Carlo Ancelotti has revealed that James Rodriguez ‘had problems’ following the 2-2 draw against Liverpool earlier this season.
Speaking to DIRECTV Sports Co (via Goal), the ex-Chelsea boss said: ‘Rodriguez started very well. It is true that after playing against Liverpool he had problems because he had a blow and difficulty in recovering. He played a game where he had not trained well [against Southampton] and performance has dropped for this reason.’
The Toffees were involved in an eventful game against their Merseyside rivals on October 17th, a match in which both Thiago Alcantara and Virgil van Dijk suffered bad injuries.
However, they were not the only ones to leave Goodison Park that day with a problem, as Ancelotti reveals.
There’s no denying that the Colombia international has been affected by the issue he picked up against Liverpool – the proof is in the pudding.
After getting off to a blistering start on Merseyside, in which he hit four goals and three assists in his first seven games, the 29-year-old has stagnated.
Everton have played twice since the aforementioned Merseyside derby, and Rodriguez has failed to either score or assist in either of those games.
Worse still, the Toffees have lost both of those outings, succumbing to defeat against Southampton and Manchester United.
After playing for Colombia twice over the international break as well, perhaps the former Real Madrid and Bayern Munich man simply needs a rest.
It might cost Ancelotti a few results in the short-term, but a fully-fit Rodriguez will be hugely beneficial to Everton in the long run.
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