Real Madrid are a different team with an in-form Isco

There are plenty of talking points following Real Madrid’s abysmal loss to Real Betis, but the impact of missing Isco shouldn’t be ignored.

Over the past several weeks, Isco has been back at his best for Real Madrid. Against Levante, Manchester City, and FC Barcelona, Isco was the most consistent attacking presence and a standout in the middle of the park – or on the right – for Los Blancos.

So Madridistas knew that losing him for the Real Betis game on Sunday would be a tough blow.

Without Isco, Real lacked a creative impetus in midfield. Karim Benzema would drop deep to make up for disappointing displays from Luka Modric and Toni Kroos, but he was even less effective. All the movement away from the box only served to hurt Real, too.

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Isco’s absence was felt on the stat sheet and in the flow of the game itself. Without the crafty midfielder, Real Madrid were poor at transitioning counterattacks.

Their passes lacked snap, and they missed out on having an ingenious attacking midfielder who can change passing angles in an instant with an aesthetic flick.

It’s unclear how serious Isco’s back spasms are, but after the loss to Betis put Real Madrid back behind FC Barcelona in the league table, his return to the starting XI can’t come soon enough.

Los Blancos are a different beast when Isco is in the lineup and in form. The attacking midfielder can play at any of the three attacking positions around the striker, and now that the goals and assist are coming, the Spain international is full of confidence.

Real Madrid will face Eibar on Friday and then Manchester City again next Tuesday for the second leg of their Champions League fixture. Given how crucial Isco was to Real in the first leg, they will need him to be healthy and at his best in order to have a chance at a comeback.

Prior to his injury against Real Betis, Isco had five key passes and seven dribbles completed in his last three La Liga appearances. Against City, he had a goal, a key pass, three fouls drawn, and two dribbles completed.

A dynamic dribbler who should have had a brace against El Clasico, Isco’s passing and finishing in the final third were peaking in the last couple of weeks. Isco’s creativity, of course, is his biggest asset to Real, and, again, Los Blancos looked completely out of ideas and lacking in effort on the offensive end without him. Only Vinicius Junior seemed capable of creating anything.

With Isco back, the dynamic duo that he and Vini give Real could be enough to turn the tide in the Champions League. The weekend’s loss to Betis only served to underscore how important the man has become to Los Merengues lately.