Isco and Sheriff Woody: Spot the difference
It’s February 2000, and Toy Story 2 has been released. In the film directed by John Lasseter, Sheriff Woody’s stitching attaching his arm to the torso comes loose.
Sharp-eyed Andy quickly realises, before uttering the words ‘’you’re broken, I don’t want to play with you anymore.’’
And thus, Sheriff Woody is placed on the dustiest shelf you are ever likely to see.
Woody finds Wheezy hidden in the dust behind a book. He starts to console him but a more pressing matter arises; it’s Yard Sale Day! And Wheezy had accepted his fate.
Pointing at the yard sale he said; ‘’What’s the point in prolonging the inevitable? We are all just one stitch away from here to there.’’
Woody is later taken from his home by toy dealer Al McWhiggin where he discovers that he’s actually a valuable collectible and doesn’t want to leave.
This strange but appropriate comparison with Isco’s story at Real Madrid couldn’t be any more thought provoking.
Isco is currently out of favour with Los Blancos and has been now for quite some time. Just when you think he’s looking like a regular in the side the carpet is pulled from beneath him.
If Isco can get out of the Spanish capital, he like Woody will soon realise that it’s great to be the big fish in the small pond and he will start to feel valued again, just like he was prior to his £27m move to Real back in 2013.
Life before Los Blancos was much more comfortably for Isco, despite Isco’s size and body shape leading to doubts over his potential to succeed at the highest level.
Manchester United reportedly turned down the chance to sign him as a teenager, and youth coaches at Valencia never were fully convinced by the bandy-legged teenager.
In the summer of 2011, Valencia shipped Isco back to his native Malaga in what has to go down as the greatest blunder of Unai Emery’s otherwise exceptional management at Mestalla.
Isco really burst onto the scene, scoring 14 goals across two seasons, helping the Albicelestes to both 4th and 6th place finishes in La Liga.
It was only about time before Florentino Pérez opened his chequebook and that’s exactly what happened.
While Zidane has been instrumental in Isco fulfilling his potential, Manuel Pellegrini warrants credit for the midfielder’s anointment as a unique generational talent, leading to Isco picking up the Golden Boy award in 2012.
Despite his exploits at Malaga, things were tough for Isco in Madrid at first. They had initially thought they had signed yet another player who will soon need to be swiftly moved on like Sergio Canales, and that he would be just a flash in the pan.
Under Carlo Ancelotti, Isco featured regularly in 2013-14 season but played in a variety of positions, and never had a settled place in the side.
That changed when Fernando Hierro returned to Madrid as Ancelotti’s assistant in place of Zidane, who had embarked on his solo career at Castilla.
Hierro helped Isco find his perfect position and took a keen interest in his development, and as a result Isco was often chosen over the likes of Gareth Bale.
This season
This season, things have been tough for the 26-year-old. He’s played 25 times in all competitions, scoring five, but has only managed to play more than two games in a row on one occasion and that was back in August.
Since Santiago Solari replaced Julen Lopetegui in October 2018, Isco’s appearances have been stop start, making it hard for him to generate any momentum and stay match fit.
And he former Valencia youth product hasn’t been helped either, by Solari’s introduction of various academy graduates such as Cristo who have made selection even harder for Isco.
But maybe the most telling part of the Isco saga this season was away to Real Betis at the Benito Villamarin when Solari stuck two fingers up at Isco with his choice of substitutions.
The 42-year-old, opted for Federico Valverde over him in the starting line-up before Brahim Díaz, Dani Ceballos and Cristo were all chosen ahead of him off the bench.
Isco’s disgust was clearly evident.
Solari, is clearly not a fan and despite being decimated by injuries and struggling for goals across the board since the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, there are no signs of Solari reintroducing Isco to the starting team.
He has well and truly been left isolated but has been named on the bench several times, so there is nothing to suggest that he has been frozen out. It is more likely that his coach won’t place his trust in him
And that us to the topic of stock piling. The biggest clubs do it and get away with it, because often these players would rather pick up their pay cheque than get time on the pitch
But, not Isco. He wants to play and at 26 he’s not getting any younger, he would flourish at another top side and is not a toy, you can’t leave him on the shelf and forget about him.
The question is, where? Who would be interested in taking him in the summer window?
He has a contract with Los Blancos until 2022, so Perez will be in no rush to move him on, but if he is able to find a club that appreciates him he will no doubt prove his doubters wrong.
Fabio Capello believes that Isco could be swapped for Paulo Dybala.
He told Sky Sports: ‘’I think that the Dybala-Isco swap deal is not out of this world. It’s something possible and it’s an interesting option for both clubs in my opinion”.
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That moves seems the most likely, otherwise he might have to get used to being a squad player until his contract expires in three years’ time.
