owlse Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 http://www.insidespanishfootball.com/espanoles-abroad-rodri/ Joe Cawthorn takes a look at former Barcelona B forward Rodri who is hoping to make an impression at English side Sheffield Wednesday. By Joe Cawthorn Rodri may not be a name that every football fan is familiar with, fans of his parent club Barcelona may be forgiven for not being all too aware of this young strikers strengths. The truth is, not a lot of people in England had heard of him, least of all Sheffield Wednesday fans. Rodri signed for the Owls on a season long loan deal from Barcelona B last Friday, and started the game the following day against former Premier League giants Birmingham City and oh what a debut. Rodri, real name Rodrigo Rios Lozano, is a 22-year-old forward who European giants Barcelona signed from Sevilla in 2010. Since then he has gone on the represent the national team at Under 21 level on two occasions and has scored eight goals in 35 appearances. Okay, so this stat may not be ground-breaking evidence that he is on par with Lionel Messi but what we saw in his debut in Sheffield was something special. His touch on the ball was Premier League standard and his ability to turn on the ball and move towards goal was as fluent as a Swan landing on the water’s surface, like second nature. The way he demands the ball from team mates in tight spaces shows he is confident in his own ability, couple this with the fact everyone else is confident in his ability and Wednesday are on to a winner. There is a definite ode to the Barcelona style of play in Rodri’s overall game. He likes to keep the ball and make defenders run towards their own goal, a gift which is rare in the English second tier. He glides past defenders like a paper aeroplane gliding through a classroom and has a lot of upper body strength for a player who is not the biggest in stature. Claimed to be a massive coup for the South Yorkshire club, Rodri’s signing has drawn acclaim from all over the English game, with Wednesday manager Dave Jones saying how Premiership managers hace contacted him asking how he managed to pull off such an exceptional signing. I have asked myself the question: “If this guy is as good as he seems then why hasn’t a Premiership club come in for him?†I got my answer. They have, but the lure of first team football and the possibility of top-tier football next year means that this is the ideal place to be for a man cutting his teeth in a much more physical English game. A lot of respect has to go to the man himself. Barely speaking a word of English didn’t put him off chasing his dream of playing in the English league, and so it shouldn’t. Football is an international language and as long as he carries on scoring goals and putting in performances like we saw on Saturday then no one will be complaining about the language barrier. So I suggest we all should keep an eye on this young talent. Spanish fans should watch closely to see another possible star they have nurtured, while English fans should see how much of a mark he can make on our beloved game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatzooma Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 (edited) I couldn't get to the match on Tuesday due to work, but I am for the first time in years very excited about seeing him play on Saturday!! Edited August 23, 2012 by fatzooma Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rustyfunk Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 http://www.owlstalk.co.uk/forums/index.php?/topic/178079-rodri-going-global/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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