Last season began with James Rodriguez illuminating Times Square, the Albert Dock and Goodison Park. The current campaign started with Everton’s most glamorous signing for many a year in self-isolation, issuing corrections on social media after a phrase he tweeted turned out to be Atletico Madrid’s motto.
The former Real Madrid man is not bound for a return to the Spanish capital, apparently. Instead, he languishes in limbo, an extraordinary talent who feels unwanted. Whether or not the Colombian is available for Saturday's trip to Leeds, regardless of how fit he is, it is unlikely he will start.
A team that was built around him is being reconstructed without him. Rafa Benitez’s game plan will be concentrated around wingers and crosses. He is looking for new signings Demarai Gary and Andros Townsend to supply Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison. The role of the No 10, the fantasista afforded special privileges however he is crowbarred into the team, has been abolished.
The descent from flagship signing to fringe figure can be traced to the departure of his mentor Carlo Ancelotti back to the Bernabeu and his replacement with Rafa Benitez, who had wanted to drop Rodriguez when at Real himself.
Cracks in the relationship had appeared before, however, with an unusually unsympathetic Ancelotti attributing Rodriguez’s absence from the final home game of last season to “fatigue.” It was not a reason to impress Evertonians; couple in Rodriguez’s tactless tweet of him on a plane heading across the Atlantic before their campaign culminated in the 5-0 thrashing at Manchester City and sympathy for him has been reduced.
Rodriguez could have been a cause célèbre, especially for fans antagonised by Benitez’s Liverpool past. Rewind a year and he was a coup: Everton displayed his image on Merseyside and in New York, as well as Miami and Bogota, in an advertising ploy. The hype felt justified. He introduced himself to Goodison with three goals and two assists in his first two home games. Everton went top.
There were more sporadic sightings of his magic subsequently: spectacular goals in the home draws with Leicester and Crystal Palace, a high-class strike at Old Trafford and a wonderful pass to unlock the Liverpool defence for Richarlison’s opener in Everton’s first win at Anfield since 1999. His quality was undoubted, his fitness rather more fragile. His absences became longer.
Rodriguez’s eventual tally of 21 league starts was his highest for seven seasons. Everton only scored 16 goals in the 17 games he did not start. If they could be a two-tier team, with and without him, they were less potent without an increasingly unreliable figure.
There felt a contradiction in that Everton had one of the worst seasons at home in their history, but Rodriguez’s goals and assists were largely confined to Goodison. He was the natural crowd-pleaser in the season when Everton had no crowd.
He feels the great player most Evertonians never saw play. His brilliance came amid emptiness and in underachievement, as Everton tailed away to finish 10th. Their first defeat came at Southampton, who exposed Rodriguez’s lack of devotion to his defensive duties. Ancelotti’s task thereafter felt to hide him when Everton did not have the ball and find him when they did, a balancing act that involved many a formation.
Benitez evidently believes the trade-off is not worthwhile, that a luxury played cannot be accommodated. And the price of trading is instructive. Rodriguez felt a bargain when it was revealed Real gave him away. Now perhaps Everton would do the same, to get his huge wages off the bill, to fund another arrival, to prioritise the functional over the flair player.
The specs: 2018 Ducati SuperSport S
Price, base / as tested: Dh74,900 / Dh85,900
Engine: 937cc
Transmission: Six-speed gearbox
Power: 110hp @ 9,000rpm
Torque: 93Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 5.9L / 100km
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
The biog
Favourite food: Tabbouleh, greek salad and sushi
Favourite TV show: That 70s Show
Favourite animal: Ferrets, they are smart, sensitive, playful and loving
Favourite holiday destination: Seychelles, my resolution for 2020 is to visit as many spiritual retreats and animal shelters across the world as I can
Name of first pet: Eddy, a Persian cat that showed up at our home
Favourite dog breed: I love them all - if I had to pick Yorkshire terrier for small dogs and St Bernard's for big
The biog
Nickname: Mama Nadia to children, staff and parents
Education: Bachelors degree in English Literature with Social work from UAE University
As a child: Kept sweets on the window sill for workers, set aside money to pay for education of needy families
Holidays: Spends most of her days off at Senses often with her family who describe the centre as part of their life too
The five pillars of Islam
South Africa's T20 squad
Duminy (c), Behardien, Dala, De Villiers, Hendricks, Jonker, Klaasen (wkt), Miller, Morris, Paterson, Phangiso, Phehlukwayo, Shamsi, Smuts.
The biog
Name: Gul Raziq
From: Charsadda, Pakistan
Family: Wife and six children
Favourite holes at Al Ghazal: 15 and 8
Golf Handicap: 6
Childhood sport: cricket
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Ukraine 2 (Yaremchuk 06', Yarmolenko 27')
Portugal 1 (Ronaldo 72' pen)
Titanium Escrow profile
Started: December 2016
Founder: Ibrahim Kamalmaz
Based: UAE
Sector: Finance / legal
Size: 3 employees, pre-revenue
Stage: Early stage
Investors: Founder's friends and Family
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Dubai World Cup Carnival Card:
6.30pm: Handicap US$135,000 (Turf) 1,200m
7.05pm: Handicap $135,000 (Dirt) 1,200m
7.40pm: Zabeel Turf Listed $175,000 (T) 2,000m
8.15pm: Cape Verdi Group Two $250,000 (T) 1,600m
8.50pm: Handicap $135,000 (D) 1,600m
9.25pm: Handicap $175,000 (T) 1,600m
THE CARD
2pm: Maiden Dh 60,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
2.30pm: Handicap Dh 76,000 (D) 1,400m
3pm: Handicap Dh 64,000 (D) 1,200m
3.30pm: Shadwell Farm Conditions Dh 100,000 (D) 1,000m
4pm: Maiden Dh 60,000 (D) 1,000m
4.30pm: Handicap 64,000 (D) 1,950m
More on animal trafficking
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GYAN’S ASIAN OUTPUT
2011-2015: Al Ain – 123 apps, 128 goals
2015-2017: Shanghai SIPG – 20 apps, 7 goals
2016-2017: Al Ahli (loan) – 25 apps, 11 goals
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
