REAL MADRID
Real Madrid keep winning but Isco and Asensio are not
The game in Vigo gave us a clear indication that Asensio and Isco are not in Solari's plans yet with Isco being a sub in the last three games, Asensio in the last two.
It has been all good news since the change of manager with Santiago Solari easing crisis talk with four wins in a row. They have scored 15 goals and conceded just two, made up three points on Barcelona and sit fourth in the league. But everyone is not happy at the club and some have lost out with the switch. As Real Madrid continue to win, Isco and Asensio have lost so far under the Argentine.
In Isco's case, he had to complete confidence of Lopetegui who started him whenever he was available. With the former manager on the bench, he played 647 minutes over 10 games, 50.1% of those available while missing time with an appendicitis. With Solari, he has played just 51 minutes, a mere 14.2% of minutes. He hasn't started in the three games he has been in the squad and didn't travel to Melilla.
Asensio has had more opportunites with Solari but has been a sub in the last two games against Viktoria Plzen and Celta Vigo. Real Madrid had a lot of hope for Asensio this season with the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo but he has largely disappointed. He scored against Melilla but was not great against Valladolid and was taken off for Vinicius with the score deadlocked at 0-0. The Brazilian stepped up and forced a goal as Asensio watched him from the bench.
The big surprise came against Plzen when Asensio was a sub and didn't play one minute of action. Against Celta Vigo, he was a sub too and played just 20 minutes. He started the season well and had Lopetegui's confidence but his performances were irregular.
Solari hasn't explained the situation with Asensio but did offer a small clue about Isco, as much a vote of confidence as anything: "He is a fantastic player, we all know him and we count on him with the same as the rest..." He leaves for Spanish duty, which has been a remedy in the past, as he tries to refind his touch to make his way into Solari's plans.
