While he has not had his best time recently at the club level, James Rodríguez has shown the quality he still possesses at the Copa América with Colombia this summer.
Plenty of fans and the media called for James not to be called up for this tournament, but he has so far been one of, if not the, best players in the group stage.
The 32-year-old created 11 chances for teammates in the group stage, the most of any player in the tournament, while also laying on three assists.
We will take a deeper look at the performances of the former Real Madrid playmaker in this tactical analysis and James Rodriguez scout report, focusing on the big impact he has made for his country in this Copa América so far under coach Néstor Lorenzo’s tactics.
Making An Impact With His Vision And Distribution
We touched briefly on it in the introduction to this analysis, but James has been one of the most influential players in the early stages of this tournament.
While he leads the tournament with three assists, the attacking midfielder has also recorded four key passes, tied for second-most in the Copa América.
The data viz graphic above shows the progressive passes James has made in the Copa América for Colombia so far, highlighting just how impactful he has been for his nation in this tournament.
He has played most of his progressive passes from deeper areas of the midfield, with the 32-year-old having a more free-roaming role with Colombia, as shown by his progressive passes coming from all areas of the midfield.
The image above shows an example of the quality that James has displayed for Colombia throughout the tournament’s group stages.
In this phase of play above from their match against Brazil, James receives possession in a wider position, drifting to the right in the final third.
After receiving possession, the Colombian captain was able to use his vision and range of passing to pick out Liverpool winger Luis Díaz on the far side.
This vision from James to spot the Colombian winger results in a goal-scoring chance.
Díaz is able to cut inside after receiving possession and send a cross towards the penalty spot for the forwards to look to head towards goal.
This chance comes about from James’s quality on the ball, with the quick switch of play in a tight area of the pitch being key to creating this opportunity inside the penalty area.
This next example has two parts and again shows the quality James has displayed on the ball for Colombia in this tournament.
It also shows his movement off the ball, highlighting the work rate he has displayed while featuring for his national team, something that is often criticised of the 32-year-old in his recent stops at club level.
In the initial figure above, James has again drifted out to the right wing, looking to break his marker and receive possession in a favourable position, without pressure from a defender.
We can see from the image above what happens as Colombia’s attacking phase of play progresses.
James does well to separate from his marker, allowing him to receive possession in the right half-space.
The overlapping run of the Colombian fullback dissuades any Brazilian defender from stepping out of their shape to close him down, allowing James the chance to send a cross into the box under minimal pressure.
His resulting cross finds the head of the forward near the edge and ends up as a shot on target that Alisson is forced to save in the Brazilian goal.
Looking To Impact Play In All Areas Of The Pitch
As previously mentioned, one criticism of James throughout his career has been his work rate.
The attacking midfielder is not always the type to track back and assist defensively, and he does not always look to drop deeper into midfield to get involved in build-up play.
The touch map above shows James’ involvement in Colombia’s three group stage matches at this summer’s Copa América.
We can see how the 32-year-old has been much more influential in all areas of the pitch for his country, with his touch map showing his tendency this tournament to drift all over the attacking area of the pitch, as well as drop deeper into midfield and into the defensive half at times to get more involved in ball progression from these deeper areas.
The image above from Colombia’s match against Paraguay shows an example of how James Rodríguez is looking to get involved in all areas of the pitch.
In this phase of play above, the São Paulo player looks to drift into the wide channel on the near touchline, which allows him to find a pocket of space between three Paraguayan defenders.
James receives possession from the fullback and is fouled by a Paraguayan player, allowing Colombia to advance the play and send the ball into the danger area with a free kick from midfield.
The image above shows another example from this same match against Paraguay, again illustrating James’s tendency to drop deeper into midfield to help his side relieve pressure when building out from the back.
We can see from the figure that this occurred right before halftime, with the Colombian fullback in possession.
The first line of pressure from the opposition looks to force a turnover deep in Colombia’s half, looking to create one final goal-scoring chance before the halftime whistle.
However, James notices the pocket of space between Paraguay’s forward and midfield lines and drops into this area, looking to show as a passing option to relieve pressure.
He is able to receive possession and switch the play to the opposite side of the pitch strategically, which coincides with the referee’s whistle.
While maybe not a big deal to most casual football fans watching this match, it is actually pretty significant, as it shows James’s work rate and ability to stay switched on and involved even when it seems there is no reason to keep working.
Looking To Progress Play With His Dribbling & Ball Carrying Ability
Another thing James has excelled at in this tournament with Colombia is ball-carrying, with the 32-year-old playmaker also excelling at carrying the ball forward.
The data viz graphic above shows the penetrating carries James has completed during the three group-stage matches for Colombia.
We can see from the graphic above that most of these penetrating carries have occurred in the attacking half of the pitch, though he also completed some in the defensive half, which goes back to the work rate that James has displayed for his national team.
James has also been very active in this tournament in carrying the ball into the penalty area for Colombia, as illustrated by his 11 penetrating carries so far.
He has shown his quality in these moments for Colombia, and it has played a large part in their advancement to the quarter-finals of the Copa América as group winners.
The image above shows an example of James’s ball-carrying ability, which he displayed for Colombia.
In the play above, the attacking midfielder receives possession just inside the defensive half of the pitch.
After taking possession, he drives into the opposition half and is closed down by two Brazilian defenders.
However, James is able to use his quality on the dribble and in possession to get past both and drive into the space beyond before playing a pass into the path of the Colombian winger behind the opposition’s defence.
While he has not been as prolific a dribbler as he was in his prime, James has returned to this form for Colombia in recent times, as shown throughout the group stages of this Copa América tournament.
His ability to carry the ball beyond opposition lines and into the penalty area has been a welcome addition for Colombia this tournament, allowing the other attacking players around him to flourish and have more opportunities to become isolated against opposition defenders in 1v1 situations.
Conclusion
As we have seen from this James Rodríguez tactical analysis, Rodríguez was probably the most influential player in the 2024 Copa América.
He has thrived in this Colombian side, where he is the national team captain, and has carried the team’s hopes in this tournament.
James has been a transformed player this tournament.
Colombian fans hope he can continue this form into the knockout stages, starting with the quarter-final against Panama on Saturday night.
