Strong Euro Showing Would See Rodriguez End Poor Season on a High
For a number of players, Euro 2016 is the ideal opportunity to end a particularly disappointing season on a high note. Wayne Rooney endured an underwhelming campaign for Manchester United, but would receive a hero’s return should he captain England to their first European Championship. Similarly, say, victory for Spain this summer would go some way to easing the Atletico Madrid contingents’ heartbreak in their Champions League final penalty shootout defeat to rivals Real Madrid.
These are a couple of examples of performers who would love to secure international glory to overcome disappointment for one reason or another. Another who you feel needs to enjoy an impressive Euro 2016 is highly rated left-back Ricardo Rodriguez. Wolfsburg endured a far from satisfactory season, with the German side ending up 8th in the Bundesliga last term. For a team that harbours Champions League aspirations, such a lowly finish can rightly be considered unacceptable by the fan base.
Granted, the departure of key creator Kevin De Bruyne for Manchester City hit Wolfsburg hard, but with the level of investment over the last 18 months, a European finish was the bare minimum requirement having finished the previous season as runners’ up to champions Bayern Munich. A summer of improvement is expected at the Volkswagen Arena, though a number of departures are anticipated. Rodriguez looks set to be one of the most high profile casualties following an underwhelming campaign.
Despite an underwhelming season, Rodriguez is still sought after by a number of Europe’s top teams, this on account of a release clause in his contract that is now supposedly active. Yet, the general consensus is that the left-back needs an impressive showing in France in order to convince potential suitors he’s worthy of a move to one of the top clubs on the continent. His WhoScored rating last term (7.10) was its lowest in the last four Bundesliga seasons.
Yet despite a modest showing for Wolfsburg, interest in Rodriguez is likely to remain high. The 23-year-old is widely regarded as one of the finest prospects in his position on the continent. His style of play seems tailor made to the Premier League, particularly with the onus on the full-backs providing the width as the attackers cut inside. He has played more key passes (168) than any other defender in Europe’s top five leagues in the last three seasons. However, only 36 of those came last term, highlighting his relatively substandard attacking performances last season.
Indeed, three league assists was his lowest return in the last four Bundesliga seasons, while he netted just two league goals last term having bagged 11 in the previous two top-flight campaigns combined. Despite his dip in form, though, Rodriguez remains a hugely influential member of the Switzerland side. His WhoScored rating of 8.12 from the 2014 World Cup reinforced just how effective he is on the international stage for the Swiss national side.
With head coach Vladimir Petkovic expected to utilise a 4-3-3 formation at Euro 2016 with both Xherdan Shaqiri and Breel Embolo set to cut inside from the byline, the onus is therefore on Rodriguez and Stephan Lichtsteiner to provide the width from full-back. A compact midfield three of Granit Xhaka, Valon Behrami and Blerim Dzemaili means there is a greater need for Rodriguez and Lichtsteiner to propel up the flanks to stretch the opposition.
Despite averaging just 0.8 successful dribbles per league game last season, the young defender is more than capable of carrying the ball forward from deep and, given his physical stature, is difficult to stop when he gains a head of steam. Furthermore, his delivery from open play is crucial when he does break forward. Only two players have played more accurate crosses from open play than Rodriguez (61) in the last three Bundesliga seasons. It’s vital, therefore, that Switzerland’s opponents limit his time on the ball and do all they can to prevent the left-back from putting balls into the box.
When Switzerland face an Albania side hellbent on soaking up pressure and hitting the opposition on the break on Saturday, they will need their full-backs to perform to expectations in order to get off to a winning start in Group A. Rodriguez may have endured a wholly disappointing campaign by his high standards, but can put a poor season behind him with a strong showing in France, which would likely see him make a big money move this summer.
