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December 23, 2017

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Rodriguez, central figure to Bayern position

By Oliver Trust | 00:00 UTC+8 December 23, 2017 | Print Edition

BAYERN Munich coach Jupp Heynckes is convinced that James Rodriguez will play a vital role in the future for the 2017 German champions.

“He is improving step by step and is going to be more and more important for us,” the 72-year-old said.

Rodriguez, Heynckes said, turns up for training with a broad smile on his face.

Things have significantly changed when it comes to the 26-year-old striker and his value for the Bavarian side.

Only a few weeks ago, Rodriguez’s future in Munich seemed uncertain as the Colombian was regarded to be a leftover from former coach Carlo Ancelotti, struggling to find the right place in the Bavarian squad.

How is it that Rodriguez developed into one of the key performers for the 2013 treble winner?

First of all, Heynckes invented a new-job profile for the former Real Madrid striker. In Heynckes’ 4-3-3 system, Rodriguez changed from the flanks to the center of midfield.

“He plays a position he never played before. In Madrid, he was either operating along the left or the right wing,” the 1974 World Cup-winning manager said.

Since Heynckes took over the club at the beginning of October, Rodriguez has been deployed in the center of the field in front of the defense supplying passes to the strikers.

“He is feeling extremely comfortable with that,” Heynckes said.

According to Heynckes, Rodriguez is “far from a Robben or a Ribery; he is no sprinter,” but rather a team player with outstanding running abilities.

With an average of 11.8 kilometers per game, Rodriguez is one of the Bundesliga’s best performers.

In beating Cologne (1-0) recently, Rodriguez made his 12th appearance in Bayern’s starting 11 this season.

“Some might be surprised, but James is a running machine with a great heart for the team’s needs. He does not mind defensive work. It is a positive factor, and addresses my demands of how a team should work,” Heynckes revealed.

When it comes to Rodriguez, Heynckes enhanced his reputation for being a skilled developer.

“It helps that we speak the same language. No matter if we talk about tactics or the little things of daily life you normally can’t discuss when you speak different languages. Together we made a significant step forward. Call it shared progress,” Heynckes said.

Heynckes can rely on a significant Spanish history as the 1972 European Champion worked for Athletic Bilbao (1992-94/2001-03), CD Tenerife (1995 -97) and Real Madrid (1997-98). In 1998, Heynckes won the Champions League with Real.

Bayern’s coach has said several times that it would take time for foreign players to adjust to a new league and a new country.

“If you come from abroad, especially from South America, many things affect your performance such as the weather, the food, the new team, a new style of football and many more things,” Heynckes said.

How does Rodriguez feel about the changes and his coaches predictions?

“Yes, I am happy and pleased with the progress. Everything here is much more easy-going in comparison to other countries,” Rodriguez admitted. “We speak the same language, and I am happy to be able to help the team as I feel the support of our coach.”

The latest victory in the Champions League over Paris St Germain (3-1) “gave us a lot of confidence. We proved we can be a hard competitor for other big European teams, we don’t have to hide,” Rodriguez added.

“He can be a threat to other teams when it comes to goal scoring. Maybe we do not yet see too much of that at present, but I am sure he will get better and beter at scoring goals,” Bayern’s coach said.

Rodriguez has so far scored two goals and delivered four assists.

More are to come, Rodriguez promised, who joined Bayern last summer. As of now, he has two more years left for goal scoring in Munich’s red shirt.

He is in Germany on a two-year loan for 13 million euros (US$15 million), but the Bavarian side can buy Rodriguez in summer 2019 for 42 million.

At least at the moment, there’s no reason why Rodriguez shouldn’t provide Bayern with many more happy years of service.

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