From raw talent to fine talent: How Ranieri is fine-tuning Monaco’s James Rodriguez

After guiding Monaco from Ligue 2 to 2nd in Ligue 1 there is no doubt that Italian coach Claudio Ranieri has picked up life as a French coach very quickly. Adapting to rough and less than luxurious conditions in the second tier he now has to guide a group of multi-millionaires into the Champions League group stage in order to keep his Russian boss a happy billionaire (is there any other kind?).

Ranieri’s genius is there to see, stamped all over the Monaco side. Eric Abidal and Ricardo Carvalho rolling back the years as a defensive duo, the experience of Jeremy Toulalan in the midfield and of course the goal-machine Radamel Falcao upfront, but his greatness move so far has been his treatment of €45 million signingJames Rodriguez.

Just as James (Ha-mes – don’t call him James) was starting to find his feet after an injury Ranieri cut him down to size. “For James Rodriguez, it’s a problem of mentality,” the former Chelsea coach told reporters. “He thinks like an attacker, but he has to defend too. Seeing that he’s not playing, he will understand. But he knows.”

Many thought he wouldn’t play the next game against Saint-Etienne, but he did, and he put in the performance he has this season. Scoring 65 on Squawka’s Performance Score and inspiring his side to a 2-1 victory. The Colombian set up both goals and was named Man of the Match.

“James is a great player,” Ranieri said. “Something happens when he has the ball. He can play on the wing but I think that he is better behind Falcao.”

Against Saint-Etienne he played on the right-wing but he was allowed to drift inside with two of his three key passes coming centrally. He also listened to the Italian master’s words, making two tackles, one interception and one clearance in his own half.

James now has four assists this season and leads the league in this category. Ranieri knew exactly what he was doing, lighting a fire under the young and very talented midfielder knowing he would get a reaction. It is similar to the work he did with Argentine super kid Lucas Ocampos last season, sparingly using the youngster in difficult situations and giving him time to develop. “It’s the same problem that Ocampos had last season,” the Italian said. “He defends a lot more now.”

It’s clear that James is a little further ahead than Ocampos and Ranieri knows just how important he is going to be to this team if they are to challenge Paris Saint-Germain for the title this year.

In the current 4-2-3-1 formation he is forced to play on the left or right but with both Monaco full-backs willing to burst forward it allows James to come inside and dictate the game from the central positions Ranieri mentioned. As the team continues to grow and develop it is likely that you will see Joao Moutinho move a little further back and Rodriguez taking the number 10 role with Ferreira-Carrasco and Ocampos on the flanks.

He is such a beautiful player to watch, not blessed with blistering pace he is still quick enough to combine his skill to glide past opponents. For Rodriguez it is all about slight of movement, balance and excellent awareness of what is going on around him. He has already improved his eye for a pass and it will only continue to get better under Ranieri’s guidance.

For now the fire has been lit under the Colombian and the signs of improvement are already there to see. He has won 100% of his tackles so far, averages 80% in passes completed with 13 key passes to add to the four assists. His shooting will improve as he continues to learn his role and develop, although he is hitting the target 60% of the time he has yet to find the net.

All eyes are definitely on the goal scoring feats of his countryman Falcao, but if Monaco is to challenge the Parisians for this year’s title they are definitely going to have to worry about the two Colombians wearing red and white this season.