Former Bayern Munich Midfielder Labels James Rodriguez a 'Typical' Number 10 Who Doesn't Track Back

Former Bayern Munich star Michael Ballack has offered his take on James Rodriguez, and believes he is a 'typical' number 10 who neglects defensive

Former Bayern Munich star Michael Ballack has offered his take on James Rodriguez, and believes he is a 'typical' number 10 who neglects defensive responsibility and struggles with the pace of the game.

The summer loan signing from Real Madrid was supposed to be enjoying a new lease of life with the Bundesliga giants but instead, question marks have been raised over his ability to adapt.

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It would appear Ballack - who represented Bayern between 2002-06 - is a man who shares those concerns over the Colombian, and he told BILD, via Goal: "He is a giant footballer, but he still has problems with the pace of the game. Against Schalke his pace going backwards improved. He is just a typical No. 10 who doesn’t like tracking back.

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"James has the advantage that he has a good connection with his coach. Carlo put him in a difficult situation because there was already criticism of him. For a player this is a big advantage if you have a coach who is standing beside you when you're being questioned."

Rodriguez was only given five minutes to impress against Wolfsburg on Friday, as the Bavarians were held at home 2-2.

He will be hoping for more of a chance against Paris Saint-Germain as the Champions League returns this week.