La Liga 2018-19: Analyzing the suitability of Asensio or Isco to be Real Madrid's false nine

Real Madrid and Cristiano Ronaldo ended an association that lasted for nine years. All good things come to an end, and Real Madrid must now move on.

The 'Whites' have less than 10 days until their official season starts. It follows then that they need to find their all-time top goal scorer’s replacement soon.

Eden Hazard’s transfer from Chelsea is possible, but the chances of that look bleak. Keeping that in mind, Julen Lopetegui might have to turn to someone in his current roster.

Who else but Marco Asensio and Francisco ‘Isco’ Roman Alarcon Suarez?

The two Spaniards have been extremely successful working under Lopetegui. The three shared the same dressing room for two years with Spain’s national team before the 51-year-old’s appointment by Florentino Perez.

Apart from Zinedine Zidane, if there is a coach right now that can get the best out of the two, his name is Julen Lopetegui. The former Porto coach has been widely tipped to use a 4-4-2 diamond system with a false nine at the heart of it.

However, the huge debate that has been sparked between the fans is, who should occupy that spot - Asensio or Isco?

Here, we take a look at both their playing styles and the benefits of having one player in the line-up over the other.

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Marco Asensio

Marco Asensio's statistics are mouthwatering!

Marco Asensio is one of the world’s brightest prospects at the moment. He was inducted into Real Madrid’s first team squad at the beginning of the 2016-17 season, and since then his performances have just kept reaching a higher level with every passing day.

The former Mallorca islander has not been a regular starter with the club in his two seasons so far. However, that might change soon.

Asensio was tipped to be Ronaldo’s successor in Spain’s capital, but little would he have dreamed of having the privilege at just 22. Scoring over 20 goals in his two seasons and providing numerous assists, Asensio has been tipped to boss the false nine‘s role.

He had been deployed in that role during his one year loan spell with Espanyol, and the 22-year-old scored four goals and provided 15 assists over 37 appearances for them. Zinedine Zidane never played Asensio in the false nine position.

However, the idea did strike Lopetegui, who had seen the winger’s development from close range. He played Asensio in that position during Real Madrid’s 3-1 triumph over Juventus in the ICC at Maryland.

Ronaldo’s potential successor played just one half but wreaked havoc over the Italian club. He scored twice and created chance after chance in just a gap of 45 minutes.

Coupled with his brilliant vision and long range shooting ability, Asensio has even been compared to Lionel Messi.

In a nutshell, Asensio will surely stand out as a false nine with Benzema and Bale up front. His link-up play is fantastic. Most of his goals are long range stunners, and being in the central position will allow him to have more chances.

Should Lopetegui deploy Asensio in that role, we can expect a healthy number of goals and assists.

Isco

A sizzling Isco can be too hot for the opponents to handle.

Lopetegui’s second option is to establish Isco as the false nine. However, the 26-year-old’s playing style is way different from his colleague Asensio.

The former Malaga star has been Real Madrid’s loyal servant since his arrival from the Costa del Sol five years ago.

Just five years into his spell with the 'Whites', he has four Champions League titles and one La Liga among numerous other accolades. That's not to mention the fact that he has played under three managers - Carlo Ancelotti, Rafa Benitez and Zinedine Zidane.

He was not the preferred choice for any of these three managers. However, Zidane re-ignited Isco’s form and used him very well in the last two seasons. And Isco repaid that faith by being among Madrid’s best players.

He carried on his form even for Spain’s national team, thus winning Lopetegui’s faith.

Isco as a false nine is an innovative option. His ball holding capability is unparalleled, and he has shown sensational promise in the potential role that he is set to have. He boasts of brilliant skill when taking on opponent defenders and has been described as a nightmare by many of them.

Isco delivered his career-best display under Lopetegui less than one year ago. He scored two goals and displayed excellent positioning against Italy at the Santiago Bernabeu in a vital World Cup qualification match.

However, his sideways passing stagnates play on several occasions, and can lead to breaks in opportunities to counter-attack the opposition - something that Real Madrid excel at.

Nevertheless, Isco can attract defenders towards him, in turn releasing the forwards who are likely to be Bale and Benzema. With a potentially one-on-one or two-on-two situation in front of them, a good percentage of shots would surely find the back of the net.

Conclusion

Julen Lopetegui has a huge decision to make

Isco and Asensio are two very different players. However, Isco’s role does offer a few disadvantages, especially when he takes over the role of Kroos or Modric, leading to a stagnation of play and pace.

While Lopetegui will need time to try and test a new system, Isco and Asensio should both be given chances. Yet, in my humble opinion, Asensio deserves the spot as he has proven himself within two seasons and has a scorching left foot for long range finishing.

To me, Asensio is the best possible fit for the false nine position.