World Cup 2018: Colombia vs Japan; Best & Worst Players from the game

#4 Worst: James Rodriguez

Pretty much sums it up

Many Colombian fans had traveled a long distance to witness their star, James Rodriguez in action. The Golden Boot winning breakthrough player from the last World Cup, James has been touted to lead Colombia’s charge this time around.

However, the team were hit with a major blow when James was diagnosed with a muscle issue on his calf and that effectively ruled him out from a starting spot.

Rodriguez is extremely crucial to Colombia’s style of play, as his passing range coupled with a knack for scoring regular goals means that he exudes a lot of offensive creativity and flair to their game.

After coming from the bench post the one-hour mark, Rodriguez looked a bit rusty and didn’t settle into the game quickly enough. His off the ball contribution wasn’t the best either, something that was needed as Colombia were required to collectively defend in order to cover up for Sanchez’s place.

Moreover, he was required to provide some spark in the final third so that Columbia could have looked for another goal. His introduction did not yield any noticeable impact; as James was left with chasing the ball for most of his stay on the pitch.

There was always some timely clearance, and Rodriguez should have been swifter in order to create some goal-scoring opportunities for the isolated Radamel Falcao.

To cap it off, James also received a yellow card for a rash challenge in the final ten minutes of the game. This now puts extra pressure on him to not commit any more punishable fouls, as that would risk his involvement in the further games.