Real Madrid: Isco ‘humiliated’, relationship with coaches irreparable?

If you thought we were in store for an undramatic deadline day in the world of Real Madrid, then be prepared for some more drama. In addition to more discussions about Zinedine Zidane’s future at the White House, there is some more last-minute unrest regarding Isco.

The Andalusian midfielder still wants a transfer away from the club, and his desire to leave has reportedly been strengthened by the fact that Real’s coaching staff did not even ask him to warm up in the eventual 2-1 loss to Levante.

According to a report from Marco Ruiz of AS (report in Spanish), Isco feels “humiliated” that Zinedine Zidane and David Bettoni brought in Castilla winger Sergio Arribas without even warming him up. Arribas was brought into the match for Marco Asensio along with Mariano Diaz (for Karim Benzema) after the managers had already taken off Eden Hazard for Vinicius Junior about 20 minutes earlier. Zidane/Bettoni never used their remaining two subs.

Per the above report from Ruiz, Isco’s trust in the coaching staff is now “totally broken”.

It’s hard to envision Real Madrid finding a landing spot for Isco

This isn’t the only report that uses the exact same language of Isco feeling “humiliated” after the Levante match, as Deportes Cuatro reported something similar (also in Spanish).

Is it all an exaggeration? Is Isco just angling to force Real Madrid’s hand so that he can play more somewhere else and get into Luis Enrique’s national team?

I’m not sure, but I do know that Isco could find his groove with a smaller club that can give him a chance to be the center of attention. Isco is the kind of player who thrives on the ball and needs to get into a rhythm to make a difference. He’s a bit streaky like that and at a club like Real Madrid, his on-the-ball style of play can sometimes frustrate fans, teammates, and coaches when he holds the ball too much. We saw how this hurt the team in the loss to Alcoyano, as Isco looked good but did not help the team with his rather aimless dribbling.

There’s just no way Real Madrid find a destination for Isco on deadline day, right? Real have no offers for him, and they don’t have the kind of depth where they can afford to accept a lowball offer. Isco can play well for Real, but he must prove himself again. Zidane goes with the best men for the job, and, right now, Isco is on the periphery.