James Rodríguez irked at Copa América, a year on from World Cup wonder goal

On Sunday, it will be a year since James Rodríguez scored the goal against Uruguay that, emblematically at least, confirmed his talent. His performances for Porto and Monaco had marked him out as a player of great potential and the rumours linking him with a move to Real Madrid were well-established, but it was his sumptuous chest and volley against Uruguay in the last 16 of the World Cup that provided the image of his brilliance, a shorthand for what he is capable of.

He has had an excellent season at Real Madrid, but a year on from his great explosion, this has been a frustrating tournament for Rodríguez – all the more so because of the hope in Colombia that they could win the Copa América for the second time. The former striker Faustino Asprilla spoke before the tournament about the need for Colombia to “consecrate” their World Cup performance and confirm they are among the global elite, but there have been only glimmers of their capabilities in Chile.

In the second half of Sunday’s draw against Peru, Rodríguez clashed with the full-back Luis Advíncula, thrusting an elbow into his face. It wasn’t clear how deliberate it was – it was conceivable it was an unfortunate grapple – but it could equally have been frustration, and with another referee on another day, Rodríguez may easily have been following Neymar in collecting a red card for petulance.

Rodríguez was visibly irritated after the defeat to Venezuela, but by the following day he was at his charming best. “This will help the team wake up and be more careful in our next games,” he said, before calling for unity. It is easy, perhaps, to make such an appeal before a game against Brazil. Colombia won that, but after the draw with Peru, the frustration was back and reflected in a bleak sense of realism. “We played badly again,” he said. “When you lose you have to be self-critical and we have to know that if nothing happens we have to take responsibility.”

Understandably, much of the buildup to Colombia’s quarter-final against Argentina has billed the game as a battle of the 10s – Rodríguez against Lionel Messi, “a duel with a Spanish smell” as the Colombian paper El Mundo put it. Rodríguez responded with characteristic self-deprecation. “Messi is in another world,” he said. “He’s a unique player. You can’t speak of a James duel with Messi because it would be unfair to him.”

Messi is another of the stars yet to catch light at this tournament. The Argentina manager, Gerardo Martino, has spoken of the problems his squad have had with fatigue and it is hardly surprising if Messi, Javier Mascherano and Carlos Tevez found it difficult to raise themselves for a Copa América that began seven days after their Champions League final. Rodríguez might not have such an immediate reason for fatigue, but he did play 45 games for Real Madrid last season.

It should also be noted that Rodríguez’s comparative ineffectiveness is probably more to do with Colombia’s structural problems than him. The return of Radamel Falcao after injury has presented the side’s coach, José Pékerman, with a major problem. Pékerman made Falcao captain to underline his centrality to the team, but Colombia were a far more fluid side at the World Cup with Teó Gutiérrez at centre-forward rather than playing just off a striker. That allowed Rodríguez to operate as a true No10, rather than cutting in off the left flank, which, in turn, encouraged more movement. It was notable against Peru how much more fluent Colombia became after Falcao had been replaced by Jackson Martínez midway through the second half.

Pekerman’s other big tactical question is in midfield: the absence of Abel Aguilar, injured before the tournament, has been partly responsible for Colombia’s lack of fluidity, but that issue was exacerbated by the knee ligament damage suffered by his replacement, Edwin Valencia, in the third group game. Aston Villa’s Carlos Sánchez, who was magnificent in stifling Neymar in the win over Brazil and who kept Lionel Messi quiet when Colombia drew 0-0 with Argentina in the Copa América four years ago, is suspended.

Alexander Mejía, who came off the bench to perform a superb marking job on Messi when Colombia drew 0-0 in Buenos Aires in World Cup qualifying two years ago, seems sure to start, but there is a lack of options for the other central midfield role. It may be that Victor Ibarbo, more usually a forward or wide man, is asked to drop back but it is more likely that Juan Camilo Zúñiga, who missed the draw with Peru with a muscular problem, will step up into midfield.

Injuries and form are likely to make Colombia pragmatic, hoping to keep Argentina’s vaunted frontline quiet and that Rodríguez can then conjure something. “Argentina will be complicated,” Zúñiga said, “but not impossible.”