The signing of James Rodriguez has created a bit of instability among the Real Madrid ranks. Angel Di Maria seems to be the first casualty of the club's overcrowded midfield, but more transfers could be in order. The player who consistently comes up in conversation is young Spaniard Isco, who was acquired from Malaga last summer after a breakout year in the Spanish League.

Isco came over and immediately got a chance to start under coach Carlo Ancelotti as an attacker behind forward Karim Benzema. And for the first few weeks, Isco was the best player at the Santiago Bernabeu. But the team struggled to assert itself offensively, and Isco was eventually relegated to the bench as Ancelotti's 4-3-3 setup flourished without him.

Isco would find himself back on the pitch throughout the year, but he was no longer allowed to play in natural attacking midfielder position. During the Copa del Rey final, he was deployed as a kind of defensive midfielder; he was also given similar responsibilities against Bayern Munich and was tasked with shutting down Arjen Robben. The results were mixed, but Isco showed a willingness to work with his coach to earn his playing time.

But now, he is in danger of being left on the bench for even longer stints. Rodriguez plays the same position as Isco in the hole behind the main attacker. Rodriguez could also be deployed as a false nine, another position that Isco showed an ability to pull off. But Rodriguez cost club President Florentino Perez close to $100 million, and he will obviously get a chance ahead of Isco for this reason alone. And this goes without considering how Ancelotti plans to deploy Jese Rodriguez, who had a better performance than Isco in 2013-14 prior to his season-ending injury.

Di Maria is leaving, but the rest of the midfield positions will be contested among Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Xabi Alonso, Asier Illarramendi and Sami Khedira. Khedira could still leave, but that hardly solves the problem for Isco.

The natural move here would be to loan him out to a club that will allow him first-team minutes or sell him in order to recoup some of the money splurged on Rodriguez and Kroos.

But that might not be in the best interest of the club.

A Difference Maker on Offense

Isco finished the 2013-14 season with eight goals and six assists in 32 Spanish League games; in 12 Champions League games, of which he only started six, he scored three goals and one assist. And those numbers only tell part of the story. He finished with a pass success rate of 88.1 percent, the seventh-best such statistic on the entire team. 

This is an essential statistic when one considers that Ancelotti had placed particular emphasis on improving the team's possession game. Isco was not only one of the team's top passers but one of its most creative players; he averaged 2.2 key passes per game, third behind Mesut Ozil and Di Maria. Both players are essentially gone leaving Isco as the leader of that statistic from last season's roster.

Rodriguez actually averaged more key passes in 2013-14 than Isco (2.5), but he played in the French Ligue, where competition is not as potent. Kroos, who averaged far more passes per game at Bayern Munich than Isco (75-43), averaged 1.4 key passes in the Bundesliga.

Evolving on Defense

It cannot be stressed enough the Isco was asked to play a defensive role in major games against Barcelona and Bayern Munich late in the year. While the results were mixed, there was promise in the Spaniard's diversity. Rodriguez is not much of a defender and while Kroos can push deeper to help retrieve the ball, it is not his expertise. Having a young player like Isco who can play in multiple positions gives Ancelotti the more flexibility in determining his lineups and planning for different challenges.

But the reality is that Isco needs to play. At 22 years of age, he still has some time to grow and develop into one of the best in the world. If Ancelotti can find a way to play him consistently, then there is no doubt that he should remain. But if he is left on the bench, he will never be able to develop his talent and reach his potential. Madrid would be crazy to sell him completely, but loaning him out might be the best option for the club.

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