Isco has hit rock bottom. The man from Malaga has gotten used to a career full of ups and downs in recent seasons, with stellar moments and others in which he has been relegated to a less important role. But his role has never been so inconsequential as it is today.
In Madrid he has four consecutive games as a substitute in which he has only participated in one, against Huesca (30 minutes) with the clash already resolved. The momentous duels against Barcelona, Borussia and Inter have seen them in full sitting on the bench. He has only played 177 'in five games so far this season, which puts him 19th in the squad in minutes. Only Hazard, Odegaard, Odriozola and Mariano have played less than him, but in the case of the first three it has been caused by injuries. If they had been healthy, it is normal that only Mariano (who does not count) had less prominence than Isco at this stage of the season. In his only starts (Valladolid and Cádiz) he has not surrendered and has been soon substituted (at 57 'and 46', respectively). His secondary role is demonstrated in the Champions League: not a single minute in the three games played so far.
To all this is added the controversy over the statements about Zidane that caught him at the Camp Nou, something that annoyed the French coach, since he has always been one of those who has bet the most on Isco, and He even defended him in the moments in which he was most discussed by the board during the coach's first stage at Madrid.
In Madrid, things are going badly for him and that has meant that his absences from the National Team lists, where he was key recently, have ceased to be a novelty. This Friday he was again out of the 25 summoned by Luis Enrique and the worrying thing is that the surprise would have been his presence, not his absence. He has not gone with Spain since June 10, 2019, in the 3-0 to Sweden with Robert Moreno on the bench. Luis Enrique has been finding his group of trusted players and Right now, the man from Malaga has a very difficult time finding a place for himself. The Eurocopa train is missing …