BFW Postseason breakdown: Biggest Disappointment

When it comes to Bayern Munich’s “Biggest Disappointment”, the entire group of BFW staff members who responded actually agreed on something for once. James Rodriguez is a great player with fantastic skill, but for a multitude of reasons, thing never fully clicked for him this season at Bayern.

Below, our writers detailed why we thought James was the biggest disappointment in Munich this season.

Chuck Smith: James Rodriguez

The Colombia international certainly does not lack talent, but he seemed an ill fit for what Niko Kovac wanted from his midfielders. I thought he was outplayed by Thomas Müller as an attacking midfielder and his lack of defensive aptitude prevented Niko Kovac from deploying him deeper as part of the double pivot. An exquisite passer with a deft touch and phenomenal skill, James just never got on track consistently this season. Whether it was injuries, attitude, or just a lack of desire in being in Bavaria, James was only able to show brief flashes of why he was considered a hot commodity just a few years ago.

I thought about Renato Sanches here mostly because Kovac made a concerted effort to try and build-up the 21-year-old, but I ultimately opted for James because Sanches at least showed some growth while he was on the pitch.

Phillip Quinn: James Rodriguez

This was quite the disappointing follow-up campaign to last season when James Rodriguez was enjoyable to watch on the field. He clearly isn’t going to be first choice for Niko Kovac when Thomas Müller is available ahead of him, and throughout the year, it was evident that this wasn’t an appealing proposition to James. It didn’t help that he was injured for so long. It’s hard to see him returning to Munich, as I’m sure James can be a star player at a lesser club. Fare thee well, James. Good luck.

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Berni15: James Rodriguez

This one seems pretty straight forward. James established himself as a key player under Jupp Heynckes, but has yet to impress Niko Kovac. Injuries and a tiresome transfer saga have taken away from the brilliance of the Colombian when healthy and in the first XI. Thomas Muller doesn’t look likely to relinquish his position and James doesn’t seem to have any intention of staying in Munich. Hopefully he can land on his feet in a squad that can take advantage of his unique and special skill set.

Marcus Iredahl: James Rodriguez

Think it’s very clear for the people reading the comment section that I am not a fan of James Rodriguez. Complaining publicly about playing time, giving the head coach attitude, and seeming generally uninterested at times on the pitch, this has not been a good season for the clearly very talented Colombian international. Bayern played their best football when James was on the bench and I am relieved we did permanently sign him.

Ineednoname: James Rodriguez

This is mostly based on the two Liverpool games. With Thomas Müller out with a suspension, it was up to James to be the offensive fulcrum of the team and show us why he deserves to be a Bayern player. He got plenty of time to settle back into the lineup beforehand, and we all hoped that he would be the guy to step up and keep things ticking. Instead, he dropped one of the worst performances I have ever seen from him, and the worst performance out of any player on the squad.

Those two games + all the injuries are the reason he was the most disappointing player for me.

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Brian Burton: James Rodriguez

Prior to the start of this season, I was really hopeful James would assume an important role in the team and be here for years to come. Now it’s looking like he’ll never wear a Bayern kit again (actually just confirmed!). He wasn’t a disappointment because of his quality of play, but rather due to his lack of playing. Case in point: he missed ten Bundesliga games due to injury, but when he played he still managed a total of seven goals and four assists.

The blunt answer, however, is that there’s no need or room for him in Munich. We have a deep midfield that is also very competitive. So, based on my original expectations for James and his actual contributions for the season, he’s my biggest disappointment.

Logan Chugg: James Rodriguez

I think all Bayern fans were excited to hear of James’ loan to Munich. I don’t think that anyone would have thought that he would be such a flop. Like many, I hoped that this would be the last piece needed for Bayern to take finally make it over the hump and win the Champions League once again. However, James never seemed to click while at Bayern. Although we saw glimpses of brilliance from him, I don’t believe that we ever saw the full potential that James has to offer.

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