Every passing game sees the relationship between Isco and Santiago Solari deteriorate, and it is now at the point of no return.
The Real Madrid midfielder has often gone to social media to clear up issues this season, such as denying that he refused to speak with Sergio Ramos, or explaining his episode with Chendo, but on Thursday he went to Twitter as he replied to Ruben de la Red’s comments about his situation with Los Blancos.
Isco said that he does not have the same opportunities as his teammates. While he is not talking about those that are often in the starting line-up, it is more of a pointed comment towards Solari looking to recover the form of Gareth Bale and Marcelo, two players who have underwhelmed for much of this season.
Another point that the 26-year-old made was that he will continue to work hard and fight as he waits for an opportunity to arrive. Having been relegated to the bench since Solari took over, Isco – a key player in Madrid’s recent Champions League successes – is 21st in the squad when it comes to minutes played under the Argentine.
Ever since Isco said in one of Solari’s first training sessions that the players would not count the amount of touches during an exercise, something the coach had asked them to do, that was the first crack in the relationship between the two.
Solari is not a fan of Isco as a footballer, and he has not connected with Isco as a person. In the 42-year-old’s first LaLiga Santander game in charge, away at Celta Vigo, Isco was on the bench and did not come on, something that would become a recurrent theme. The next game, away at Eibar, the player did not respect Solari’s decisions as he once again stayed on the bench. That was followed by Isco being left in the stands as Madrid beat Roma away from home in the Champions League, a climax in this set of episodes.
In the press, Solari has never thrown Isco under the bus. “They are all fundamental,” the coach said in reference to the No. 22’s situation, instead emphasising the collective. “Of course, Isco, too. He’s a great player. He has given us, and will give us, lots of joy.”
The amount of questions the Argentine has had to answer about Isco must have exceeded 30, while Solari has always gone out of his way to praise some of the other players who have not featured so much – Keylor Navas, Bale and Marcelo.
One of the latest episodes in the saga between the two came when Isco started away at Leganes in the Copa del Rey second leg, a game that carried little weight after Madrid’s 3-0 first leg victory, but he was brought off after 70 minutes, with the two failing to consult each other as the midfielder left the pitch.
Isco never considered leaving Madrid in the January transfer window as he is aware that his future at the club depends on that of Solari. As things currently stand, the Malaga-born playmaker will sooner or later start watching matches in the crowd, or on television. At the Camp Nou, he was dressed ready, but the call never arrived. We will see what happens in the Madrid derby at the Wanda Metropolitano on Saturday.
Regardless, Isco is not going to just sit there and take all that is being said about him. His social media platforms act as his loudspeaker, even stating things that true fans already knew: that he was not receiving the same treatment from Solari as his teammates.
He will have to wait for Luis Enrique to potentially call him up for the Spanish national team in March, just so that he can play some football.
Isco is having a season that nobody could have imagined.
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