Former Colombian manager Jorge Luis Pinto spoke about the current situation that the Colombia national team is experiencing as they look to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar next year.
Nonetheless, when it comes to the Colombian national team, he also did not miss the opportunity to talk about James Rodríguez’s situation. The topic surrounding the Everton midfielder will not go away as Los Cafeteros continue to push for a World Cup qualification.
“The average of points is not ideal; for the sake of classifying, it is not bad either. It leaves us at a limit where we have to recover two or three points somewhere where they do not enter the logic of the competition. To recover what was lost with Uruguay in Barranquilla and Ecuador, the case of Quito where great results have been obtained. It is not ideal, but it is not bad,” Pinto said to Futbolred (via Marca)
The Colombian tactician stressed that although he is a good player, James is not at his best, so he must improve to be called up again.
“If he gets involved with work, takes pace, and has competition, James can return to the National Team. No one doubts that he is a good player. At this moment, he is not in the best shape. It is up to him to return to Colombia. In some way, the absence of him was put aside; it can be said that there is someone to replace him. If he returns, he will be an important player.”
The international window will open up next month and as Colombia finds itself in the playoff spot in the CONMEBOL standings. They’ll look to maintain their position or move into an automatic qualifying spot. It will be interesting to see whether manager Reinaldo Rueda decides to give him a call up next month.