James, an enigma to his technicians

According to DT Carpini the Colombian left Sao Paulo, another boss who cannot improve his level.

James Rodriguez is like a hamster on a wheel: No matter how hard he tries, how much effort he puts in, how much work he puts in to cement himself on a team, he ends up repeating the same ending over and over again, which goes on and on. It ranges from extreme excitement to unbearable boredom and then uncertainty about the career direction. No matter how hard he runs, he always ends up on the way.

The only new thing is that earlier it would take at least a season to say enough is enough, whereas now it can’t even last six months. In the end, no matter how long it takes, disappointment is the only fleeting memory you leave of your teams.

What is happening? Another common thread throughout its long recent history was its differences with coaches, who forced physical labor to achieve everything expected from their performances. Sao Paulo coach Thiago Carpini has just been added to the list, who gave an opinion so raw and honest that for many it was the straw that broke the creative cup: “He is struggling with the training sessions. With that he’s got, he comes with a chronic problem in the tendon, the shin. He misses three or four days and, when he reaches his best form, he feels it again. I think it has affected the mental part of him and made it difficult for him to bounce back.”

And a few days later he concluded: “Our period together was short, I have nothing to say about the athlete and the human being. What impressed me a little was the load control we did due to a small discomfort in the shin. Did in the preseason. It was “I already had an injury on the national team. We started taking care of it so that it becomes fit as soon as possible. But it is in the athlete’s own interest (to leave the club). This is no longer my business.” The film ends, although the reality is that this time the villain does not appear to be the coach.

A long history of disagreements

At Monaco, early on, James repeatedly clashed with Claudio Ranieri (today Yerry Mina’s coach at Cagliari) because he did not support the branding work, however came the World Cup in Brazil and his story changed forever.

After shining under the guidance of Carlo Ancelotti, the only coach who knew how to handle him and bring his best version to Europe, the history of disagreements wearing the white clothes began with the departure of the Italian in 2015. His replacement was Rafa Benítez and with him everything always started the other way: James did not make it to the preseason in the United States – although he had the publicity issue allowed – but later, in the Spaniard’s pragmatic style, the left-back The player’s football began to feel unnecessary, if not annoying, and he became isolated. Unless we narrow it down to Plan C, hopefully.

It seemed like a relief that he was fired after just six months, but the treatment was worse than the disease: Zinedine Zidane’s favorite was Isco and the Frenchman’s dissatisfaction with the Colombian’s lack of sacrifice in the early stages of the first half. Was a part. Goodbye to Madrid. The player’s tantrums when he was replaced (the shock on the bench is unforgettable) and even the coach’s decision to send him to the stands in the last Champions League final: he went on loan to Bayern Munich, 2017 In.

And it was like an oasis: a fierce team in attack, which welcomed him with full enthusiasm, in which he won five titles in two years with the help of another coach who valued him as much as Jupp Heynckes, a happy The relationship, which, according to the then director of players, Franz-Carl Rummenigge, had to conclude a certain purchase. But then again, the fatal ending. The German left and Niko Kovac came. And the romance ended: the new boss demanded a sacrifice that the left-back did not give, injuries occurred and, finally, he returned to Real Madrid.

It is appropriate to make a parenthesis here because, as he himself said in an interview, he asked Bayern not to buy him because he already had an agreement to go to Atlético de Madrid, but a preparatory tour in the United States There was a 7–3 Meringues victory by the Colchoneros and a serious injury to Asensio and thus the loss of business. He returned to the White House knowing that he would leave because he would never have a replacement with Zidane.

And as soon as he could, he moved for free to Everton, now directed by his beloved Ancelotti, and again destiny smiled at him: he adapted quickly, his teammates liked the accuracy of his passes, Fighting off relegation they were getting closer to fighting for the European places, but bad luck struck again: Madrid again called on the Italian, who arrived with the help of… Rafa Benítez!

James described his meeting with him on Twitch as follows: “On the first day of preseason with Everton, Rafael Benítez said to me: You are already old, you are 30 years old, I like young people, Find a club with a hierarchy and who runs. I told the manager ‘Rafa Benitez will be out in three months, I know something about football. I’ve already been with him and it’s a mess. “After three months they were out and they were the last ones.”

He was his enemy. He had to leave but found no better option than Qatar’s Al-Rayyan, with whom he signed a three-year millionaire contract in 2021. With Laurent Blanc he barely understood it but then the Chilean Nicolás Córdova came and, although it was the same language, they understood each other less: he was rarely available, always injured, here So much so that he was even sent away. The coach almost celebrated his departure to Olympiacos, as they put in an agreement in which he would have to pay – an unofficial version – to be able to leave two years before the expiration of his contract.

And now, without Michel, another coach who knew how to be patient with him, marveled about his talent and almost got it back even to the Colombian national team, the Frenchman José Añigo arrived on an interim basis and Problems once again: The press edition in Greece suggested that the 10 might have reacted badly to the boss’s decision to relieve them in the Classic given that Olympiacos had lost 2–0 in the league against Panathinaikos, and that The reason being that he might have decided to terminate his contract two and a half months ago. termination.

He spent several months without activity and without a club until he arrived on the road to São Paulo. Although he arrived speaking perfect Portuguese, he was massively welcomed and filled one of Brazil’s biggest clubs with enthusiasm. First he met Dorival Júnior (today coach of the Brazilian national team), for whom he never had the undisputed material background. Starter and it was perfect. Surprising as he shone with the Colombian national team and returned to the club almost recovering from those efforts, and then with his brutal honesty about young Carpini and his true physical condition.

The result is the same as always. ‘It’s not you, it’s me’, someone who leaves their partner for no apparent reason usually says. The same applies to James who once again slips out the back door, hoping for a new love that will allow him to quickly tire of his coaches and curb his inevitable tendency to not fulfill his contracts. fame is not good but