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James Rodríguez and Marcelo Bielsa have not had the chance to meet. Leeds is returning to the Premier League after 16 years and the Colombian is living his first season in England. And when Bielsa was directing Chile, Rodríguez was only in the Under 20 national team, contesting the World Cup for the category in his country.
You had to wait until 2020 of the pandemic to see them collide. It is a fact that at this point the Argentine knows more than the Colombian and that will be enjoyed this Saturday, at 12:30 pm (Colombian time), at Goodison Park.
The southpaw hopes to be even more influential in his team’s attack after the final but fickle sparks of the latest ‘blue’ win against Fulham. He will have to face a clear mess: he will lose his partner last day, Lucas Digne, who could be out for up to three months.
That is the great headache of coach Carlo Ancelotti. It is a decisive absence, since the reality is that only James has created more goal options in the team than the French.
There are two options: Delph and Nkounkou. The first is a winning bet in defense, neither with Guardiola nor with Ancelotti he showed a very attacking facet and with the first, at City, he went up to midfield to make room for a creative like David Silva: interesting data thinking about the role of James.
The second, 20, is a better option in attack for a band that is vital, with Richarlison as the spearhead. He has already shown intelligence, quick and sharp game and a good pass over the rival area, which against a team that does not stop intensity in the 90 minutes, like Leeds, can be decisive.
How to best back James? That is the question of Ancelotti in his particular tactical pulse with Bielsa. He already said this Friday that the left-hander will not be pigeonholed in any position when Everton has the ball, so manufacturing that environment and making James escape the trap that Leeds will surely set him will be the key to the game.