Millonarios faced Deportivo Cali in the round of 32 in the Copa Sudamericana, which is the equivalent of the Europa League in South America. The home team set up in a 4-4-2 with Emerson Rodriguez on the right wing, while the visitors set up in a 4-2-3-1. Deportivo Cali took control over the game and dominated possession in both the first half and second half. They tried to play the possession game but failed to really progress the ball further up the pitch that easily which resulted in them playing a lot of long or sideways passes. Millonarios scored early in the second half, but Deportivo Cali got back into the game through two late goals and eventually won the away game 1-2.
Ratings:
- A1 – Very good, could play higher
- A2 – Strong potential to play higher
- B1 – Good, strong player at level
- B2 – Potential to be a strong player at level
- C – Average for their level, rewatch
- D – Below average in this match
Emerson Rodriguez
- Nationality: Colombian
- Age: 20
- Date of birth: 25/08/2000
- Club: Millonarios FC
- Career: Millonarios, FCR Valledupar (L)
- Position: Right Wing
- Preferred foot: Right
Emerson Rodriguez played as a right midfielder in the 4-4-2 formation of Millonarios. The Colombian winger showed some potential but failed to really impress on me in the Copa Sudamericana match against Deportivo Cali. He made some good late runs into the box when the left winger cut inside and gave a cross with his right foot. Millonarios could have tried to make more use of this than they did in this match. Emerson Rodriguez has good pace and exploits the spaces in behind well, which is ideal when the team is more counter-attack minded. This was the case in this match but he did not get found that often. He attacked the ball well when he received the pass and this allowed him to get past his opponent with the first touch.
The Colombian is very quick on the first meters which helps him to get past players when he is in the 1v1 duel on the wing. He can also get past players in the tight spaces but is not the most technical player which can hinder him in the future. His left foot is not great as well which could be seen when he needed to play passes with his left foot. Emerson Rodriguez occasionally showed good off the ball movement when he sprinted into the half-space to make space for the overlapping right-back. The main thing that stood out in a negative way was his vision in the final third, which was not great. He could not really find his teammates when under pressure in the final third.
Rating – A2
He will probably move to Brazil at one point, but I was not impressed with him in this match. However, he could have just had a bad day so I’ll rewatch the return leg of Millonarios against Deportivo Cali as well.