From the controversy at the beginning of the season to the convincing of today's crowd, James Rodriguez has finally played a preliminary performance of the right price, and the recent highlight moment has even made some Barca fans exclaim that "if James returns early, the national derby Barca may not be able to win smoothly". James scored another crucial goal (and still a pretty) goal in the last round of the league, and discussing James at this time seems to be the most appropriate time. Therefore, today we will discuss him as the central figure. Since James averaged only 77.2 minutes per game at Real Madrid this season, the data quoted in this article is all measured on average per 90 minutes.
First of all, we must make it clear that James's technique is significantly flawed, and as a typical and relatively traditional left-footed player, his right foot can basically only play a supporting role in the game. Since passing statistics generally rarely distinguish between touches, this is only a description of the shot: since landing in Europe, James has not had a season when he has accounted for more than 5% of right-foot shots, even lower than the head, without guaranteeing more than 2 shots per 90 minutes.
This may seem inconceivable for a midfielder who has been active in the middle rather than on the flanks and lacks the ability to break through, knowing that the proportion of left-footed shots with the right foot like Robben and Di Maria, which is almost pure, can basically break through this data, and the way these wingers play on the wing can also weaken the shortcomings of non-habitual feet very well, compared to them, James, who has been struggling in the crowded middle of the road for a long time, must be dragged down by right-foot technology. And due to the lack of ability to get out of place (the last two seasons have only contributed a maximum of 1.5 passes per 90 minutes), the Colombian midfield has relatively less room for adjustment. Correspondingly, James had to compensate for the disadvantage of the right foot by maximizing the quality of the left foot handling ball. This has led to his current technical characteristics that seem to be seriously partial, but are actually extremely adaptable.
James vs Di Maria: You can't think of a comparison of the data
For at least the last two years, Di Maria was the one that James could not avoid. Whether they like it or not, Real Madrid fans will consciously or unconsciously compare these two left-footed players with very different styles. The strengths of both men are very obvious, Di Maria is fast and sharp, and James has a wide field of vision and long pass precision and a sharp shot.
But the magic of Ancelotti is that he has made a very different transformation around the same position for these two players who originally had a very distinct technical style, one is a winger to play a central defender, and the other is a front-back to a full-back (although the role of this center forward and full-back will change at any time with the switch between 433 and 442). And the effect may surprise many people, you may feel that without Di Maria, Real Madrid has a lot less breakthroughs, which was infinitely expanded against Atletico Madrid so that before the Champions League, Real Madrid handed over the worst derby record in the city before the Champions League. But if you expand the sample to an entire season, the data will tell you something that the "did you see the ball" argument can't reveal.
Last season, Di Maria was always alone in Longtan at key moments, and the highlight performance in major competitions (especially the Champions League final) labeled him a "first breaker in the team". But in fact, Di Maria's breakthrough throughout the season is not very efficient in terms of both production and efficiency. Last season, Argentines contributed an average of 1.8 successful breakthroughs per 90 minutes, and the success rate was only 50%, the lowest among all players who made more than 20 appearances and more than one per 90 minutes.
The outside world is more impressed with him, not because of his ability to excel, but because once he has achieved the success, the Argentine winger's subsequent processing of the ball will increase the final effect of this pass by a geometric level. Many people are emphasizing the importance of excellence in the game, but ignore the statistics of the superhuman data is only a measure of the technical link of the pass, and how the game develops after the passing is not within the statistical scope; the comparison between Di Maria and Real Madrid's past two years of the superman Isco just shows the huge difference in the level of influence of different talents: last season, Isco can contribute 3 times per 90 minutes, and the success rate is also a more decent 56%, but it has gradually become a substitute from the absolute core of the beginning of the season. One of the reasons for this is that his superiority has not been able to translate into instantaneous propulsion.
