La Liga, Real Madrid vs Levante: Player ratings

Keylor Navas: -. Keylor's performance can't even get a grade. Levante did not try to attack even once, and when they tried, they were stopped by Real Madrid's defenders. Keylor's efforts were not needed at all.

Dani Carvajal: 6. Good game by the Spanish right back, who did more than enough to provide support to the team's attackers. However, his passing accuracy wasn't great, something that must improve ahead of El Clásico, as Real Madrid can't afford some of Carvajal's turnovers in the midfield today.

Pepe: 6. Did not have much to do against Levante's attackers, who were mostly focused on defending, but it's easy to tell that Pepe is much more comfortable playing alongside Ramos.

Ramos: 7. Ramos' return to the starting lineup was solid, supporting the deep midfielders like he always does and defending well against counterattacking chances. He's the leader of Real Madrid's defensive line.

Marcelo: 6. Combined well with Isco and Cristiano Ronaldo in Real Madrid's left flank, but his magic touch wasn't as productive against Levante.

Lucas Silva: 5. Silva was nearly invisible, for better or worse. That's probably his style, trying to make things easier for his teammates, but he played much better against Schalke in the first leg of the Champions League tie, for example.

Modric: 7. Modric's presence in the midfield certainly helped the BBC. Real Madrid's first 20 minutes were great thanks to Modric's return to the starting lineup. The Crotian knows how to press high up the pitch and his positioning is always good. That forced Levante to park the bus. Furthermore, Real Madrid's right flank improved quite a lot from recent performances with Modric in the field.

Isco: 6. Decent, but not great, performance by the midfielder, who started the game even though he was a booking away from missing next Sunday's Clásico. He left the game on the 60th minute and made room for Jesé. Isco should be one of Ancelotti's men in the decisive match against Barcelona, although his form is not as good as it was three weeks ago.

Bale: 8. Bale scored a brace and silent his critics by covering his ears while celebrating his first goal. The Welsh player was fired up after the fans' whistles and completed a good performance.

Ronaldo: 7. The Portuguese star tried his best to score and hit the post once. Real Madrid's second goal would've probably been his had Bale not deflected the shot. Anyway, Ronaldo is eager to get back to scoring ways, and next Sunday could be a good time to do so.

Benzema: 6. Benzema's match was mediocre. But he did try this.

Jesé: 5. Came in as a substitute on the 60th minute, so he had 30 minutes to prove his worth. However, Levante's defensive system prevented Jesé from showing his explosiveness, so his contribution was almost nonexistent.

Illarramendi: -. Not enough minutes.

Chicharito: -. Not enough minutes.