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News came from Everton. Just the least expected. James Rodríguez is injured and will miss this Saturday’s match against Chelsea (3:30 pm), as confirmed by Carlo Ancelotti.
The problem would be a blow to his calf: “I don’t want to force it. We’ll see if he can train and get to Leicester,” said the coach.
This is his second loss due to physical problems, after a forced absence, apparently due to a blow to the testicles, in the derby against Liverpool.
And by now the question is round: considering your injury history in your last spell at Bayern Munich and especially at Real Madrid, is it time to worry about your physical condition at Everton?
Yes and no. Yes, because it is always difficult to get out of the training routine and then enter again at that frenetic pace that teammates and rivals carry in a league that is demanding in the Premier League. No, because unlike the previous occasions, his position is not in question, he does not need to gain a confidence from the manager that he already has and he does not have many competitors in the position, at least not some with his influence.
Because even in the midst of Everton’s bump, which fell from the top of the Premier to ninth place, the Colombian’s role is not in dispute, at least from the statistics. In those first six games, with four wins and two draws, he stood, with three goals and three assists, as one of the best signings of the summer and its successive games, beyond the fact that Everton has only been able to add 4 out of 15 possible points, They recognize him as the second player with the most options created (25), behind Grealish according to the portal ‘The Other 14’, and as the third best assistant, behind Kane (Tottenham) and Bruno (Manchester United).
Furthermore, according to the prestigious site The Athletic, he is the sixth Premier player who averages the most passes in the last third of the field (6.5 per 90 minutes). In addition, he throws six long passes per game, much of them behind the back of the defense and many destined for Richarlison.
But Everton’s downturn does not change that they have five games without goals and without assists and that is why voices such as Gabby Agbonlahor are heard, for whom the player “has cooled down. Maybe he did not know how cold it can get in England. He is not reaching the level of the first games, I think he is really discovering what James is capable of. “
In contrast, The Athletics say that James is the least of Ancelotti’s problems, whose priority is solving the huge problems of an unbalanced defense due to injuries. And the Liverpool Echo newspaper agrees and highlights the left-hander had a good presentation against Burnley, in fact also against Fulham, and affirms that Everton’s attack circuit has already become less surprising for the coaches, who better understand the behavior of the players new and know how to neutralize them.
The truth is that it will not be against Chelsea, but we would have to wait to reserve it when Leicester and Arsenal come in the Premier and Manchester United in the Carabao Cup can be a prudent bet. For now, the alarms should not be raised. Not yet.
