James Rodriguez, Isco Reportedly Upset Real Madrid Captains Amid Exit Rumours

Senior Real Madrid players Sergio Ramos and Marcelo are reportedly frustrated with the attitude of midfielders Isco and James Rodriguez, and there are suggestions the latter pair could leave the club at the end of the campaign.  

According to Alejandro Alcazar of Sport, the Isco and Rodriguez “are in trouble at the club, with [president] Florentino Perez, [manager] Zinedine Zidane, the fans—they were whistled against Sevilla—and now with the captains of the team.” Neither player has been at his best since Zidane took over, and Alcazar suggested in the story that the duo have been hit with an ultimatum: Improve your performances, or move on.

Ramos and Marcelo are reportedly displeased with Rodriguez in particular, with the report saying the two defenders “think he is a shadow of the player he was last year.”

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For Real it’s a hugely undesirable situation, as both players should be playing critical roles in the setup.

Of course, there are subtle differences between the two, but they are of a similar stylistic mould. Both players are cerebral midfielders, intelligent in their movement and adept at finding space. Isco and Rodriguez also have a lot of quality on the ball, which is key for Real when seeking to unlock sides who have bunkered in their own half.

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Yet at the moment their approach seems to be letting them down. Spanish football expert Rafael Hernandez also picked up on the issues both players apparently have in their mentality despite their clear ability:

According to the initial source, Pep Guardiola is keen on taking Isco to Manchester City once he officially takes over at the Etihad Stadium in the summer. Additionally, reports from Spanish outlet Fichajes (h/t Alex Harris of the Daily Star) suggest that Manchester United are interested in the Colombian man and could land him with a big bid.

For Real, it’d be a massive surprise to see both players depart, as they don’t have any other options in the squad quite like these two. Indeed, for all the reported discontent involving them, the statistics from the pair are actually impressive in La Liga this term:

	Rodriguez	Isco
Apps (sub)	13 (6)	18 (7)
Goals	5	2
Assists	6	7
Shots per game	1.5	1.4
Key passes per game	2.4	1.6
Dribbles per game	0.7	2
Passing accuracy	86 %	88.8 %

While the aforementioned source comes from the Catalan section of the media, as noted by Sport Witness, there’s been heavy criticism of the pair in the Madrid press too, particularly in the aftermath of last month’s derby defeat:  

Attitude and approach are clearly important to new manager Zidane as he seeks to build a side in which all the parts are aligned. Under his predecessor, Rafael Benitez, there were some players who were disinterested, and it seems as though the Frenchman will be quick to stamp out anything resembling a bad attitude.

Isco and Rodriguez used to be two of the most popular players with the Santiago Bernabeu crowd, with the former applauded after he was red-carded against Barcelona earlier in the season. And while the Madridistas can be accused of being a fickle bunch, for them to turn on two talented players so quickly suggests there’s clearly something not quite when it comes to this duo.