Spain coach Lopetegui speaks about Isco’s role with Real Madrid

Real Madrid midfielder Isco Alarcon has been relegated to a bench role lately and while Los Blancos have been getting solid wins and performances like the ones they completed against Paris Saint-Germain, Spain coach Julen Lopetegui sees Isco as a key starter in the 2018 FIFA World Cup and would like to see the midfielder getting meaningful minutes for his club.

“I will not judge a colleague [Zidane]. Isco is a important player for us and it’s very important that he performs. I realize that Isco has done very good things for us and I believe that he will have minutes with Real Madrid,” said Lopetegui in an interview with COPE.

While Lopetegui showed class and refused to actually tell Zidane to play Isco more often, it’s clear that Spain’s coach will want to see Isco on the pitch against quality teams if he is going to give him a spot as a starter for the 2018 World Cup. However, Madrid have been playing well without him and it seems that only some injuries could make him feature in the starting lineup when Madrid face Juventus in the Quarterfinals of the Champions League.