Beyond talk of the wonder goal, the celebrations, the talk of Barcelona’s decline and Lionel Messi’s less-than-impressive performance, there was something largely missing from the post-match analysis of Real Madrid’s Copa del Rey victory over Barca on Wednesday night.
The Spanish media was awash with pictures of Gareth Bale screaming with joy after netting Los Blancos’ winner and Iker Casillas lifting the first major trophy of the season and Carlo Ancelotti being thrown into the air in celebration by his players after winning his first trophy with the club (at the first time of asking).
Pages were dedicated to Barca’s decline, highlighted by their third straight defeat in as many different competitions. Messi went missing, according to Marca. That Jose Manuel Pinto could have done better with both goals was the consensus, while Ancelotti’s tactics were largely lauded as being spot-on.
The performance of Real Madrid's Isco went under the radar, however, on a night when his efforts should have been noticed and rewarded.
The former Malaga man did not produce a man-of-the-match performance, did not catch the attention with a goal or an assist, nor did he produce a crucial tackle at the other end of the pitch. Bale, Pepe, Sergio Ramos, Luka Modric, Xabi Alonso and Angel Di Maria were arguably all bigger players for Los Blancos in this latest Clasico contest -- but that’s missing the point.
After hitting the ground running earlier in the season, he flourished in Ancelotti’s 4-2-3-1 system and was arguably Madrid’s best player. He scored a late winner on his La Liga debut against Real Betis and notched another four goals in his next five matches, while playing just behind Karim Benzema. He was well suited to the system, but the system was not particularly well-suited to Madrid, or at least to Ancelotti.
As Bale settled in, so did new ideas for how Madrid would approach the season. The manager played the Welshman alongside Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo in a 4-3-3 system that looked lethal for Madrid but that also left Isco out in the cold, given that the three-man midfield mainly consisted of Sami Khedira, Modric and Di Maria. The young Spaniard quickly went from one of the star attractions to a benchwarmer and backup.
- Lowe: Reflecting on a memorable final
- Train: Bale the 'Prince of Wales'
- Copa del Rey final highlights (U.S. only)
He needed to change his game if he was to get back Ancelotti's trust. "There is more important defensive work in this [midfield] position,” Ancelotti said when asked about Isco’s role on the squad earlier in the season.
"He can play there no problem; he can help the team here,” he continued. “Di Maria was also not used to the position, just a few games with his national team. But he got used to it, and has been playing very well.”
Isco has the skills to impress in attack for club and country but he is not a player known for helping out defensively. That’s what Ancelotti wanted and, for the first time, he got it in Wednesday’s final.
With Ronaldo absent and Di Maria pushed up to play alongside Bale and Benzema, albeit tracking back to form a midfield four when Madrid did not have the ball, the Madrid boss could have gone for Asier Illarramendi as a more defensive option to plug the gap in the middle. Instead, he put his trust in Isco, and the 21-year-old repaid him.
The signs, in a roundabout way, were strong from the off. Just three minutes had elapsed before referee Mateu Lahoz brought out the first of five yellow cards. It wasn’t for Pepe, Ramos, Alonso, Sergio Busquets or Javier Mascherano. It was for Isco following a rash challenge which, though poor, set the tone for the rest of his committed performance.
It was Isco who initially won the ball and set Di Maria on the way to goal for his 11th-minute opener. Pressuring Dani Alves, he won possession before off-loading to Bale, who passed to Benzema on the left. Di Maria surged through the middle and just beat the offside trap before holding off his marker to slot beyond Pinto.
Ancelotti had set his side up to counterattack and Isco was central to that, only he wasn’t the one finishing the move or even assisting -- he was the player starting moves, just as Alonso or Modric have done all season.
He was involved in the winner, too. The Catalans held the momentum after Marc Bartra’s header got them on level terms but, with 85 minutes on the clock, he set Fabio Coentrao on his way. The Portuguese found Bale and the rest, as they say, is history. Nothing special, nothing memorable, but Isco was there, starting the move again. His performance will have pleased his manager.
The stats back up his effectiveness, too. Isco had 60 touches, more than any other Madrid player in the match, and his 92 percent passing success rate was better than that of any of his teammates, even Alonso and Modric. More fitting are the stats of his defensive duties: nine tackles, most on the team, and two interceptions, more than any of his fellow midfielders. Throw three fouls in there, and Isco’s game is changing for the better -- in Ancelotti’s eyes, at least.
The Italian now knows his summer signing can play a more defensive role and he can be a key cog in his team from now on. With more minutes on the bench, the player’s future would be in doubt beyond the end of this season, with Manchester City, who battled it out with Madrid for his signature last summer, linked with his services again. They still may be, but Isco has at least showed that he can be a big player in this side whether as part of a 4-2-3-1 formation or now the preferred 4-3-3 setup.
Ancelotti will have more trust in using the Benalmadena-born player in what’s set to be a huge end to the season for Madrid, and his improvement has come at a good time. With Ronaldo still a doubt for Wednesday’s Champions League semifinal first leg against Bayern Munich in the Spanish capital, Ancelotti could opt for the same lineup he put in place against Barca, which means another outing for Isco, ahead of Illarramendi.
Bale may have cemented his status as a modern Madrid "Galactico" with Wednesday's winner, but Isco also established himself as a more-than-dependable midfield option for his manager.