Opinion: Isco and Asensio found themselves in 'café of the lost youth' under Solari

"After reading 'In the café of the lost youth' I noted that Patrick Modiano includes a particular phrase in his book 'save from oblivion the butterflies that go around a lamp for a few moments', and it immediately brought me to thinking about the job of a footballer and in particular Isco and Marco Asensio in the last few weeks.

"I think that there are players who are condemned, because of their ability, to be those 'butterflies who go around a lamp for a few moments' and then fall into the oblivion of time. The vast majority fit into this group.

"But there are also others who will be seen in that particular focus, they will leave a mark behind and they have everything that will make us tell those who come afterwards all about them, to boast about having seen them, to compare future generations with them as a measurement of talent. Both Isco and Asensio are in this second group.

"For whatever reason, right now the duo are both far from the glow of the bulb, which in football is the adulation of the public. Whether this is a physical, emotional or confidence issue is unclear. For all the praise there maybe complacency, and as soon as a player with so much light begins to flicker and sit in the pit of darkness that is the bench, the mediocre wish to pull them down into the abyss.

"Now that it's time to praise Vinicius Junior, because he's a new face (human beings like new faces so much that there are those who marry a second time, even after a traumatic divorce, and above all, that's exactly what first attracted people to Asensio). In his first match, his first final.

"He would take the ball and run with it before unleashing a ferocious shot from 30 metres out. It's also important to remember that Isco has previously brought the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu to its feet with the abstract artistry his boots produce.

"Santiago Solari has sent the pair a serious warning, the Argentine knows better than anyone what it means to be the reserve player, and he had to work every season to avoid falling into the role linked with the number 12 on his shirt.

"We no longer ask players to be the number one, but rather that they are among the 11. For us to have fun with Isco and Asensio they must first have fun because neither us or them want to see a lost youth develop."