In this regard, James is actually somewhat similar to Isco, except that the Colombian's small skills are slightly worse than Isco's (of course, few people can compare with Isco's dribbling maniacs), and the handling of the ball is cleaner and cleaner, so the turnover data looks a little darker: this season, James has passed 1.3 times per 90 minutes, with a success rate of 52%, which does not seem to be much different from Di Maria. From this point of view, James at least does not lag behind in the accumulation of the number of passes.
In fact, after Di Maria left the team, the number of Real Madrid did not drop but increased, last year Real Madrid averaged 11.6 times per game, and this year after the loss of Di Maria, it actually increased slightly to 12.6 times, this statistic is probably not expected by many people. It should be noted that Real Madrid have not scored any players who are known for their breakthroughs, and Bale, who ranked among the top in the team in last season's passing statistics, has been suffering from minor injuries and stoppings this season, and it is indeed not easy to play this data.
However, this does not mean that James replaced Di Maria, which is definitely a reinforcement for Real Madrid. We can't think that the Angels' 70 million worth is huge because of their struggles at Manchester United this season, take a step back, and now let someone who is ready to build a team instead of already in the mold system choose, and there is a good chance that he will still want Di Maria instead of Ashley Young. The problem of superiority we have just mentioned is only intended to show that the Argentine's ability to excel is not as strong as reflected in the highlight moment (especially after playing in the center of the defender), but this only emphasizes that there is a certain error in the image of the breakthrough hand that the outside world has bragged about, but it is not to say that If Di Maria's ability is recognized as an average master rather than a top master, its influence will be greatly reduced - because we can't ignore that argentines are not much worse than James in terms of passing. And that's exactly what we overlook.
At the beginning of this article, we used the long pass count as an example to illustrate a major feature of James's attack, but in fact, Di Maria, who retreated to the center forward position, also has a good long passing ability, which is even more frightening than James from the data point of view: the Argentine can send as many as 4.3 long passes per 90 minutes last season, and the success rate is 75% higher than that of James. Of course, there are factors in which Ancelotti took the initiative to make adjustments and reduce long passes this season (from 43.7 last season to 33.9 this season, even lower than Barca), but this at least shows that Di Maria's long passing skills are not bad.
And in terms of key passes, which James is most proud of, Di Maria's contribution of 3.4 times per 90 minutes can do even more. Moreover, the speed bonus in running ability and counterattack has not been taken into account here. If James does not drag the hind legs of Real Madrid in the "post-Di Maria era" in terms of passing, then although he has more contributions in passing, this extra contribution value compared to Di Maria is also discounted to a certain extent.
The somewhat unscrupulous media such as Marca have taken the goal data to put forward the view that James completely surpassed Di Maria, but in fact, it is the result of not entering the more advanced level of analysis, or it is the mechanized inference made by the originally high-level reporters for the purpose of attracting readers and provoking disputes: Note that Real Madrid has not dealt with Di Maria's meaning from beginning to end, and the two sides are more because of salary and other related issues, rather than competitive considerations. There is no such thing as the inability of James and Di Maria to coexist.
Of course, the goal of surpassing is indeed a phenomenon that cannot be ignored. As one of the most fundamental and only two decisive statistics on the football pitch (and one is the number of goals conceded...). ), it should be considered as the most important result. So what is it that makes Di Maria inferior in terms of scoring level? Don't forget, if technically two can tie in almost the same position and in different ways, then the faster Di Maria should be able to achieve better bonuses through explosive power. In fact, Di Maria has been shooting a lot in Real Madrid for 4 years, since the 10-11 season, the Argentine has never had less than 2.3 shots per 90 minutes per season, and the number of shots on target has remained above 1; while James has only shot 2.2 times per 90 minutes this season, and 1.2 shots on target are not much higher.
There are two reasons for the difference in the final result: the first is that the footwork of James's left-foot shot is indeed not comparable to Di Maria, just the number of goals is just that it is too good, and the strongest thing about Colombian stars is that the probability of making a mistake is too high, and the left foot flick is a shocking flying fairy, and this Di Maria can't do it. The second is the issue of positionality, also a back-plugged shot, with as many as 1.7 of Di Maria's 2.3 shots per 90 minutes last season occurring outside the box, while half of James's 2.2 shots were near the most threatening penalty spot.
