Isco's funny reaction to Kroos being benched

What a game from him today.

IF it comes down between isco and james, James is definitely gonna go. Can actually see Isco becoming a CM, he almost did it last season.

FennecFox7 wrote:IF it comes down between isco and james, James is definitely gonna go. Can actually see Isco becoming a CM, he almost did it last season.

i think isco is better as cm than am. he likes to have the ball and carry it forward.

when he plays like this he is unbelieavable. fantastic talent.

When Isco is humble and honest, he is starting quality.
Another reason I always say we do not need a dm for the nth bloody time.

There's one thing I respect more than talent, and that's professionalism.

Isco's latest interview with Marca is testimony to how professional he is.

In the end, if I'm not the star man with Ancelotti, Benitez or Zidane, I will not be foolish to look for problems where there are none. In the end, I'm responsible and that's where I must improve

Some people choose to be self-critical and dedicate their time to improve, others prefer to blame somebody else for their failures. Kudos to him for being honest and fair.

The fact that the club still hasn't renewed him yet even though there's only two years left in his contract might be a sign that they're not planning on keeping him beyond 2018.

Another one is Pepe whose contract runs out at the end of the current season and will be legally allowed to talk to other clubs from January.

Two professional and very talented players who gave everything to the club. Thanks both of you and I hope the self-entitled bullies in the team learn a thing or two from you.

He Spanish and playing for Real Madrid...  he can't rock the boat in his own country, for the capital's club...  without it impacting his status with Spanish people and the national team in the end.

If he weren't Spanish and these considerations didn't come into play, he would sing a different tune.

He's being smart and pragmatic, nothing more. I'll give him credit for not being stupid, which isn't something you can give many footballers credit for lol.

It has nothing to do with him being Spanish or playing for Real Madrid. Morata and Jesé at some point went as far as to publicly criticize the coach and club for the lack of playing time while publicly giving ultimatums.

Isco's talent is undeniable, and he's wasting away playing in the wrong system. He had countless reasons to use to complain about his situation, but instead he chose not to, and blamed himself for everything.

That's professionalism in every sense of the word. Him, Nacho and Carvajal care more about the club than themselves and it shows.

Even James who was bought for Galactico money chose to stay even when Z told him he wouldn't play much. He's not Spanish last time I checked, but unlike Varane, he stayed without guarantees and didn't bully the club or complain once.

Morata did nothing of the sort and neither did Jese.  They were both told by Real Madrid that they needed to find another club... basically shown the door.  Madrid got a buyback on Morata from Juve.  PSG didn't agree to one with Jese.

Madrid has not asked Isco to leave yet.  And why would they?  If he's happy being on the bench and the club is happy paying him those wages, it's a win-win.

Besides, when Morata and Jese were asked to leave, they were not NT players and they had no standing at all.   They were young, low wage players.  They had nothing to lose by leaving and, of course, they wanted to make more of a name for themselves and Madrid didn't offer them that opportunity.

Isco is already established.  He is getting paid very well by Real Madrid, he's in Spain and he is a NT player. And apparently, he's comfortable being what he is.

sportsczy wrote: He's being smart and pragmatic, nothing more. I'll give him credit for not being stupid, which isn't something you can give many footballers credit for lol.

this...imo there's nothing spectacular about the comment. it is what it is. he needs to improve on the pitch, regardless of whatever comment is made to the media. anybody can say what fans and pundits want to hear. we want to see action. and btw he is in no position to say anything outlandish, his performances or lack thereof doesn't justify that

I read the interview where that comment came from

http://www.marca.com/futbol/real-madrid/2016/10/04/57f2e87ee5fdea931c8b466f.html

Its a lot of good comments. Something I never realized (from the interview), I guess you guys probably did, is that since he arrived to Madrid he is the second player with most appearances in the team. 154 games, just 1 game behind Cristiano.

A lot more than I expected.

He's been given a lot of chances Rincon... problem is that he's been getting all the chances out of position. He's not a CM. It's ruined his football imo.

Yeah, he has no real continuity in the position he really would excel in. That being said, it shows he isn't really a versatile player as I thought he would have been. Fortunately, Isco is still a young man and a lovely footballer.

His future is definitely not with Madrid.

A lot of talk this week about Isco.

- why is he the indisbutable starter with seleccion yet not consider a starter at his own club?

- Isco apparently saying he might be better off to play for Pep.

You would think that having a coach who played a similar style would work in your favour?

And when possible changes are discussed for next season, none of the options expressed have Isco in starting 11!

Maybe it is the time for him to go?

He recently signed a contract extension so whatever club wants his services would be paying world record fees.

