James Rodriguez scored his first goal since returning to Real Madrid on Saturday against Granada, but he could have an even bigger performance if given a full 90 minutes against Mallorca.
Real Madrid are currently on the October international break, and while several players will be featuring for their national teams this week, others like James Rodriguez and Luka Jovic are taking a rest. Rodriguez has specifically chosen to take some time away from Colombia’s friendly matches and is instead focusing on further proving to Zinedine Zidane that he is beyond 100-percent committed to the cause.
So far, James has enjoyed a successful second stint at the Bernabeu, even though it once seemed like he would be on the way out this summer. James put on a typical passing masterclass against Levante, showed a grittier side to his game against Sevilla, and then scored his return goal in stoppage time as a late substitute to seal the deal against another quality La Liga side in Granada.
MARCA’s Carlos Gonzalez notes that since 12 players will be participating in the international break’s games, including rising star Fede Valverde and veteran midfielder Luka Modric, James Rodriguez seems like a near-lock to start against Mallorca on Oct. 19.
James, interestingly enough, hasn’t started since Real’s 1-0 win over Sevilla. Although he played well in that fixture defensively and, once again, did everything asked of him by Zidane, he’s somewhat fallen out of favor as a starter. That’s because of both Valverde’s emergence as a strong box-to-box alongside Casemiro, as well as the more advanced role Toni Kroos is playing.
But Kroos is injured. And while Isco could get a run in the starting lineup against Mallorca on Matchday 9 as a way of shaking off some rust post-injury, hasn’t James deserved more minutes on the strength of his key displays?
Mallorca might honestly be the only easy fixture for Real in the months of September and October, aside from the October-closing match against Leganes. Immediately after Real face Mallorca, they will have to win their first Champions League game against Galatasaray before traveling to Camp Nou to face Barcelona.
That means Mallorca, who look like a relegation side, will be an important post-break tune-up game for La Liga’s leaders. So if James gets his first start since Sevilla and impresses, he could make a strong case for starting in El Clasico. Then again, it might not matter how well he plays if Kroos is on the mend and Zidane favors a more defensive midfield of Kroos, Valverde, and Casemiro against a team on Barcelona’s level.
Either approach seems to favor James starting, though. Zidane should give him the opportunity to shine against an easy opponent to rest his expected starters for the more important Galatasaray and Barca fixtures, or he should start James with the intent of seeing if he’d be a better option than others, such as Kroos, for El Clasico.
On paper, James would have a great chance of racking up more goals and assists. He’s shown his world-class quality on several occasions this season, though we’ve also gotten the sense that we’ve yet to receive the best that the Colombian has to offer. Perhaps, he’ll treat the fans and his manager to a masterful display on Oct. 19 if given the opportunity.
In fact, if his number is called in Real Madrid’s first game after the break, I fully expect him to either find the back of the net or set up a teammate for a goal. He’s clearly enjoying his football this season and is motivated to make an impact in a White kit. This is his year.