Zidane on Isco: “Having him between the lines is important in keeping possession”

After Isco put in one of his best performances of the season, Zinedine Zidane spoke about how valuable the Spanish midfielder is to the team when it comes to breaking down stubborn defensive lines.

“I don’t know whether it was his best display, he’s fantastic,” Zidane said after Real Madrid’s 1 - 4 win away to Osasuna on Sunday afternoon. “Having him between the lines is important in keeping possession. He put in a great performance, like everyone else, and I’m thrilled for his goal. He’s an important player and he’s technically crucial on the pitch. I really like him and it was a fantastic game from him today”.

Zidane also praised his team for their belief in sticking with the blueprint set out for them. Real Madrid weathered an early storm where they suffered defensively and went down a goal. But after Unai Garcia scored, Real Madrid went to another gear and put this game to bed comfortably.

“We came out strong, but they came out strong too,” Zidane said. “They scored from a set-piece, but we stuck to what we know how to do, which is to believe by playing our football, and after the first goal it was a different game. It’s not easy what we’re doing. We haven’t won anything, but these are three very important points”.

”We had to pick up the points at a difficult ground, where it’s not easy to win. We started off with a few difficulties and they scored from a set-piece, but we equalised and from there on we started to play better. It was a game in which the whole team had to work hard and we deserved this victory against an side who made it very difficult for us”.