Also, it's the role he has with Madrid and the way we play. In my amateur point of view, Madrid play way more direct than Spain and Isco really suits the possession style of play Spain use. And in Spain's NT, his role is way more clear. Zidane gave him this weird free role that isn't exactly helpful for either himself or Madrid and he tends to just look "lost".

Look at this way Doc. The seleccion is completely run by Isco and that not just attributable to possession. As I said earlier you would think a coach that played a very similar style / role would find a way to have him as part of starting 11.

As to fee, he is way better than Coutino, so any figure past 150 would be well worth it. Or in other words how can you have a player worth 150M on your squad and not start him?

he is better than coutinho, way better in my opinion, i get doc's argument, in fact i agree with it wholeheartedly, its obvious when you watch him play for his country and us. i also have this feeling that part of it is mental. i've been one of his harshest critics over the years, but i have this feeling that he's just tired of fighting. all things being equal; if i'm permitted to use that phrase, we have six positions that are taken, bbc modric kroos and case. yes bale has been on the bench recently here and there

but i think isco has sadly come to terms with this and just can't replicate last season's form. happens to a lot of footballers who feel are good enough not to be on the bench but are used as subs, i think mentally he feels he's fighting a losing battle regardless. i hope he stays....but that's mainly cos i fear he might be a beast if he moves to an european rival.....if the money is super appealing, then by all means, sell

La Furia Roja's style of football is definitely more possession oriented than Madrid though. It's nowhere near as sterile as Don Vicente had them playing but it's still a possession based set up.

And from all I've watched Isco wrt to the NT, he absolutely thrives in it. Both from a sporting aspect and mentally too. He looks like he is genuinely enjoying himself out there. With this version of Madrid this season, he plays like it's a chore (unlike last season where I really saw the version of Isco we have been waiting for since he came from Malaga).

As Tito mentioned, he ain't the 1st world class talent to struggle for form and consistency but he has a huge positive going for him: he is a handsome Spaniard playing for (one of) the capital club. You'll hardly see any hard hitting articles from Marca about Isco's drop of form or whatever. So even if we end up trophy less, Isco is not gonna be the name that would fully attributed to it.

Oh and to address the transfer rumours, if he has a stellar WC campaign, he ain't going anywhere.

My love for this bow legged genius knows no bounds , what a man

He played the match as if he had a point to prove. Now come and play like that for Madrid por favor

Hala, he has been playing that way for past year. Everything goes thru him.

Amazing how well He, Asensio, Carvajal and Ramos and with youth team Ceballos, Vallejo and even Majoral played yet at Madrid, they all are considered shit!

We have seen this before but never together!

At one point in game, Isco was dribbling with 3,4 players trying to take ball from him and then he slides ball to Iniesta and he does same thing!

It was like it used to be with Harlem Globetrotters!

his last interview where he says we don't give him the right confidence at madrid (if that's actually how its translated, i know translations can mess up the whole message) confirms my point above that his issue with us may be mental; i think he feels its a losing battle no matter how good or bad he plays with regards getting starter status on our roster

I mean, I can't blame him. Zidane and his weird ass coaching (or according to many, bad coaching) somehow cannot figure out how to get the best out of Isco. Meanwhile, Lopetegui, the failed manager of Porto fame, getting the best out of him.

Also, I'll say it, Benzema is literally getting consistent game time over Isco. Sigh.

Also doesn't help that his run of games has only really come about when Bale has been injured, and when Bale returns his position gets threatened again. So it's a reasonable perception that he gets games only by circumstance, not because ZZ has confidence in him.

That's because Ronaldo at CF just doesn't work.  And Isco has been poor for Madrid recently... while Asensio has picked it up.  Forget Bale...  Asensio is ahead of Isco.

Whether it's Benzema or someone else, Ronaldo needs a CF.  Even though he plays far more central now, he still either doesn't want to do or just can't make the plays that a CF would.

Just to give some examples:
-  Holding up the ball
-  Making runs to clear defenders as opposed to expecting the ball

The way CR makes runs is using a CF to find open spaces for himself.  That's how he's been his whole career and he's not changing.

Other HUGE component is that Madrid don't play like Barca or Spain.  We just don't.  Small pocket passing and possession is not our game.  We're looking to get the ball and release it....  as fast as possible... going forward.  For players like Isco who like to hold the ball, he actually breaks the flow of our attacks.

In short, Isco needs a system that fits him and, at the moment, Madrid is not playing that system.  In fact, I highly doubt we ever adapt a system to Isco.  His best shot at Madrid is if Ronaldo leaves and we transition to a more slow build up and possession type game.