Isco or Gareth Bale: Who should start for Real Madrid in the Champions League final?

Etching the name in eternity

So the ball was passed to Gareth Bale on the left-wing inside Real Madrid’s half. The Welshman looked up and saw a Barcelona player rushing on to him. At that point, one could envisage the Welshman licking the corners of his mouth like a predator that has just seen its prey.

And he pulled the trigger, caught his prey by the neck like a lion teething a deer, and knocked the ball past the onrushing Catalan player. Poor Marc Bartra already knew that he was screwed, so he tried to push Gareth Bale off the pitch and commit a tactical foul to halt the momentum.

But the former Tottenham man was quick… boy, he was. What he did next was a sight to behold: he shook off the challenge and zoomed past Bartra. It felt as though that Bale was the Flash and Marc Bartra was just a common man trying to get a hold of his shadow.

The only thing that could have made the run more perfect was if there was some sort of lightning as a trail of Bale’s run. But that run alone wasn’t enough to shoot his name to the walls of eternity, he needed to finish it off.

The next touch, a little awry, took the ball inside and Bale adjusted beautifully to cut inside with it. With the next touch of his right, he shifted the ball towards his left foot and took a further two touches to get into a favourable position before poking it in between the legs of Pinto.

Bale’s moment of glory

And then he ran towards the corner flag on the far side with clenched fists. The 100 million man had scored the winner against Barcelona in the final of the Copa del Rey and had etched his name in eternity. Another final some days later, another winning goal. Maybe, just maybe, he wasn’t a waste of money––as many labelled Bale when Madrid signed him––after all.

Becoming fans’ sweetheart within some months

The creator of Isco Disco

There was a pandemonium in the stands as the crowd was chanting his name. For some, it didn’t make sense. Countless players had played for the club and were never shown that kind of recognition in that time, but here was this new kid on the block whose name was being chanted incessantly.

Isco Alarcon had only been at Real Madrid for some months and the fans were already in love with him. After a solid start to his career at the Bernabeu, the fans showed their appreciation by incanting his name from the stands.

After that, with the arrival of Gareth Bale and Di Maria’s shift to the middle, he had to be content with a life on the bench of the Galacticos. However, despite not being one of the first names on the starting XI, Isco has always played a significant role from the bench.

And he reached the peak of things this season. Isco’s performances in the season’s run-in have been so good that it was perhaps the reason why Madrid won La Liga after 5 long years. He should be playing every game, he should be an undisputed starter.

But he is not, and with only one match remaining in the season, this is where the conundrum lies.

The conundrum

One of the reasons for Isco’s rise is the absence of Gareth Bale. The Welshman’s continued flirtation with injuries has allowed the Spaniard a stretch of games in his favourable role. And now, with the Welshman returning from his injury, the question beckons: Isco or Bale?

With the form that Isco is in, he should be the undisputed starter over the former Tottenham man, but there are a lot more things to consider before making the choice.

For starters, Gareth Bale has a 100% record in the finals that he has played for Real Madrid. Not only that, he has played a significant role in Real’s win in each one of them. Apart from scoring in the final of the Copa and 2014 Champions League final, he assisted Ramos’ goal in last year’s Champions League final against Atletico Madrid.

Now this is all in the past and it will hardly play any role on the outcome of this year’s final. However, that’s not the only reason in favour of the former Southampton kid.

Juventus are the most tactically flexible side in Europe. Allegri has tried out numerous formations that fit the scope of the surroundings and help his team to have the upper hand. Against Real Madrid, it is almost certain that he will use a low block with the full-backs bombarding ahead to assist the forwards on the counter.

Allegri’s system is well-drilled and has been built to deny the creative players on the opposition side any space and time. It is for this reason that he uses Mario Mandzukic frequently as the Croat vehemently presses the opposition defenders and midfielders.

If Gareth Bale plays, Real Madrid will certainly line-up in a 4-3-3 formation against Juventus’ 4-2-3-1 or 3-5-2 (though it seems likely that Allegri will use the latter to further nullify the midfield players, but risk being overloaded on the flanks).

Now either Alex Sandro or Kwadwo Asamoah will be Bale’s direct rival. Among them, Asamoah is a little more conservative than Sandro, who likes to attack more. Since Juve’s system is derived to nullify the creative players, a direct runner like Gareth Bale could really unsettle the system, especially if the Old Lady play a 3-man backline.

While Real Madrid’s midfielders would struggle to create much against Juventus’ middle-congested 3-5-2, their full-back wing-forward duo could really cause serious damage against the Italian champions, whose full-backs would be outnumbered by Madrid’s wing attack.

Against a 3-5-2, Bale’s importance rises significantly as it provides directness from the wing. Isco’s significance against a 3-5-2, on the other hand, could be annulled given the lack of space in the middle and the fact that Madrid play a very narrow 4-3-1-2 when the former Malaga player is on the pitch.

However, the thing that plays out against Gareth Bale is the low block of Juventus, though that doesn’t really count much when the full-backs maraud forward. Meanwhile, Isco’s destructive creativity can mess with the heads of even the finest players.

The 25-year old playmaker has the necessary ball-control skills to squeeze himself out of the tightest of surroundings and weave something magical out of thin air. His fine form means that he goes in with more confidence than the Welshman, who has had a poor and injury-ravaged season and can be the lynchpin of Madrid’s surge in Cardiff.

If Allegri opts to a play a 4-2-3-1 against Real Madrid, Isco will find more space in the middle to operate at his best. If, however, he opts for a 3-5-2, Bale’s directness will be of more use. Zinedine Zidane can’t possibly know the system his rival is going to be play before naming his own starting XI. Hence, he will have to rely on his instincts to make the decision.

Playing the Welshman seems like the more tactically sensible decision, but Isco is the man in form and looks more likely to turn the game on its head than Gareth Bale.