The sophomore slump is one of the most dreaded phenomenon in all of sports. New players or rookies are troubling reads because when they bust or are on par with expectations, few pay much attentions. If the player performs as expected, everyone's happy. If they bust, then there is some frustration and then they move on.

But when the player exceeds expectations, then hyperbole sets in. People start dreaming up how this player will be a key contributor for years to come. There is celebration.

There is also trepidation about whether said player will regress to the mean. Of course the mean is a slippery slope as there is technically no real way to judge that based on a hugely successful first year.

One player constantly under the microscope is Colombian star James Rodriguez who was seen as a luxury buy in the summer of 2014 after a star turn at the World Cup. There was a great deal of skepticism surrounding his purchase, but he wound up surpassing expectations in year one with 17 goals and 15 assists for Madrid.

Expectations continued to skyrocket heading into year two and Rodriguez's performance thus far has been a mixed bag. The traditional numbers aren't bad considering the number of games he has played thus far. He has three goals and four assists in eight Spanish League tilts, but three of those assists and two of those goals came across just two games; throughout the remaining six games that he has contested, the Colombian has struggled. Injuries have hampered him to be sure, but the Colombian has often struggled to make much happen in key games. He is currently on pace, health permitting, for 11 goals and 15 assists in the domestic league which would be in line with what he did a year ago with 13 goals and 13 helpers.

His other stats have been more or less consistent with his three key passes per game actually improving on his 2.7 per game last season. He has 1.8 shots per game, which is the same amount as last season, but still below his career average of 2.3. The dribbles per game are a smidge lower and the defensive stats are more or less the same. Rodriguez is connecting on fewer passes this season as well.

That does not paint a poor picture at all but Madrid should be wary to see Rodriguez follow the same path of another high profile star in his second year.

Gareth Bale entered the 2013-14, his first for the club, with a short preparation period and some injuries. But once he got going, he never stopped scoring 22 goals for Los Blancos, including winners in the Copa del Rey and Champions League. More importantly? He struck a partnership with Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema that looked unstoppable.

Jump forward a season and Bale struggled in the same spot. He scored seven goals in the first 14 games of the year but then finished the season with six in the second half of the season. He was even more invisible in the Champions League where he scored two goals in 10 matches, both tallies coming in blowout wins in the group stage. Bale contributed close to nothing in the knockout stages. The shift to a more possession based game took away his space and he seemed more intent of doing everything himself. The result? Only 17 goals in far more games played and booing from fans.

Rodriguez still has time to get his game going with more consistent time, but only time will tell if he manages to score another 15 goals this year or wind up frustrated.