Zinedine Zidane hailed Isco for “playing like a street player” after his brace for Real Madrid against Espanyol on Sunday.
Isco’s pair of strikes fired Madrid to a 2-0 victory over Espanyol and their first home success of the season in La Liga, prompting Zidane to shower praise on the midfielder for his daring style.
“We start matches very well,” the Coach said after the game.
“We entered the dressing room 1-0 up were always patient. The first half was very good. The idea was that our forwards would link up. We can be happy,
“The most important thing today was to pick up the three points after our first three games at home.
“I think we were a bit tired in the second half, but after the seven games that we’ve had, it’s quite normal.
“We’ve come down physically and the bad thing is that a lot of my players aren’t going to rest.
“For them, it’s going to be an important week because they’re playing to qualify for the World Cup and the most important thing for me is that they don’t get injured, but it’s true that the second half was a bit more complicated
“Isco’s development? He knows he’s an important player for us, he plays like a street player, and I like that.
“He doesn’t get anxious if things don’t turn out the way they’re supposed to and he’s patient.
“He’s been very comfortable on the pitch and I’m happy we’ve seen a better Isco.
“Bale and Carvajal? Dani, at least for this week, won’t go with the national team and we’ll see how he recovers. It’s nothing serious, but you always have to watch out.
“Bale’s going to go with his national team. He could’ve been in the squad but since he was still in some discomfort, it was best to leave him out.
“Decision on Bale? It was made by both of us. He’s played a lot at the start of season and after the effort he gave against Dortmund, he was a little overwhelmed, but it’s not an injury.
“Espanyol? We like it when teams come here more openly because we find more space.
“Nacho and his performance? He’s always the same, he can play on either side and always does it well.
“We wanted our full-backs to play a little higher than usual and both of them did well. He’s playing a lot and deserves it.
“Achraf? It’s an opportunity for him, he’s part of the squad and he wants to prove he can play.
“He has done well and with this being his first match, he got involved and showed I could count on him. I won’t be afraid of playing him. Carvajal isn’t available, so he has a chance.
“A more open League? I don’t think this title will be a two or three-horse race.
“It’s clear that this League is the most complicated in the world, but it’s good for the show.
“We’re going to play in some very complicated matches, but I prefer to play against teams that come here to play their game.”