Real Madrid: 3 things we learned from a Benzema-inspired 3-1 win over Chelsea

Karim Benzema, once again, put Real Madrid on his back and led them to a 3-1 win over Chelsea in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals. Three goals from the Frenchman were enough for the team to carry the two-goal advantage back to the Bernabeu, where they would have to be on the top of their game to affirm their place in the semi-finals.

What did we learn from this game?

Carlo Ancelotti finally, finally gets his line-up right

This is it. This is Real Madrid’s best line-up. It only took Ancelotti about a dozen big games to realise that, but I’m glad he finally did, and I really hope this continues to be the lineup he turns to in the future.

Real Madrid went with a traditional 4-3-3 with their usual defense and midfield, but the only difference this time was that Fede Valverde started as a right-winger, in place of Marco Asensio. Thank God. I would not have been fine with seeing Marco Asensio once again have an abysmal showing. He did that against Celta, and I was not ready for him to do that against a good team like Chelsea.

Thankfully, Asensio didn’t get to play. Rodrygo, a good but inconsistent player didn’t get the nod either, and Valverde started as a winger, and absolutely terrorised Cesar Azpilicueta on the right. Not only that, he was a great presser, perhaps the most hardworking player on the pitch. The Uruguayan went back to support Carvajal, who also had one of his better performances in recent memory. Is it a coincidence that on the day Valverde starts as a winger, and the team is in proper shape, Carvajal also has an alright game for once? Maybe, maybe not.

Valverde combined with Luka Modric and Karim Benzema really well on the flank, and did everything he could to win every challenge possible. Valverde needs to become a starter, the guy’s too good to be on the bench. And there’s no right-winger that is better than him, and it’s not even his primary position. Think about that.