Scouting Report: Real Madrid midfielder Isco
Friday 17 April 2020 10:23, UK
Real Madrid midfielder Isco has found game-time hard to come by at the Bernabeu since Zinedine Zidane took the reins in January, with Tottenham reportedly set to offer him a way out of Madrid.
Zidane favours a 4-3-3 system and seems to have his midfield trio set in stone; Luka Modric and Toni Kroos tend to start whenever fit while Casemiro operates behind as the defensive anchor.
Any temptation the Spain international had to play out wide has been thwarted by Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo, who currently occupy those roles. So, despite Isco's undoubted talent, breaking into Zidane's starting XI is proving a difficult task.
Isco was signed by Madrid from Malaga in 2013 for €30m (£26.9m). The Spanish giants had to fend off stiff competition from Manchester City to acquire the youngster after a string of eye-catching performances during Spain's victorious European Under-21 Championship saw him named the Golden Boy in 2012.
Isco enjoy a prominent role during his first two season at the Bernabeu, but the 24-year-old has since fallen out of favour. A lack of first-team action last season led to his omission from Vicente del Bosque's 23-man Euro 2016 squad this summer.
The snub, coupled with his continued spell on the periphery of Zidane's thoughts, led Isco to admit he may have to leave Real if his first-team prospects do not improve.
Live La Liga Football
"I have been two months, practically, without playing," he told Spanish newspaper Marca. "It's difficult when you're training well and the boss does not put you in.
"I am not going to give in easily. I know I will be a success. I don't know if that will be with Madrid - I hope so. But if not, I will be a success somewhere else."
An injury to former Spurs midfielder Modric has seen Isco step into the starting XI on a temporary basis, and he has not disappointed.
The 6-1 win away to Real Betis a fortnight ago - during which he scored twice and completed 89 per cent of his passes - was the first time he played 90 minutes since April.
This performance saw him retain his place the following week against Athletic Bilbao, with Isco again showing what capable of by providing an assist for Karim Benzema and making three key passes during his 65-minute stint.
Isco's problems will surely resurface once Modric returns from injury. The Croatian has arguably been Madrid's most consistent performer over the last 12 months, earning him recognition in this year's Ballon d'Or nominations.
So, by the time the transfer window re-opens in January, Isco could find himself in the all too familiar position of questioning his long-term future with the European champions.
Marca recently ran a headline which claimed: "Spurs are crazy for Isco". Mauricio Pochettino already has some high-quality attacking midfielders at his disposal but that hasn't stopped speculation linking them with a £30m deal for Isco.
And it's easy to see why the Tottenham boss may be interested. With his ability to play as a No. 10, on either flank or even in as a deep-lying playmaker, Isco could conceivably slot into any one of several positions within Pochettino's preferred 4-2-3-1 set up.
The addition of a creator with such versatility would also allow the Argentine to experiment with a switch to 4-3-3 should he desire.
If Isco is to move to White Hart Lane, he will likely be in direct competition with Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen, so how does the Spanish star compare to the Spurs duo?
Dele Alli
England midfielder Alli was one of the driving forces behind Tottenham's emergence as Premier League title contenders last season.
The 20-year-old former MK Dons player registers 10 goals and nine assists in 33 appearances as he was named PFA Young Player of the Year.
By contrast, Isco scored just three goals and laid on seven assists in 31 appearances. But when analysing the number of minutes played, the disparity between the two men's records narrows.
Many of Isco's appearances last season came from the substitutes' bench, meaning he played a total of 1822 minutes, 649 less than Alli's haul.
That gives Isco a record of scoring every 607 minutes to Alli's 247, and assisting every 260 minutes to the Spurs player's 274. The Real Madrid player also created a chance every 42 minutes, a slight improvement on Alli's return of 45 minutes.
When it comes to shot accuracy Alli comes out on top, finding the target with 60 per cent of his efforts, opposed to 41 per cent from Isco. But the Spaniard does boast a more impressive pass-completion rate, with 89 per cent of his passes finding a team-mate to Alli's 76 per cent.
Christian Eriksen
Eriksen is perhaps one of the unsung heroes of this Spurs team. While Alli and Harry Kane take most of the plaudits, the Dane consistently performs to a high level, creating many of the opportunities from which the English pair benefit.
The former Ajax player played 2936 Premier League minutes last season (1114 more than Isco was afforded in La Liga). In that time, he scored six goals and provided 13 assists.
That gives Eriksen a goals-per-minute ratio of 489, lower than Alli's but better than Isco's record of a goal every 607 minutes.
Eriksen also edges out Isco when it comes to assists, setting up a team-mate every 225 minutes to Isco's return of one every 260 minutes.
Capped 63 times by Denmark, Eriksen's creative skills really come to the fore when breaking down his chance creation statistics.
Eriksen created 114 goal-scoring opportunities last season - one every 26 minutes - beating Isco's average by 16 minutes.
But, as was the case with Alli, Isco has the Spurs man beaten when it comes to passing accuracy, with an 89 per cent completion rate compared to Eriksen's 78 per cent.
These statistics show that Spurs do not struggle for creativity or goal-scoring prowess. In fact, you could argue they don't even need Isco. However, signing a player of such quality would be a huge statement of intent from the north London club.