This is not a simple tactical arrangement can explain, Di Maria's attacking path is said to be the set of wingers, after the inciture to play long-range shots for him, even if not as obsessed with Ronaldo, but it is also a natural action, to manchester United after the rush, this season is also every 90 minutes to play 3.4 shots, 2.3 long-range shots performance; and James in the relatively weak midfield Colombian national team almost has unlimited firing rights, With only 3.6 shots on goal per 90 minutes, and only two of them from long range, note that this is a relatively poor midfielder and it is difficult to get close to the opponent's penalty area.
La Liga's only passer of its kind: the little-known Fayle
As a midfielder with a strong personal attack, James has almost taken his vision and passing to the extreme in his own technical characteristics. This season, Rames in La Liga can deliver 3.1 accurate long passes per 90 minutes, and among Real Madrid's regular main players, the only midfielder with more long passes than him is Kroos and Modric. In La Liga as many times as James (25) or more in the midfielder, Colombian stars rank 28th in the not particularly conspicuous number of long passes per 90 minutes, but two points to note: First, among the 27 people before him, although they played more often, they were mostly substitute general rotation players, such as Ilyra Mendi, who played 26 times, but only played 1040 minutes in total, which was 40 minutes of performance time. Usually during this time Real Madrid have entered a stable rhythm, during which time the performance of playing five long passes per 90 minutes is not enough to explain the problem; second, these people are basically the same midfield organizers, if we exclude the lagging back and the general sense of the central defender, then more than James's long pass is Elche's French forward Fayle (3.8 times).
Long passes are one of the most important techniques in James's arsenal, and it is precisely because he relies on long passes to open up the difference with other Latin attacking midfielders - for James, long passes are: of all the players who have made 25 appearances in La Liga this season, James has won the league with 3.1 key passes per 90 minutes, and 1.1 of these 3.1 key passes have come from long passes, which is not only the highest proportion of all players who have made 25 appearances and more than 2 key passes per 90 minutes. And the lead is not a star and a half for almost everyone else: with the exception of Kroos and Fayle, none of the players with more than 2 key passes per 90 minutes have a 30% long pass ratio, the only exception is Eibar's Xavi Lara, but his average playing time is only 50 minutes per game, which is not an absolute main force at all, and the small sample is difficult to compare with James. Considering that Kroos is far behind, Fail is the only one who can make a close comparison with James in terms of key passes.
Finally, let's look at the characteristics of James's key passes from the type of pass: the largest proportion of all key passes of James is crosses, reaching 1.5 times per 90 minutes, accounting for 43.6% of all key passes. However, in terms of the proportion of passes, James is not very high: of all the players who have made 25 appearances and more than 2 key passes per 90 minutes, a total of 7 players who have formed more than 1 key pass in the cross, excluding Lara and Barça ventilator Xavi, who averaged less than 60 minutes per game, the remaining 5 people in addition to James also includes Bilbao's cross-demon Suceetta and Atletico's genius Kokai, as well as the backward-seated Crosses - who is missed?
That's right, it's Elche's Fayle again. Sucetta and Kokai rely heavily on crosses (66.7% and 73.7% of key passes, respectively, and Kokai's nine assists so far this season have even come from all of them), while Crosses and Fayle are closer to James's 59%. After excluding the organization of the back Clos, the only player left similar to The Style of James is Fayle.
Seeing this, you may say that since there is a player in La Liga who is similar to James's passing style, is it a little inappropriate to say that James is a special one? Don't worry, similarity in style does not mean proximity on a horizontal level. The reality that Fayre is still at the age of 26 is enough to show that not everyone who plays in this way can become Real Madrid's No. 10. Elche's offensive routine is very simple, and the only two reliable attackers in the team are Victor Rodriguez and Fayle, who have almost played in the front, and because the former has been everywhere this season, Fayle has actually become elche's only offensive core. This makes the data that looks pretty good for him look pretty pale when analyzed from an efficiency perspective.
