Stevie Nicholl

So we'll wait and see.

But I thought they did what they needed to do today.

They hung on.

They got the three points.

And as you clearly said, Dan,

that means La Liga and the title race is still going, which we all want to see, don't we, for as long as physically possible.

Yeah, certainly, as Maka, you mentioned, of course, the big boys coming back.

Is there any sense that that could be a double-edged sword, considering this is the best we've seen from Real Madrid, this run over from Arbeloa, knocking out Manchester City, now beating Atletico Madrid, without the likes of Mbappe or indeed Jude Bellingham?

No, I thought they were papering over the cracks, to be honest.

Bringing some of the youngsters in has worked.

I don't think you could use them now to the end of the season.

So having Kamavinga, having Bellingham, having Alaba, having Carreras, having Mbappe on the bench today, I think really helps them because they're going to be called upon once it starts getting into the business end of the season.

Don't get me wrong, Brahim Diaz, Arda Guler, Thiago Pitar, in that middle of the park, have excelled absolutely brilliantly.

But when you need experience, when you get to the latter stages of the Champions League, when you get round to play in Barcelona in the new camp, I think you need everybody available.

You know, if anything, in an ideal way, you'd have everybody back, you know, the defenders back, you'd have Militao back, et cetera, et cetera.

But we know that you're going to have to carry a few injuries.

I just thought that finished 11, well, actually the finished 10 plus Ferry Valverde, I think just bolsters their squad up.

at a really important part of the season now, from April, after this international break, to the end of the season.

The next game at the Bernabeu behind us is Bayern Munich.

They're going to need everybody fit and well and raring to go, because Bayern, as we all know, they're in great, great form.