Five talking points from Real Madrid’s win over PSG

Real Madrid get the job done without key starters

Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, Gareth Bale and Isco were all on the bench last night, when the season was on the line. Marco Asensio, Lucas Vazquez and Mateo Kovacic completed excellent performances and while there’s just no way both Kroos and Modric come off the bench once they’re healthy, the three young players made their case for more minutes. Zidane took a very brave decision by trusting Asensio, Vazquez and Kovacic and it paid off.

Sergio Ramos is a legend

Last night’s performance was one for the ages. Ramos kept Cavani in his pocket and the only bad thing you can say about the Spanish defender is that he picked up an unnecessary yellow card when the tie was pretty much over. Ramos gets his fair share of criticism when he plays poorly yet he is not praised enough unless he scores one of his trademark goals. Defensive performances which aren’t flashy don’t get enough credit. Ramos was rock-solid aganst PSG. Check this out.

Bale, Isco and Benzema need to turn things around and bounce back

It’s clear that Bale and Isco probably expected to start last night, or at least they feel like they deserved it. It’s now time for them to show the kind of grit Vazquez and Asensio have shown lately and regain their spots. Benzema still doesn’t have a replacement on this roster and will be the starter, but he definitely needs to gain some momentum and score a few goals so that he can be confident when he is facing the opposition’s keeper. You could feel that he didn’t want to be put in that situation during the two chances he missed last night and that’s all a confidence issue. These three players must show courage.

The players love Zidane

The French coach stood by them when everything was a mess and now the players have to respond and show they have Zidane’s back. Some of them like Isco, Bale or Ceballos might be disappointed with their roles and understandably so, but the vast majority of the squad clearly love their coach.

There’s plenty of work to be done

Keep in mind that while this was a solid win against one of the alleged top teams in Europe, Madrid just earned a ticket to the Quarterfinals. Two tough games are coming and Los Blancos are still four games away from the Champions League Final. It was a promising and encouraging win, but nothing more.