Not too long ago, life was glorious at Everton. Carlo Ancelotti was in charge; James Rodriguez was shining again, and the Spirit of the Blues was top of the charts.
A few years on, though, and it’s only Ancelotti who remains at the top. Everton have been mired in relegation battles for years and Rodriguez is nowhere near the player he once was.
He now finds himself at Rayo Vallecano in Spain, but things are not going well, to say the least, prompting AS to speak to various Colombian journalists today about him and what’s going wrong.
The newspaper explains that the 33-year-old is not shining in Vallecas at this moment in time. He arrived as the ‘flashy signing’ but is not enjoying a leading role, managing just 136 minutes in the league to date and just one start.
He’s currently not featured for three games, although that could change for the weekend clash with Real Madrid, his former club.
Questions are being raised about the 33-year-old’s fitness and desire once again, as has been the case at Everton and various other clubs over the last few years.
According to Julián Capera, a journalist for ESPN, there’s no drama like before but the same questions are being asked again.
“There is no drama like before,” he said.
“When it happens in so many clubs and with so many coaches, the one who probably creates this situation is James.
“There are coaches with whom he did not have a good relationship, such as Rafa Benítez, who managed him at Madrid and Everton, but beyond that one in particular, it has been difficult for him to adapt to the group dynamic.”
Omar Sanchez, a journalist for Caracol Radio, believes that the midfielder remains haunted by the ghosts of Everton and his other former clubs.
“It is worrying because the ghosts of Everton, Al Rayyan, Olympiakos and Sao Paulo are appearing again,” he added.
“He arrived with many expectations, but he does not play because he is not part of his coach’s sporting project. James is a whim of Presa, who sees him as a rock star, and for Iñigo Pérez he is just another musician.”
