If you are reading this, chances are you know who James Rodriguez is: the Colombian star had an outstanding run playing in Europe for the likes of Porto, Monaco, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Everton, and Olimpiacos, before signing in Brazil with Sao Paolo FC last year. Often when a south american player leaves Europe to return to a league like the Brazilian Serie A, many fans see that as the effective “end” of their career. However if you have been watching the 2024 Copa America, you would see that James, and the #10 role that is dwindling at the highest level, are far from finished.

James has been Colombia’s talisman yet again at this Copa America while playing in a true #10 role: no set positions, free to go where he feels he is most needed on the pitch at any given moment. We have seen him positioned anywhere from between his CB’s in buildup to a striker’s space. In Colombia’s 4 matches to-date in the Copa America, James has racked up a goal and a whopping five assists in just over 300 minutes played, starting every match. Averaging a goal contribution every 52.5 minutes, he has been without a doubt the best player of CONMEBOL’s historic tournament. His set piece deliveries have been top-class, and he could have even more assists, with 14 official chances created and a 47% cross completion rate, an outstanding percentage. James is showing the world that one of football’s oldest clichés holds truth: that form is temporary but class is permanent.

Rodriguez’s performances have been so impactful that there area already rumours swirling about a potential move back to Europe, and having watched every Colombia match at this Copa America, I see no reason why he could not be successful in doing so. The biggest roadblock, and perhaps the larger question to look at in this article, is the way football tactics have changed at the highest level. It’s a fun joke to “blame Pep” but the influence Guardiola’s tactics have had across Europe at all levels of play is clear to see. As he approaches the end of his time at Manchester City, and maybe his coaching career (what else does Pep have left to win, honestly?), we now see clubs from the Premier League level down to the lower domestic leagues attempting to play out from the back, to “control” the game, and only taking the highest percentage chances to score. This has left many football fans asking, “Is this what we want? Is this good for football?”. One major casualty of the evolution of European tactics is the death of the #10 role. The majority of coaches no longer want to employ a pure playmaker in their side, with the freedom to go where he decides he can make the most impact and dictate the possession of his team. Is this because this role is no longer effective, or is this more a result of Europe seeing Pep’s way as the only way to play?

For context, Pep was not always like this. His evolution to a philosophy of limiting opponent’s chances and to retain the ball until the highest percentage chance (usually a cutback into the 18 yard box) presents itself was a result of losing several key matches while playing with an extremely talented squad. When you have one of, if not the best squads in the world, it is randomness and luck that can undo a perfectly fine tactical plan. Pep’s Barcelona looked to control the match through retaining possession in quick, short, passing sequences, aiming to draw the opposition out of position before attacking the space they left open. However, his Barcelona side also operated with fullbacks who would drive high up the pitch and hold the width. This showed, at Barcelona and later at City, that Pep’s teams could be vulnerable on counter attacks by exploiting the wide space left behind by the full-backs. Trying a lower percentage pass that is intercepted, or attempting a shot from outside the box that might be blocked could lead to a dangerous counter attack against Pep’s sides. So Pep evolved his tactics to try and limit the randomness of lower percentage attacking attempts, and to bolster his “rest defence” (the number of players left behind the ball when attacking). He does not want wingers to try to beat their man and get early crosses in, as he sees crosses from wide as a low percentage chance to create. Nor does he want his fullbacks pushing up the pitch in overlapping runs, partially due to the previously mentioned reason and partially due to the weakness in rest defence that it leaves. This has led to extremely structured play, with set passing sequences a player is to follow. As a winger, if you cannot beat your man immediately and get into the box to deliver a cutback, what do you do? You pass backwards, recycle possession, and try again until the space behind the defence can be exploited. Instead of traditional fullbacks, Pep has evolved to use one of his fullbacks as an extra midfielder, and the other as a 3rd CB in possession, limiting the danger of counter attacks. In such a structure, the pure #10 role has no place, and ball retention/specific positioning has replaced the creative, free role that many of the great #10’s of the past would occupy.

So James likely wouldn’t thrive playing in a system that is attempting to copy what Pep does (see Arsenal, or the new look Chelsea under Maresca, for examples). Forcing a player like him into a set position with set instructions doesn’t get the best out of him. Maybe, just maybe, James is showing that Pep’s way is not the way all clubs should be looking to play, and that there is still space for a #10 in a modern team system. There is in fact, one very high profile club that has found a way to incorporate this role: Real Madrid under Carlo Ancelotti. Admittedly due to a lack of a top striker in the squad (sorry, Joselu), Ancelotti needed to make do with what he had, which was still an incredible number of talented players. With the arrival of Jude Bellingham, Ancelotti set up a 4-3-1-2 system, with Bellingham operating as a #10, and natural wingers Vini Jr. and Rodrygo operating as wide forwards. Madrid have not reverted to inverted full-backs, and still allow theirs to make overlapping runs up the pitch to hold width. If not the fullbacks, then the wider midfielders of the midfield 3 have license to roam into the flanks and provide an option there (Camavinga and Valverde are excellent at providing an impact in wide areas). In the end, it is all about balance: playing a 4-3-3 with box-crashing midfielders and overlapping fullbacks bombing upfield does create a lot of space that can be exploited in counter attacks. In Ancelotti’s system, it is generally either the fullbacks or the outside midfielders that provide the width, leaving a solid 5 players behind the ball in rest defence. Ancelotti’s Madrid do not necessarily attempt to “control” the game as Pep’s sides do, but rather have a system that encourages and thrives off chaos, perfect for a #10. The #10 role is not dead, managers just need to trust themselves and not simply revert to trying to copy Pep.

In conclusion, James Rodriguez is clearly still a top-class playmaker who could absolutely be integrated into a Top 5 European league side despite the growing trend to attempt to control matches and play in a strict structure. The game of football will be more exciting to watch, and more enjoyable for all fans, if every club does not attempt to play the exact same way. For these reasons, James returning to Europe could be just what football needs to remember why we love the beautiful game so much. If you’re still reading, thank you, and I hope you remember that football is not one-dimensional, and there will never be one “best” way to play the game.

-LM