The Andalusian midfielder has returned to shine at Betis Seville.
Primavera 2018: Real Madrid is still competing in all the competitions in which it participates and Isco is playing one of the best seasons of his career (he will finish the year with 9 goals and 9 assists; only in the previous season, the 16/17 season, did he do better with 11 goals and 8 assists). The season of You meringues it would end with a third place in La Liga and victories in the Spanish Super Cup, European Super Cup, Club World Cup and the triumph in the Champions League in the famous final in Cardiff. All this, with Isco absolute protagonist and pivotal pawn on Zizou’s chessboard. The same coach, however, will leave Real at the end of the season and, from that moment, Isco’s career will change radically.
He arrives on the bench Lopetegui, who still considers him fundamental in Real’s tactical structure, but he will have a short life in Madrid’s. His successor, Solar, puts him aside on the fringes of the squad, and not even Zidane, who returned as a substitute for the end of the season, will be able to make him return to the player he was. To accompany the drop in yield on the pitch, as often happens to mentally and physically fragile players, Isco, in his last years at Real, had appeared listless, so much so that he didn’t put much effort into training. His weight gradually increased and his shape was no longer brilliant.
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This lack of professionalism has led to a lot accusations from his teammates, who claimed that he used the “excuse” of injuries to rest and be able to play when he preferred. Isco’s numbers also drop dramatically and, following several seasons played below his capabilities, he announces in May 2022 that he does not intend to renew his contract with the blancos, freeing himself. As if that wasn’t enough, the calls from the Spanish national team selection progressively reduced after the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Honestly: who would have thought, at the end of the 17/18 season, that this wonderful player who enchanted Spain and Europe could remain without a team at the height of his career?
Real Madrid’s farewell after parting ways with Isco
The Andalusian midfielder signs in September with Sevillebut his experience with The Basins it will last a few months: the fight with Monchi, then DS of Sevilla, will weigh on the early termination of the contract. Isco, therefore, remains away from the football fields where he shone so much for another 6 long months.
Many probably seem to have forgotten this. They are the same people who have too easily removed the fine plays of his repertoire, the sublime technique and the imagination that few boast in the current football landscape.
Well, after some time, Isco returned. He now plays at Betis Seville and is forcefully returning to being talked about.
The “new old” Isco
Manuel Pellegrini – current Betis coach – knows how to coach Isco well: it is not the first time that the two have found themselves working together in the same team. In some ways, we can say that the first footballing steps taken by the Spaniard were made at Malaga after an experience of only 4 appearances at Valencia. Pellegrini was coaching that Malaga team. In the three seasons spent at the court of AnchoviesIsco scored 17 goals and 9 assists: not bad for his first experience as a starter among professionals.
But let’s get back to Betis current: the Spaniards are currently in sixth position and still in the running to secure a place that guarantees them to compete in a European competition next season. Since Isco signed, it can be said that Betis has become a team very productive in terms of opportunities created compared to last year, but it remains equally imprecise.
As certified by the data collected by FBref, in fact, Betis is a team that shoots often (13.35 shots per 90 minutes, 4th in the Liga) but rarely hits the target (3.73 shots on target per ninety minutes, 13th in the Liga) leading it to be one of the teams with the lowest percentage of goals per shot attempted (only 0.08 of attempted shots turn into goals). The difference in xG-G, however, is more comforting: compared to 30 goals scored, the team created 31 xG and this is to say a minimum underperformance. All this can translate into a team that attempts a lot of difficult shots.
At the same time, it should be underlined how these numbers have improved from some points of view since the keys to Betis’ offensive game passed into Isco’s hands: last season, in fact, the team attempted 2.6 fewer shots per game, but despite this, Betis has almost the same number of shots on the opponent’s goal (last season, 3.63/90 minutes). At the same time, shooting so much and capitalizing so little can often be useless: the average goal has not increased but rather decreased compared to last year, going from 1.21 to 1.12 per game. Analyzing this data, it can be stated that Isco is helping Betis create more chances which, however, are not yet properly exploited.
Speaking more specifically about the Spanish playmaker, his position on the pitch hangs between the role of central midfielder and the attacking midfielder, acting as director (he is the player who touches the ball the most among his team and in Europe in his role with 71.26 per game). Managing such a large volume of balls also allowed him to record his best average of goals and assists per game since his decline began, contributing 0.44 goals per game.
The portion of the field that occupies the most is the left side of the fielda symptom of his predilection for playing with the foot inverted to offer suggestions for returning.
Everyone knows that Isco’s passing qualities are enviable by almost all active footballers, and the FBref data confirms it: the Spanish playmaker offers his teammates on average 3.18 fundamental passes per game (none like him in his role in Europe). Finally, returning to the Spanish team’s greater ability to finish on goal, Isco has once again become an important player also in creating shooting actions: with a value of 5.58 per game, few do better than him.
Isco has returned to shine on the Seville side Beticos, regaining physical form and mental energy to be able to play freely as we saw him do at Real Madrid. This type of player in particular, in fact, needs to perform at their best find yourself in the right context to be able to express your footballing talent successfully; otherwise, they risk losing much of their effectiveness.
A play that demonstrates how Isco has once again managed to play with a free mind and instinct, favoring almost irrational plays that only those with a strong vision of the game and a high football IQ can make, it was the one against Aris Limassol in the Europa League. With the result secured, at 3-1, Isco unleashed a volley from the goalkeeper’s long throw which effectively opened a red carpet for the descent and for Ezzalzouli’s goal. This play, which effectively allowed Betis to find a goal with two passes starting from their goal area, sent the local public into raptures. Which, if you think about it, is what Isco has always done when he found the right context in which to express himself: unleashing passes, dribbling and ball control that amazed not only his fans but the whole of Europe.
Isco’s sublime play
Isco is (finally) back at ease doing what he does best, which is playing football. However, a doubt arises in light of this. Could Isco himself try again for an experience in a team that has more chances of winning trophies?
Although Betis represents a good team, a safe context in which to express himself and away from the pressure of the big clubs in order to end his career peacefully (Isco turns 32 in April and has a contract until 2027 with Betis), it would not be excluded that a team with greater caliber could step forward to ensure its performances in the summer. What would Isco do in this case? Would he stay at Betis or accept the last big call of his career? Net of these reasonings, one thing is certain: by avoiding other physical and mental repercussions, we can enjoy the elegance and refinement of Spanish talent for a few more years in all its splendor.
2024-03-06 14:00:00
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