willian at Chelsea—generally pressing and applying pressure to the opposing ball-carrier. 

This was evident when Rodriguez chased down Rayo Vallecano centre-back Abdoulaye Ba's casual backpass and slipped the ball home.

Rodriguez's hustle led to a cheap goal, which gave momentum to Deportivo de La Coruna as they went on to overcome a 2-0 deficit to draw 2-2 against Rayo Vallecano.

Another outstanding defensive play was when Rodriguez read and anticipated the direction of Valencia centre-back Nicolas Otamendi's pass.

Intercepting the ball from inside Deportivo de La Coruna's defensive half, Rodriguez pulled off a wonderful Kroos-esque through-ball assist to substitute Toche in a 3-0 win over Valencia.

When you watch Rodriguez, you see a hard-working and technically proficient footballer who is able to take the ball past opposing players and play in various positions at a La Liga-standard level. 

What you worry about is the fact that Rodriguez has no concrete identity. Is he a No. 6, a No. 8, a No. 10 or a No. 11? 

He needs to cut down on his fouls, as he concedes more free-kicks per game (2.4) than tackles made (2.0). 

There is a tendency for him to go missing in games, which he needs to rectify if he wants to be a week-in, week-out starter.

He seems more adept at turning defence into attack than being a natural forward threat. 

He has scored only twice and registered one assist from 19 La Liga games over 1,226 minutes.

"Of course [I see Isco as an example]," Rodriguez said, per de la Cruz. "Last year he wasn't in the picture and now he's one of [Real Madrid's] best players."

Around €80/£63 million cheaper than James Rodriguez and lacking the upside of Jese Rodriguez, the lesser-known Rodriguez is a quiet achiever, progressing in small increments on loan at Deportivo de La Coruna.

Start taking notice. Rodriguez is laying the foundation to achieve his dream—being a regular contributor for Real Madrid.

+allanjiang.

When not specified, statistics via WhoScored.com.