Do Porto miss João more than James?
Perennial moneymakers FC Porto have sold on big names every summer in recent memory without suffering a hangover. Was the sale of João Moutinho the exception to the rule?
James Rodríguez chested down a high ball and rocketed to stardom in the time it took to unleash an imperious left peg volley at this summer's World Cup. Those previously unaware of his talents were wide-eyed with surprise; anyone who had watched him at Porto grinned knowingly.
The latest Galactico
Real Madrid's €80million man now courts publicity at every turn and readies himself for Champions League action tonight with genuine hopes of getting his hands on the trophy in Berlin next May.
Like Ronaldo, Bale and Benzema before him, the classy ex-Porto forward is now more than a player, he's a brand. A demi-god worshipped by an average home crowd of 70,000 fans.
That's what a huge World Cup can do for you - and there is no doubting Rodríguez's grace and talent on a football pitch.
What is also beyond debate is whether Porto have missed the Colombian's vision and ability since his departure to Monaco last year - they unquestionably have and having someone regularly help out Jackson Martínez in the goalscoring stakes must be a priority for new coach Julen Lopetegui.
Filling sizeable holes left by big names is nothing new at Porto, however. Their chairman Pinto da Costa has turned regenerating his squad (and his bank balance) into something of an art form: taking the raw talents of Rodríguez, Falcao, Hulk and most recently Eliaquim Mangala, milking their ability on the pitch and then turning a huge profit on them.
Moutinho's boots: too big to fill?
Since last summer, however, there has been a huge hole in Porto's side that has proved impossible to fill.
The player who left this void wasn't Rodríguez, however, but the player who joined him in Monaco: João Moutinho.
The French side paid a staggering €70million for the pair last May on a quest for greatness that saw them secure Champions League football, despite finishing second behind PSG in Ligue 1.
While Rodríguez used his move as a career stepping stone, however, Moutinho is left playing before 10,000 fans for a club shorn of superstars by newly-enforced UEFA Fair Play rules.
Porto's current crop
Atletico Madrid loanee Oliver Torres and Mexican Hector Herrera started Porto's 2-2 Champions League draw against Shakhtar Donetsk last night and were, by all accounts, unable to dominate their Ukrainian opponents. A less-than-imposing midfield is not uncommon to this Porto side.
Torres has promise, despite a costly error that led to Shakhtar's first last night, while Herrera has most of the attributes needed in a modern day midfielder. They bring individual strengths to Porto's line-up, while other midfield contenders such as Casemiro and Juan Quintero clearly have buckets of potential. At this moment in time, however, none of them comes close to Moutinho.
After a summer exodus at Monaco, Moutinho is their one remaining world-class player and a goalscoring performance in their first Champions League outing against Bayer Leverkusen illustrated his quality.
Ironically, goals were normally the one thing Moutinho didn't offer Porto: the midfielder scoring just four times in 83 appearances. Far more importantly, though, Moutinho gave Porto personality - he controlled the tempo of games, he dictated possession, he made the game look easy when it wasn't.
Rodriguez, in contrast, was a more peripheral figure who would hover on the fringes of games before pouncing. For Porto, Rodriguez hurt teams and decided games, but didn't define the team's character in the way Moutinho did. Where the Colombian sparkled, the Portuguese consistently shone.
'More complete than Ronaldo'
Ex-Portugal boss Paulo Bento regard for Moutinho was very clear recently when he spoke of the midfielder as 'a more complete player' than Ronaldo and praised his ability to carry a manager's ideas onto the pitch.
Although many will dispute Bento's claim, perhaps his praise provides the keenest insight into what Porto currently lack and what they have failed to replace since Moutinho left: identity. Jackson Martínez is still scoring the goals to justify his reputation and Brahimi, Torres, Herrera, Cristian Tello, Casemiro et al have undoubted potential. What they lack, however, is that footballing X-factor that gels teams together and gives them personality.
Moutinho was rumoured to be seeking a move this summer, but ended up staying in France while Rodriguez and Falcao completed their transfers to European superpowers. He remains a world-class talent, but time is ticking if he is to follow in their footsteps.
Tonight Monaco and Moutinho cross swords with Zenit St. Petersburg, while Real and Rodríguez travel to Bulgaria to face Ludogorets. Given how his star has risen, Rodríguez will most likely make tomorrow's headlines, with Moutinho to be found somewhere in the smallprint.
If you were to give Portistas a choice of re-injecting Rodriguez's glitter or Moutinho's soul back into their current side, though, they might well opt for the latter.
by Stephen Gillett