Taking long passes as an example, James tries a total of 4.6 long passes per 90 minutes, and there are 3.1 in place, with a success rate of 67.4%, while Fayle, despite having an accurate long pass of 3.8, is based on as many as 7.3 long pass attempts, with an accuracy rate of only 52.1% - what is this concept?
In addition to defenders and goalkeepers, La Liga has made 25 appearances this season and has reached 2 long passes per 90 minutes, excluding 3 of them who average less than 60 minutes per game, and among the remaining 17 main players, Fayle's long pass success rate ranks first... Penultimate... The only one more unreliable than his long pass is La Liga veteran Fritter Pitty, who, under the leadership of the 33-year-old veteran, Granada has scored only 21 goals so far, second to the bottom of the table, and one foot has stepped into the La Liga gate...
At the same time, don't look at the difference between the proportion of the two people using the cross to create key passes, but one is the result of improving the quality of the cross by relying on footwork to improve the quality of the cross without breakthrough ability; the other is the result of trying a cross under the helplessness of pulling to the side.
Both are at the top of the La Liga cross table: James finished fourth with 2.2 times per 90 minutes and Fail finished 6th with 1.9 runs. At first glance, the gap is not so large, but this is just the statistics of accurate crosses, and if the success rate is calculated, the gap between Fayle and James will be instantly highlighted: James's failed crosses are 4.4 per 90 minutes, while Fayle's cross success rate is 33% to 27%. Don't underestimate this 6% gap, you must know that crossing itself is a rather aggressive way of passing, asking for goals rather than possession, and the gap in its success rate is to some extent directly linked to the probability of goals. The difference in quality between "Na no Pass" and "Watt No Shot" cross is big enough, right? Guess what the difference in passing success rates between the two has been since the 09-10 season? That's just 4 percent.
To put it bluntly, in terms of passing alone, James basically follows the same path as Fayle, who is probably not known to most people, that is, he loves long passes and reinforces the importance of long passes, relies on crosses rather than crosses to help the team attack, and determines the quality of the pass itself. You can't even read this gap in terms of how players play, or it's not at all the efficiency that coaching tactics can improve.
But it is this simple gap that can no longer be simple, which determines the difference in the price and influence of the two people. By the way, Fayle is as biased as James. As a player who has been playing in the front for a long time and often shoots from a distance, this person does not fit the characteristics of the average right-footed midfielder who can open the bow left and right, and in the 30 shots on goal this season, this person has only done it with his left foot - it is difficult to say that this slightly smaller sample can fully reflect that Fayle's left foot ability is really so bad, but at least if we only talk about passing, James's left foot is much stronger than Fayle's right foot.
epilogue
In a way, James can be regarded as another finishing touch to Ancelotti's coaching career, or rather, Ancelotti has once again perfectly demonstrated his skills: we all know that Ann Fat once sacrificed the "4 10s" that made people shoot, and even the Italian coach himself was quite proud of it. However, if you think about it, Pirlo, Seedorf, Rui Costa and Rivaldo actually did not play the classic No. 10 position as we often say, and Ann Fat used not so much 4 10s as a perfect transformation of 4 10s.
Yes, he has carried standard front waists such as Zidane, Rui Costa and Kaka (despite the different styles), but it cannot be ignored that his understanding of the number 10 player is really different. James is one such successful example of him being dragged from the front-back position back to the centre-back, full-back (no matter what position he played in his debut). Given that Real Madrid may also have heavyweight midfield signings (such as Pogba) in the summer, it is entirely possible to shuffle the cards again. But what is certain is that James, who has adapted perfectly to his new position (in fact, he has played all over the midfield except for the back), can fully occupy a place in the new formation that may emerge, he certainly has shortcomings, but it also has enough capital to return to the topic: one foot fresh, eat all over the sky.
(Idealism)