Comment Style and end product in No.10 position

Isco: Real Madrid were able to withstand Atletico onslaught

Zidane: Not many teams can win 3-0 at the Calderon

Granted a rare license to drift and roam in an advanced playmaking role, Isco put in arguably the best performance of his Real Madrid career as Los Blancos ran out 3-0 winners at the Estadio Vicente Calderon.

Cristiano Ronaldo may have stolen the headlines after bagging himself a clinical hat-trick, but it was his diminutive teammate who set the tone for Los Blancos with a display that was simply sublime at times.

The former Malaga man struck all the right notes in attack as Madrid pulled off a statement victory and opened up a four-point gap atop the summit of LaLiga.

Early signs of intent

The 24-year-old began to sparkle right from kick-off, his balance and poise allowing him to regularly break free from Atletico Madrid's midfield pit bulls.

It's not so much the tricks, flicks and sombreros that were noteworthy - Isco has always been a flair merchant - as the deployment of technical brilliance as a means to a tangible end.

In the past, the 2012 Golden Boy award winner has fairly been criticised for failing to provide end product quite as consistently as his talent would promise.

But against Atletico, he produced a whole lot more than fleeting moments of footballing eye candy.

An omnipresent menace

Ditching his tendency to carry the ball for far too long, the Valencia youth product instead played several well-timed passes to set his quicker teammates free.

On one occasion, he played a smart pass wide to create space for Marcelo to cross, with Ronaldo heading all but half of the ball over Jan Oblak's goal line.

Soon after, with Madrid up 1-0, the attacking midfielder threaded a Guti-esque pass to Ronaldo, but the Portuguese ended up shooting straight at the keeper.

The No. 22 might even have had a goal of his own after he infiltrated Atletico's defensive cordon on the halfway line and latched onto a long ball with a cushioned first touch, only to be incorrectly flagged offside and denied a one-on-one goalscoring opportunity.

Helping his teammates play out from the back, feeding his colleagues in the attacking third and making goal-bound runs up top, Isco was absolutely everywhere in the first half hour.

Zidane would later gush that "Isco didn't lose a single ball in the first half."

The second half began in different fashion however, as Diego Simeone's troops raced out of the block with fire in their bellies.

With Madrid on the back-foot, Isco had to focus on covering ground off the ball, as the likes of Antoine Griezmann and Yannick Carrasco began to grow into the game.

But even as he visibly tired, he managed to provide one final flourish, accurately lobbing the ball to Gareth Bale to set the Welshman free on his way to assisting Ronaldo for his third goal in the 77th minute.

A remarkable renaissance

What makes Isco's display all the more remarkable is the fact that he likely wouldn't have started had Zidane been able to count on a full-strength squad.

With Toni Kroos, Casemiro and Alvaro Morata out injured and Karim Benzema not fully fit, the French boss' hand was forced, although he still surprised by thrusting Isco into an advanced playmaking role in a 4-4-1-1 formation.

Freed from the shackles of playing in a midfield three as he has done for most of his Madrid career, the Andalusian was allowed to float around and see plenty of the ball, giving him plenty of opportunities to influence the game.

It was an exquisite and effectual display against a team reputed for its prowess in preventing opponents from playing.

"I am delighted with the way Isco played up front behind Cristiano [Ronaldo], which I think is his best position," Zidane said during his post-match press conference.

It was a telling statement, with the coach publicly acknowledging that his Spanish diamond is most likely to shine when played in his preferred position.

With Ronaldo evolving into a pure penalty box finisher and Bale at his best cutting in from the left wing, there may yet be more opportunities for Isco to revel in a liberated attacking role.