Zidane explains lack of playing time for Marcelo & Isco

Two players who once used to be guaranteed starters in the Los Blancos line-up have featured only sparingly so far this season.

Real Madrid’s Isco is increasingly losing favor under Zinedine Zidane.

The Spanish playmaker spent only 13 minutes on the pitch the last match he played, which was last month in the 2-0 Champions League defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk.

His participation in 2020-21 has been limited to just nine games across all competitions and he has been in the starting XI in only three of those.

Isco’s failure to feature in any of his side’s decisive fixtures – against Sevilla, Atletico Madrid, and Borussia Monchengladbach – provides a clear picture that he is no longer rated by his manager.

Not only did the 28-year-old didn’t play but, as Marca pointed out, he also wasn’t even asked to warm up for those games.

And Zidane suggests Isco will have to fight his his way back into his line-up.

“Isco is going to be an important player, it is true that he is not playing much and I am not giving him the opportunity to show the player that he is,” said the French boss, via Marca.

“He has to work hard to get another chance, but what is being said [in the media] I can’t respond because we don’t control it.”

Marcelo is another player who fallen from grace in recent times. The full-back has played just six times in total this season after having dropped below Ferland Mendy in the pecking order.

“It is true that he has played less, we know what he can give us,” Zidane added of the Brazilian.

“He is training very well and has to continue what he is doing. It is true that he hasn’t had a chance lately but it’s not his fault, we’ll see what happens later.”