James Rodriguez took a back seat at Real Madrid in recent seasons despite his fantastic talent. He and his agent are now looking for other options that will offer first-team football. Would Chelsea make sense for the left-footed Colombian?
James Rodriguez has the undesirable honour of being football’s most talented outcast. He scored 13 goals and added 13 assists in his first season at Real Madrid two years ago. Last season he struggled to find his place, with reports attributing his drop in form to an insufficient work ethic.
Chelsea, like Real Madrid, are stacked with attacking midfielders. Chelsea would be an unusual destination for Rodriguez given that his abilities are no more in demand at Stamford Bridge than they are in Madrid. But James Rodriguez’s pure quality makes it an interesting proposition nonetheless.
A Rodriguez move might be coming a couple years too late, as Chelsea move away from formations whose impetus is put on that position. Chelsea are departing from formations that emphasize a central attacking midfielder like Rodriguez. However, should Chelsea shift to a 4-1-2-1-2, James Rodriguez would fit in like a charm.
Rodriguez’s strongest attribute is his devastating left-footed shot. Any place on the pitch within 35 meters of the goal is a reasonable shooting position for him. That range keeps defenders honest, particularly given Chelsea’s other offensive weapons. If defenders and midfielders were clambering over themselves to block a Rodriguez shot, they would create more space for Eden Hazard and Diego Costa to operate in.
Chelsea likely will be moving away from the 4-2-3-1 formation. Antonio Conte’s record at Italy and Juventus shows his preference for a 4-2-4 or 3-5-2. His first month at Chelsea shows signs that he is shaping the Blues towards those formations.
Neither formation suits Rodriguez’s style of play. If Chelsea were to switch to the 4-1-2-1-2 then bringing in Rodriguez could be genius. Even then, Chelsea would still need to unload at least Cesc Fabregas to minimize redundancy in its lineup. Rumours of a Fabregas move to Real Madrid have abounded this week, but they are likely just that: rumours.
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While we can sit back and dream about a Cesc-less Chelsea roster, Antonio Conte shows little sign of shifting to a 4-1-2-1-2. Those are both necessary conditions for a Rodriguez transfer to Chelsea. Bottom line: entertaining to think about, but silly season fodder just the same.