EDIT: This comparison only applies to both players’ 2017 performances.
Isco and James interpret the attacking playmaker position differently, so comparing their performances over the last 4 years is complicated. Now that Isco produces goals at the same rate as James, I would choose Isco.
This question is great to illustrate the different kinds of attacking playmaker styles.
I have previously talked about the three modern categories of playmakers: defensive, organizing, and attacking playmakers. However, I didn’t mention back then that there is more than one way to interpret the attacking playmaker position, the number 10.
Isco’s natural style is what we call in Spanish the enganche. I’m not sure how to translate this into English, so I’ll call them attacking organizers. This was probably the original playmaker position, and was the position of many great historical playmakers: Gianni Rivera, Platini, Zico, Zidane.
These classic playmakers were free-roaming attacking midfielders whose main duty was to build up attacking plays rather than deliver the final pass or score the goal. They dropped down to get the ball from the central midfielders, and then started linking up with their teammates with horizontal passes to slowly but surely move the entire team up the field.
They were very common in the 70s and 80s, but over time, the position disappeared and their duties in attacking build up play were given to organizing playmakers like Xavi or
registas like Pirlo. So players who in other times might have been attacking organizers, ended up becoming central midfielders (Isco, Iniesta) or even forwards (David Silva).
James’s natural style is what we call in Spanish the mediapunta, in Italian the trequartista and in English, the most direct translation would be a half forward(correct me if I’m wrong on the English one).
These guys are the more modern attacking playmakers. While the attacking organizers are clearly midfielders, the half forward—like the name indicates—is a mix between midfielder and forward. They usually don’t participate in build-up play and are waiting to receive a pass between defense and midfield lines, ready to finish the attacking play by scoring or making the assist.
Some of these players are more “midfielder-like” and focused on the assist—Özil, James, de Bruyne—and some of them are more “forward-like” and focused on scoring, like the Italian trequartistas—Totti, Del Piero, Baggio—who could even become the top goal scorers of their team.
Since formations without CAM positions, like the 4–3–3, have become so common now-a-days, many teams don’t have room to put the half forward in his ideal position, which is why players like James, Özil or de Bruyne often end up playing as central midfielders or wingers.
Because of the differences in both roles,
it is difficult to compare attacking organizers and half forwards based on their stats.
Half forwards can usually be evaluated by their goal and assist stats. Getting those numbers is literally their job. However, the contribution of attacking organizers is more difficult to quantify, because they often focus on building up the attacking play, not finishing it.
If we only compared Isco’s and James’s stats in the 14–15 and 15–16 seasons, we could conclude that James was a better player because he produced one goal / assist every 90 min, while Isco produced one every 180 min. However, such a conclusion would ignore Isco’s vital role in the attacking build-up, which is something that goals / assists don’t quantify. A similar thing happens with the cases of Iniesta and Zidane, attacking organizers who didn’t produce many goals and assists.
Before 2017, the Isco vs James comparison boiled down to personal preference. Do you prefer a player like James who directly generates goals and assists or a player like Isco who organizes attacks and makes everyone else more likely to generate goals and assists?
This situation changed in 2017, when Zidane placed Isco as a CAM in a 4–3–1–2 formation—which was also Zidane’s preferred position as a player—and allowed the Spaniard to play in his natural position. Zidane’s “narcissism” is now a win for Real Madrid and football in general, because
2017 Isco is now a world-class attacking organizer with the productivity of a world-class half forward . His goal and assist numbers are now on par with James, producing one goal / assist every 90 min.
Since 2017 Isco produces as many goals as James AND also participates in the attacking build up, I would say that Isco is—at least for now—a better, more complete attacking playmaker than James.
