Boo boys out for James in Madrid

With just one win out of three to start La Liga the boo birds are out in full force at the Bernabeu and rightly so as Real Madrid look a shell of the team that challenged on so many fronts last season. Many are lamenting the lack of cohesion, as Florentino Perez’s latest galactico experiment seems headed for the doldrums.

An inadequate midfield and a lack of concentration has been Madrid’s undoing so far, some even prematurely posture that La Liga is already a lost cause. Yet at the heart of the criticism is the Colombian star man and World Cup’s golden boot winner James Rodriguez.

Now to be clear, Rodriguez hasn’t been particularly “bad” and it would be wholly unfair to levy hefty amounts of blame on the 23-year-old’s shoulders. But as Madrid continue to suffer with a line-up and formation that simply doesn’t work, the pressure seems to be mounting on the €80 million dollar man.

For long-time fans of Madrid’s new “numero 10” it’s been quite simple to see James’ issues as he appears absolutely terrified on the pitch, a far cry from his dominant World Cup performances. At Brazil this summer with Falcao out, James took control of the Colombian squad. His goals, assists and all-round play made him the toast of the tournament, his stunning strike against Uruguay in the round of 16 likely the pick of the bunch.

While he was becoming a familiar face off the pitch on it he was dominating games, playing as carefree as a youngster in Bogota. However, at Madrid James looks like a shell of himself. Though he looked much more comfortable vs. Atletico, spraying around some nice passes and getting more involved, he largely looks absolutely petrified every time he is given the football as if he doesn’t want the ball. He seems more than happy to pass it off to the nearest available player, too afraid of making a mistake.

It’s become apparent that the step up to Real Madrid has been a huge bridge to gap for the burgeoning talent. The jury is still out on his long-term prospects at the capital. Many forget that he had already been touted as a world-beater from his early Porto days and he impressed last season for Monaco in Ligue 1. Frankly, James is not a fluke in any way shape or form. Yet when he’s on the pitch flanked by Ronaldo and Bale it’s almost as if he forgets this.

Regardless of Real’s transfer dealings this summer, Perez did not pay such a large amount of money for him to be a non-entity on the pitch. James needs to assert himself and play with the same flair that has been a core tenet of his game at each stage of his career.

Yes, moving to a star-studded team does take some adjustment and if his latest game was anything to go by he is definitely improving, but for Madrid fans to truly see the best of James he needs to shred his fears and play with the same excitement that made him the darling of the World Cup, then and only then will we truly see his potential. Basel’s up next, the stage couldn’t be more perfect. 

La Liga - Club News