Inside La Liga: Real Madrid flirt with youth but Ronaldo still the saviour

Last week, many around Real Madrid were claiming that the selection of their youth talent was their best hope of getting something from this season.

Due to injuries and suspensions, Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane chose former B-team players Lucas Vazquez and Casemiro in Wednesday’s 3-1 La Liga win at Levante. Centre-forward Borja Mayoral, 18, also got a first senior start.

This pleased Blancos fans and pundits who feel that Madrid’s expensive superstars, like €80 million signing James Rodriguez, do not always try as hard as they should. Many also believe that many of the club’s big names are not team players, as evidenced in Cristiano Ronaldo’s controversial comments after the defeat to Atletico Madrid a week earlier.