Player Focus: Industrious Isco Impressing in Interior Role for Real

Those familiar with Isco prior to his €30m move to Real Madrid in the summer will in some part, barely recognise the figure he has become in the Spanish capital. But this by no means a negative observation.

There are forces at work within the Bernabéu attempting to turn Isco into a more complete player, one more prepared to deal with the rigours and demands of the modern game. In this process there will be high and lows, and last night’s game against Bayern Munich was perhaps the most glaring example yet.

WhoScored’s rating of 6.31 for Isco against the German giants was by no means out of place. In possession Isco was unable to influence or contribute to the attack in his usual agile manner, touching the ball just 39 times while proving unable to pull off a single dribble, before an early yellow card negated his defensive output considerably for the rest of the game, tackling just the once and making no interceptions.

It was another game that proved a learning curve for a player who has just turned 22 years old and is in the midst of his debut season after a big-money move. What is more the club involved is Madrid – one of the most difficult environments for any young player to settle in. Patience is the greatest virtue that must be bestowed on Isco, who is arguably one of the finest products Spain has produced in recent memory. His natural game must be harnessed, but there must also be a progression within to make him a true success.

Isco’s 7.35 rating is the 7th highest overall at Madrid this season. This is an incredibly impressive feat considering he has not been a regular and is in a state of adaptation. The natural attributes in his game, such as the creativity, are clearly alive and well. His 2.1 key passes per game are the second most at the club behind Ángel Di María, a player enjoying one of the most impressive seasons of his career. Isco’s creative stats are all the more impressive considering he averages just 40.1 passes per game. He is influencing games in terms of providing cutting edge from relatively little time on the ball. His accuracy too, as you’d expect, is refined, at 90.2%.

Isco’s assist tally is rather meagre (4), but it should be noted that this is the same total he managed in his final season at Málaga in 2012/13 and in his breakthrough campaign in 2011/12. He has never been one to directly contribute; instead he is a player that creates the base from which attacks are built. Andrés Iniesta has managed 7 assists to Cesc Fábregas’ 12 this term, but regular viewers of Barcelona this season will be more than happy to tell you the former has been the one to have a greater overall influence on the attack.

The goals are still there in Isco’s game too, with his 11 across both La Liga and the Champions League this term, to equal his total at Málaga from last season. With just one more goal before the end of the season it will be a career-high total, showing a clear improvement despite playing at a higher level and with added pressure. More impressive too is the fact that, despite matching his goal tally, Isco has been shooting less. This term he has been shooting just 1.3 times per game, in contrast to 1.8 of last season. There is better shot judgement clearly working itself into his game.

In this process of making Isco more complete as a player, however, there needs to be an understanding of his role in the team without the ball. A key factor in the departure of Mesut Özil was apparently Carlo Ancelotti’s dissatisfaction with the German’s lack of defensive work. It was a visible dearth in this department that irked the Italian, and brought him to the decision that Özil wouldn’t fit into his new system. Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the few players – or mayve the only one – afforded a pass when it comes to defence. Others, such as Di María and Isco, would need to contribute. “The important thing is sacrifice, Di María and Isco do that, which helps the team” said Ancelotti post the Bayern game.

Koke’s success at Atlético Madrid in the interior role has been vast, and the reason for him coming into the role was that the player had defensive acumen previously. Isco has always played at the top of the midfield or out wide prior to this season, but has shown defensive awareness nonetheless. Often this has been as a luxury for whatever team he is playing in, be it Málaga or Spain U21. The requirements of his role are new territory, though, without even taking into account the need adaptation at a club like Madrid.

Attitude and discipline off the ball are two key factors in this new interior role. Isco must be aware of these duties if he is to succeed where others have not, and in games such as those against Borussia Dortmund and Real Sociedad, he showed the clearest signs yet that the lessons were being learned. In the Copa Del Rey final too, it was Isco cutting into central midfield and regaining possession from Dani Alves as the initial action in a move that sent Di María away to score the opener.

“He’s a player of tremendous quality. All he’s got to get used to is playing in that position [the interior role]” says Ancelotti. Isco, via the hands of an Italian, is being moulded into a better player for the future. Signs are that, despite the expected pitfalls, things are going according to plan.