Instant Reactions: Juventus 2-1 Real Madrid, Champions League 2014-15

1. Dani Carvajal is not one of the worlds best in his position.

That's quite a sweeping statement isn't it? Well, I genuinely believe Carvajal isn't. Obviously he gave away a ridiculous penalty which may well come to haunt Real Madrid but furthermore his performances this season have been unspectacular. In terms of overall quality he's the weak link in Los Blancos starting eleven and he needs to improve his level of contribution in attack, especially if he's going to make mistakes like that in defence. He's been learning to make hot-headed rash challenges from Ramos. Speaking of...

2. Sergio Ramos does not cope well with being pressed in midfield.

Against teams that like to sit back and concede possession Ramos does well as he is a decent passer of the ball and is good at stopping them breaking on the counter-attack, however against teams that will press him high up the pitch such as Juventus and Barcelona he is more likely to panic and make a mistake, which happened all too often in this game - especially in the first half.

3. The wings are Real Madrid's greatest weakness at the moment.

In addition to the aforementioned Dani Carvajal, Marcelo also wasn't impressive in this match and needs to work harder when he's tracking back. By going forward he leaves too much space behind him for opposing teams to attack when the play breaks down. This simple problem has to be rectified in some way. Perhaps when attacking the defence should try to employ a covering system as opposed to playing the offside trap as they usually do. Or maybe when one full-back pushes forward to join the attack the other one should stay back to ensure Real are not light in defence.

4. The tale of two forwards.

Whilst Cristiano Ronaldo had a decent match and bagged Madrid's vital away goal, Bale was largely invisible for the majority of the match, particularly in the first half. It made for disappointing reading when at half-time I found out that Bale had touched the ball less often than Iker Casillas. It is true that most of Madrid's play focused on the left-hand side of the pitch so maybe that helps to explain the figures. However, maybe that's because Ronaldo, Isco and Marcelo make themselves more readily available to receive the ball and find better positions on the pitch. I didn't really see Bale making quality space for himself which is frustrating.

5. Ancelotti got his substitutions wrong again.

Carlo decided around the hour mark that it would be best to take off Isco in order to introduce Javier Hernández. Whilst the logic of adding more firepower in order to equalise and get a second away goal makes sense, Ancelotti erred in choosing Isco to be replaced. Isco had been helping Madrid keep control of possession and the tempo of the game up to that point and instead it should have been the ineffective Ramos who made way for Chicharito. That way Los Blancos would have had another offensive outlet as well as not sacrificing a playmaker. It's quite obvious that Isco and Chicharito complement each other better tactically than Ramos and Chicharito do.