The analyst criticized Zubeldía and said that his decision about the Colombian was ‘disrespectful’
Iván Mejía and James Rodríguez.
Photo: Archive
By:
Futbolred Editorial
May 1, 2024, 11:22 a.m. m.
Luis Zubeldía has just arrived in Sao Paulo and has already begun to confront journalists, concerned about the situation of one of the stars (and most expensive) of the squad, James Rodríguez.
The Argentine has coached three games, of which James missed two due to injury, and played one, the recent 0-0 draw against Palmeiras, in which he entered in the 85th minute to replace Luciano, with hardly any time to change the course. of the party.
“He trained four sessions with me and we consider that the way to reach the best level is by participating in the games. How many minutes? Don’t know. As I always say, the team comes first,” explained Zubeldía.
But he dropped a detail that left some uncertainty: “Today I felt that by putting him in I was able to find a pass in the final third and that’s why he went in… He has to gain physical condition, pace of play. If I don’t put it in, it’s because I think other options are better for the team and that’s why I’m here.”
Did the Argentine expect that in five minutes he was going to resolve alone a game that was a mess from the whistle for his team? A player who was coming off an injury and perhaps what he needed was more time on the court? Or is there some medical issue that requires us to be cautious with left-handedness?
For Iván Mejía, the answer is clear, the coach is wrong and the future may not be very promising for the Colombian: “This one is also in his sights. Putting him in the 85th to make a saving pass is disrespectful to the player “he said on his X account.
The worrying thing is what the analyst predicts will happen to the creative in Sao Paulo with this, his third coach, after Dorival Jr (today coach of Brazil) and Thiago Carpini (fired): “This relationship (with Zubeldía) looks very bad “JR’s umpteenth tantrum is coming,” he concluded.
It is worth remembering that James already requested, at the beginning of 2024, that a friendly agreement be reached for his departure, after considering that he had no options to play with Carpini. The club did not see everything as bad, as it has always expected a more decisive contribution from the Colombian, but later he himself repented, asked for forgiveness and began to have relevance in the team, to the point of being chosen and featured on a couple of occasions. What will happen now with Zubeldía? On the court he must speak with the authority that comes with his undeniable talent.
