James Rodriguez lights up the Copa America and is at the heart of Colombia’s incredible run

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Nestor Lorenzo often has a neat way of summarizing things. Asked about the enigmatic James Rodriguez ahead of a crucial match against Brazil on Tuesday, Colombia’s smooth-talking coach once again delivered.

“Now he runs a little less, but he thinks a little more. It’s good for him. He is well surrounded and that ensures that he plays well.”

After just three games at the 2024 Copa America, 32-year-old Rodriguez has already created 11 chances for teammates – more than any other player in the tournament – and provided three assists. Had it not been for the video assistant referee’s (VAR) brutal line drawing midway through a tense first half against Brazil in Santa Clara, California, last night, he would have made it four.

“I know the love he has for the jersey and his commitment to the national team,” Lorenzo continued, “and that’s why I trusted him.”

Rodriguez’s involvement with the Colombian national team has not been assured in recent years. He missed out on the 2021 Copa America squad as his club form continued to wander. Now at Brazilian side Sao Paulo, fitness and form have enabled him to play just under 700 competitive minutes in twelve months.

Nevertheless, Lorenzo has found a place for Rodriguez’s technical ability to breathe in a 4-3-1-2 system, pulling the strings behind the two forwards in a positionally fluid role. Runners and tough tacklers Jefferson Lerma and Richard Rios can do the dirty work in midfield, leaving the number 10 free to combine with the intelligent Jhon Arias, pick out Luis Diaz’s ruthless channel runs, or look to the box for bustling centre-forward Jhon Cordoba.

With the freedom to roam the space, Rodriguez will respond to the game in front of him. As we can see in the image below, he likes to dive in the build-up phase and collect the ball from the central defenders, especially against the aggressive low blocks of Paraguay and Costa Rica, who have worked hard to finish off his favorite team Close. spaces in midfield during the first two group matches.

In the 1-1 draw against Brazil, things were more open, allowing him to get into dangerous areas in the right half, where he didn’t hesitate to get in and find his teammates. Once in those areas his delivery was always perfect.

One of the final contributions to his lock-picking clinic against Brazil was creating the next chance for Cordoba from exactly that space.

With that extra thinking time mentioned by Lorenzo – created as he swerves wide to receive the pass – Rodriguez picks out a perfectly judged cross that drops right on the six-yard line, sails over the defenders and lands on his striker’s head.

Seven of his 11 chances created for teammates in this tournament came from dead-ball deliveries, and with his ability to judge the weight of his passes, it’s clear why. Something about the way Rodriguez floats the ball in – the most relaxed way to loop it and spin it towards the goal, leaving it hanging in the air just long enough to nail the goalkeeper to his line – makes every cross incredibly easy to attack.

For the disallowed ‘equaliser’, look at how close Davinson Sánchez is to the goal when he makes contact. The ball is placed high above the defensive line, but not so high that the goalkeeper can claim the ball.

Rodriguez also continuously delivered the ball to the edge of the six-yard box from corners. This time it is Cordoba again who heads over the bar.

Such is the quality and consistency of these crosses that he will trot out to take any Colombian set piece anywhere on the pitch to a raucous reception from their fans in the crowd.

Rodriguez can also turn it around. Early in the first half against Brazil he grazed the crossbar with a vicious free kick, the ball diving and swerving as it rolled over the wall.

He also sent a shot from a crossing position towards Alisson’s near post. He walked towards the ball, leaned back, suddenly closed his body and wrapped his foot around the ball, forcing the goalkeeper to scramble back and push a spinning shot over the ball.

There is finesse and firepower in his left boot.

Despite what Lorenzo’s summary suggests, Rodriguez is by no means low-intensity; Only Brazilian defender Marquinhos had more touches at the San Francisco 49ers’ Levi’s Stadium last night, while the four tackles he made could only be surpassed by his teammate Daniel Munoz.

Even though he has lost several feet of pace as he prepares to turn 33 in just over a week, Rodriguez’s hunger for the national team keeps him moving.

(Winslow Townson/Getty Images)

“He is a player we have to keep a close eye on,” Brazilian midfielder Bruno Guimaraes said before the match, “someone will always have to keep an eye on him.”

Colombia is now unbeaten in 26 games and enters Saturday’s quarterfinal against Panama in Glendale, Arizona as strong favorites to make it to 27.

Rodriguez was the heart of that historic run and offers the world a final glimpse of his galactico days at Real Madrid.

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(Top photo: Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)