The Real Betis Match Revealed A Lot About Real Madrid
By Ahmed Genina
Isco and the left Wing Affair
Although Isco’s favorite area seems to be the area between the left wing and the left center midfield (a.k.a the left half space), he has excelled greatly when playing on the left wing.
With Ronaldo’s positioning, the fact that he has Kroos and Modric playing by his side, and that one of the front three drops deep every now and then. Isco will probably find space on the left wing when positioned as a left central midfielder in a 3-man midfield. It’s evident in his heat map vs Real Betis.
Isco's heat map vs Real Betis
He is comfortable playing on the wing, especially when he has Marcelo supporting him. So, cutting inside and moving to the left half space shouldn’t be a problem. What matters is that the team can have a reliable winger in Isco. A bandy-legged-beauty who tracks back and covers the areas abandoned by Ronaldo.
Moreover, he can always form a midfield trio with Toni Kroos and Luka Modric. Meaning, that the team can shift with relative ease between a 4-3-3 and a 4-4-2 according to the situation. Finally, let’s not forget that when Marcelo has a good winger in front of him, he will – probably – become less pressured to advance forward all the way to the final third on every attack. This should (hopefully) allow him to concentrate more on his defensive duties.
Beauty indeed