Forget Ronaldo: This Kid Could Be The Real Thorn In Juventus’ Side

In his years at Malaga, Isco’s flair and exciting attacking ability drew suggestions that he was ‘the next Zidane’; indeed, the young Spaniard appeared as though he was aiming to fulfil this prophecy when he made the move to Real Madrid this summer, and his early season performances have gone a long way to showing that, whilst parallels with Zidane may be a little far-fetched, Isco certainly has the ability to warrant a starting slot at one of the world’s biggest clubs.

After his terrific beginning to life at Madrid, Isco looks to go further in the Champions League than the quarter-finals which he was able to help Malaga to last season. The exciting 21-year-old poses an even greater threat than he did at Malaga now due to the plethora of talent which surrounds him; it has allowed him to thrive, making him ideally suited to take part in Real Madrid’s seemingly eternal bid to win their tenth European title.

The upcoming game against Juventus is arguably Real Madrid’s toughest in the group stage of this tournament; because of this, the part Isco has to be play will be interesting to watch as Carlo Ancelotti’s team attempt to scythe through the Italian side’s revered three-man defence.

In La Liga this season, Isco has scored four goals in nine games; this demonstrates the threat which he poses in his role just behind the striker. The surges from deep which he makes into the penalty area mean that Gianluigi Buffon will have to be constantly aware of an onrushing Isco poking a toe out and diverting the ball past him.

In addition to his goalscoring tendencies, Isco is also one of Madrid’s biggest creative forces. Only Angel Di Maria has created more chances than Isco’s 18 in La Liga this season, and this proves his ability to change a game in an instant; the fact that he is able to spot the opportunity for a team-mate to score makes him a perpetual threat and, if he is given space around the edge of the penalty area, Real’s man will pull the Juventus defence into a misshapen mess.

Real Madrid Top Chance Creators This Season

Isco’s dribbling ability isn’t too shabby, either. His 18 successful take-ons place him just outside La Liga’s top ten and demonstrate that not only can he rip apart a defence with a pass, he can also dribble straight through them. This means however Juventus try and throttle him, Isco has the ability to cope with it – if they sit back, he has the time to pick out a pass, whereas if they try and pressure him the Spaniard is capable of dancing through the back-line.

Isco carries a triple-threat with his shooting, passing and dribbling skills make him a deadly man to be marking and, if he arrives at the Bernabeu in the right mindset, the youngster has the ability to make the journey to Spain an unpleasant one for Juventus and their supporters.