Carlo Ancelotti will have undoubtedly raised some eyebrows with his latest comments regarding James Rodriguez.
The Italian has made a particularly bold claim comparing Everton’s Colombian summer signing to Brazilian legend Ronaldo – but not for the reason you may think.
Although relatively new to Merseyside, Rodriguez is no stranger to Ancelotti’s tutelage; the Italian has now signed the 29-year-old playmaker three times in his managerial career. Spells at Real Madrid, Bayern Munich on loan and now at Everton has rendered the two as having a long-term partnership.
It is through this connection that Ancelotti’s comparison loses its bizarre touch.
Sport Witness quoted the Italian manager as telling France Football: “We use them (running statistics), especially in training, but I’m going to tell you something: when I signed James this summer, everyone was worried about his physical state and to see how he’d cope with the intensity of the Premier League.
“During the first four games, do you know how many times he sprinted? Seven! He’s got more assists and goals than he did sprints. So what are we talking about? Of what we expect a player to do on the pitch?”
Ancelotti added: “When I was at Milan, we brought in Ronaldo. At his arrival, he weighed 100kg. Before the first game, I told him: ‘You know I can’t play you. You need to lose weight’.
“He replied ‘What do you want me to do on the pitch? Score or run? If it’s to run, put me on the bench, if it’s to score, play me!’.
“I played him. He didn’t run, but he scored two goals. For James, it’s the same thing.”
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Herein lies the nuance to Ancelotti’s quotes; the specificity of identifying vague general concerns of a fitness malaise opens up the value of Ancelotti’s view.
Instead of a general comparison, and one which would understandably generate interest, Ancelotti has actually exhibited a fighting, spirited defence of one of his players for his pace.
A perceived slowness to Rodriguez’ game is easily offset by his goalscoring contributions, as was the case for Ronaldo. Considered in context, Ancelotti is correct in his superficially bemusing comparison.
Rodriguez currently has managed three goals and as many assists in his seven Premier League appearances.
