View: James needs to produce away from home if Everton want to make Europe
Everton travel to Old Trafford on Saturday evening to take on a red-hot Manchester United side who are pushing for the title.
The hosts are coming off the back of a 9-0 victory to Southampton in the week, whilst the Toffees have been somewhat inconsistent in 2021.
They picked up three points away to Leeds midweek, but star man James Rodriguez was dropped to the bench.
Whilst speaking to the Liverpool Echo, Carlo Ancelotti gave his reasoning for omitting James and Michael Keane.
He said: “That James didn’t play well against Newcastle is an opinion, but it was not my opinion.
“I gave him a rest because he played three games in a row and I want to keep him fresh for the next game to avoid injury.
“This is the reason for James and Keane. I’m going to rotate other players tomorrow. This is a normal way for me to manage my squad, to avoid injury that keeps players motivated.”
Time to step it up
Everton are currently 7th in the Premier League table with two games in hand on a host of clubs above them. Taking six points form these games could see the Toffees advance to as high as third in the rankings.
If they are to push up the table then James will have to start producing the creative form he begun the season with. He has so far scored four and assisted three in the league, all of which came at Goodison Park.
He is yet to register a single goal or assist away from home, a truly alarming stat for a player of his undeniable quality.
James has played top-flight football in Spain, France, Portugal and Germany. Some of the best leagues in world football. Wherever he’s played, he’s always produced.
He initially took to the Premier League like a duck to water. But since October 17th, in the 2-2 draw with Liverpool, he hasn’t got a single assist and has scored just one goal.
Ancelotti will need to address his inability to produce away from home. Maybe this is one of the reasons he was dropped at Elland Road?
The Toffees are relying on their star man to begin performing away from home, in order to push on for the European places.
Old Trafford would be a great place to break his duck!
In other Everton news, this Toffees defender has been compared to Rio Ferdinand.