Madrid, March 28: Spain's manager Julen Lopetegui expressed his opinion on Isco's lack of game time at Real Madrid before the game against Argentina. He said it was important for the creative midfielder to be regular at Real Madrid and get more game time before the world cup. He started Isco against Argentina and boy what a response he has received.
Isco ran rings around dismal Argentinian defenders and scored a hat-trick. He linked up perfectly with Iago Aspas and his runs along the left wing helped create space for Aspas and Thiago Alcantara to exploit. This was his first international hat-trick and it is now safe to say that he has given enough reasons to Lopetegui to be in the starting 11 at the World Cup.
Isco stated after the match that Real Madrid doesn't give him the confidence he needs to play freely. He then went on to say that international games give him the freedom and his national coach gives him the confidence which helps him shine on the international platform. He even stated "Maybe I'm the problem in Madrid" in order to explain a lack of game time.
His unhappiness at Zidane was clear when he said after the game, "I don't know how to win Zidane's confidence."
Zidane has been known to make life difficult for talented players who don't make to the starting 11. James Rodriguez is the biggest example of this and his return to form at Bayern speaks volumes of how Zizou treats players who don't have his confidence.
Isco has played only 9 times this year at Real Madrid and 4 of them of them have been as substitutes in the last quarter of the game. Lopetegui has confirmed that he does not wish to speak about Zidane's treatment of Isco but he will be happy to have him back after two months at the beginning of the World Cup.
These events will only create an interest from big clubs for the talented creative midfielder. He will definitely have a lot of options to choose from and Real Madrid will probably demand a huge sum for the same. However, should Zidane get the sack (which is highly likely if he doesn't win the Champions League) Isco could look at a new start to his career at the Bernabeu under a different manager?