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- It is good to finally have all our players available. Yes, Pepe is out, but he will be back in a week and, therefore, Ancelotti will be able to use his favorite lineup in the Champions League clash against Atlético de Madrid. Perhaps Modric’s absence was the most noticeable one, but James’ performance today proves what a key player he is in Carlo’s system. His pace and the great precision of his left foot sharpen the white attacks and make Real Madrid almost unstoppable.
- Isco will still be important for this team. It seems likely that our #23 will sit on the bench in, at least, Real Madrid’s most difficult games until the end of the season, but that should not make him feel less than anyone else. Isco on the bench will be like a Joker on your hand when a poker game is about to finish, as his entrance can improve the team’s possibilities in any scenario. Not for nothing, he is the player who has taken part in most games since Ancelotti became Real Madrid’s coach.
- Ronaldo has recovered his punch just at the right time. It was clear that his bad streak was gone, as he did a great job against Schalke 04 and FC Barcelona, but Ronaldo needed to prove to himself that his firepower is still there. No Real Madrid player had scored five goals in a single game since Morientes did back in 2002, and Ronaldo could have even surpassed that record today had he been a little luckier. If he is able to keep this level until the season ends, we will get back to the point when we started all games with a one-goal advantage, and this is a huge thing when champions are about to be called.
- Our defensive system needs to be polished. Although Real Madrid’s victory was never endangered, Los Blancos made some mistakes, mostly when defending long balls from Granada’s goalkeeper, that a tougher team like Atlético de Madrid would have obviously taken advantage of. Anyone can win an aerial duel in Real Madrid’s right wing if Bale does not track back, as Modric just does not have the conditions to help Carvajal or Arbeloa. A more intense deployment by the Welshman or some tactical innovation will be needed to fix this in the near future.