Real Madrid: 5 key players to watch against Inter Milan at the San Siro

CB Raphael Varane

It was amazing to see Raphael Varane at his best against Villarreal. I don’t think Los Blancos would have even secured a point in such a difficult match on the road if it weren’t for Varane, who made a couple of goal-saving interventions. Varane stepped up as a leader amidst lingering questions about his performances this season, specifically without Sergio Ramos.

Real Madrid may have to face Inter Milan with Ramos, and it seems like Ramos’ absences hurt the team most in the Champions League. Los Blancos fell apart without him against Manchester City and Shakhtar Donetsk, and Varane received a whole lot of criticism for his errors in both defeats.

But Varane is one of the best in the world and does not, in fact, suffer from leadership issues. He is respected by virtually all and is looked up to on his national team, too. This past Saturday at the Estadio de la Ceramica, Varane reminded Madridistas of both his on-field quality and his intangibles.

Varane will face an even better striker duo than Carlos Bacca and Gerard Moreno, as Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez have a claim to being the best two-striker tandem in all the land. Real have yet to face them both together, and they have the quality to cause all sorts of problems. If Nacho starts and Casemiro cannot play again, Varane will have a lot of cleaning up to do.