REAL MADRID MIDFIELDER Isco has slammed claims that he refused to warm up as a substitute during his side’s 3-0 Clasico defeat to Barcelona.
The Spain international was surprisingly left out of the starting line-up for the clash at the Santiago Bernabeu and did not get off the bench as the champions slumped to a damaging defeat.
Isco had been warming up with Marco Asensio and Gareth Bale after Barca took the lead early in the second half through Luis Suarez, but head coach Zinedine Zidane was forced to bring on defender Nacho Fernandez when Dani Carvajal was sent off for a deliberate handball and Lionel Messi made it 2-0 from the penalty spot.
Some sections of the Spanish media claimed Isco stopped warming up and headed back to the bench after the decision to bring on Nacho, with Zidane later turning to Bale and Asensio in a bid to snatch a result before Aleix Vidal’s late third goal.
Isco, however, has taken exception to the suggestion, insisting he only went to sit down when his two attacking team-mates were preparing to go on.
Taking to Twitter after the match, he wrote: “Stop spreading s*** my two team-mates were about to come on… I didn’t know we could make four changes.”
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The defeat leaves Madrid 14 points behind La Liga leaders Barca, although they have a game in hand.
Zidane, meanwhile, has defended his decision to select Mateo Kovacic ahead of Isco, claiming he did so with the aim of limiting Messi’s influence on the match.
“I have to make decisions. The idea was to keep an eye on Messi, and Mateo did well. We made a decision and that’s it,” the Frenchman told beIN Sports, before further discussing the issue in his post-match media conference.
Jack Abuin
Jack Abuin
“I’m making decisions as a coach. The decision was Kovacic on the pitch and Isco on the bench at the start. Then, because of how the match went, I was not able to use Isco.
“I had to use Nacho [Fernandez] because of the red card and had to changes left with one player less. That changes the game.
“I’m the coach and it’s always going to be like that while I’m here.
“I will not regret anything. If you score in the first half the match is different. I know I will take the criticism, but that’s football, and it will not change how I think.
“I make these decisions and I accept what happens.”
Having seen the gap to the summit increase as Madrid’s defence of their La Liga crown was dealt a severe blow, Zidane issued a rallying call to his players.
“People might think the league is over, but I do not and neither does [Ernesto Valverde],” he said. “We will keep doing our work because it has not been a bad year.”
The42 has just published its first book, Behind The Lines, a collection of some of the year’s best sports stories. Pick up your copy in Eason’s, or order it here today (€10):
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'Stop spreading s**t': Isco slams claims he refused to warm up during Clasico
REAL MADRID MIDFIELDER Isco has slammed claims that he refused to warm up as a substitute during his side’s 3-0 Clasico defeat to Barcelona.
The Spain international was surprisingly left out of the starting line-up for the clash at the Santiago Bernabeu and did not get off the bench as the champions slumped to a damaging defeat.
Isco had been warming up with Marco Asensio and Gareth Bale after Barca took the lead early in the second half through Luis Suarez, but head coach Zinedine Zidane was forced to bring on defender Nacho Fernandez when Dani Carvajal was sent off for a deliberate handball and Lionel Messi made it 2-0 from the penalty spot.
Some sections of the Spanish media claimed Isco stopped warming up and headed back to the bench after the decision to bring on Nacho, with Zidane later turning to Bale and Asensio in a bid to snatch a result before Aleix Vidal’s late third goal.
Isco, however, has taken exception to the suggestion, insisting he only went to sit down when his two attacking team-mates were preparing to go on.
Taking to Twitter after the match, he wrote: “Stop spreading s*** my two team-mates were about to come on… I didn’t know we could make four changes.”
The defeat leaves Madrid 14 points behind La Liga leaders Barca, although they have a game in hand.
Zidane, meanwhile, has defended his decision to select Mateo Kovacic ahead of Isco, claiming he did so with the aim of limiting Messi’s influence on the match.
“I have to make decisions. The idea was to keep an eye on Messi, and Mateo did well. We made a decision and that’s it,” the Frenchman told beIN Sports, before further discussing the issue in his post-match media conference.
“I’m making decisions as a coach. The decision was Kovacic on the pitch and Isco on the bench at the start. Then, because of how the match went, I was not able to use Isco.
“I had to use Nacho [Fernandez] because of the red card and had to changes left with one player less. That changes the game.
“I’m the coach and it’s always going to be like that while I’m here.
“I will not regret anything. If you score in the first half the match is different. I know I will take the criticism, but that’s football, and it will not change how I think.
“I make these decisions and I accept what happens.”
Having seen the gap to the summit increase as Madrid’s defence of their La Liga crown was dealt a severe blow, Zidane issued a rallying call to his players.
“People might think the league is over, but I do not and neither does [Ernesto Valverde],” he said. “We will keep doing our work because it has not been a bad year.”
The42 has just published its first book, Behind The Lines, a collection of some of the year’s best sports stories. Pick up your copy in Eason’s, or order it here today (€10):
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