The script is usually similar. El Rayo writes on some of its social networks, as is usual in all professional football clubs, and the second receives hundreds of comments from Colombian fans who tell him everything about the invisibility of James Rodríguez in the Vallecano team. It doesn’t matter if what Rayo has published has nothing to do with the coffee player. There is significant anger over what the South American country considers an inexplicable decision. «It is a mystery to us. Here he is our leader, our captain and there he is one more,” explains Juan Coronado, one of the most popular sports journalists in Colombia. James Rodríguez, now focused on his national team, was one of the big signings of last summer. He had just been named MVP of the Copa América and led Colombia to the final, in which they lost against Argentina. A second youth for a footballer who had already been buried for the elite. The Qatari Al-Rayyan, the Greek Olympiacos and the Brazilian Sao Paulo were his last three destinations and in none of them he had a determining role, but his performance was totally opposite in the national team, and that James is the one who convinced Martín Presa to return him to Spanish football, where he was already between 2014 and 2017 and in the 2019-20 season, always with the Real Madrid shirt. “Since Maradona with Naples nothing has been seen like this,” said the owner of Rayo after announcing the signing of James in August, but three months have passed and the midfielder is a residual player. «We don’t know if he has a problem with the locker room, with the coach or with both, but what we are clear about is that in Colombia the entire national team project revolves around him and he feels important. Colombia’s football weight is not the same with James or without James and it does not matter if he plays for Rayo or not. And that is taking its toll on him and affecting him,” says Coronado. His thoughts are those of millions of compatriots, thousands of them settled in Spain and Madrid, who come to Vallecas every other Sunday with the desire and hope of seeing James in the eleven, but that never happens. Even Martín Presa himself showed last Friday, in the preview of the match against Las Palmas, his surprise at the situation of the ’10’: “Those of us who like football hope and wish to see James start, he is one of those players unique. But one thing is what the owner of Rayo thinks and another is what goes through the head of Íñigo Pérez. The Rayo coach, despite being the youngest in Primera, has plenty of personality and does not marry anyone, only with his football idea. The Rayista coach loves high-speed football. In addition to high pressure, he likes his team to run, for the games to be back-and-forth rather than control football, and there James’ profile is offside. The coffee grower is a touch and pause player, very far from the dynamics of this Rayo. A counter style that penalizes him when it comes to finding a place in the eleven. Of the 13 League games that James has been able to play, in four of them he has not had a single minute and in only one, against Leganés, has he started. «Nothing personal» «It is not a personal issue. Simply put, the football that Íñigo Pérez proposes is very physical, with a lot of rhythm and that is not James’ style. “Isi, Álvaro and Trejo are indisputable for the coach right now,” say sources close to Rayo. The same ones that question the player’s physical condition. He arrived out of shape from the summer holidays and his evolution is not the most advisable to convince his coach that he can live up to the demands that Íñigo demands of the team. And, for now, it’s not going bad. Rayo has gone into the twelfth break, with 16 points, six above the relegation zone. “Those who the coach believes will give us victory play and it is difficult to get into the team,” Martín Presa also explains, knowing that his coach is not going to let himself be pressured by him or anyone. There is also RDT, spending more time on the bench than on the field, despite the fact that he was another signing from the noble plant. Related News standard No Football Sergio Camello: «You won’t see me buying a 600 euro shirt, when my mother earn 700 a month» Rubén Cañizares standard No FOOTBALL Isi Palazón: «Of course I would lower my salary in exchange for reducing the calendar» Daniel CebreiroAnd what does James plan to do with this set? His 136 minutes are not what he would have imagined when he said yes to Presa’s proposal. In fact, from Colombia and his surroundings it is leaking that he is not comfortable and that perhaps a way out will be sought in the winter market, something that does not alter the pulse of Íñigo Pérez either. «I am not aware of the rumors and I have not spoken with him about this information nor has the club told me anything. This is not the time either and, if it were, I am open to talking to any player who is uncomfortable with their situation,” the Rayo coach commented last week. A position that collides head-on with what Martín Presa wants and that outrages Colombia. James Rodríguez, a diplomatic conflict.
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