Football has seen rapid evolution ever since the inception of the Premier League back in '92. With the advancement in tactics and analysis, teams have found a way to stay a step or two ahead of the others. One such way - which has worked tremendously well in the past - is to increase the size and depth of the squads.Jose Mourinho and Roman Abrahamovic had started the trend of investing a lot of money into bettering the quality and the numbers in the squad, which provided relief when the eventual injuries did start to plague the side, mid-way through the season.Mourinho went on to prove the efficiency of his methods - buying second string players who were actually top quality - with other teams, especially at Madrid. As a result more and more teams have invested in replacements who come into the side due to injuries or look to provide energy by coming off the bench.Therefore, we compiled a list of 5 such players who were never meant to contest for the starting spots in the team and were supposed to only come on late-on in games to look to change things or to consolidate a lead, but by providing stellar performances whenever called upon, put themselves in contention for a starting spot in the squad.#5 CasemiroCasemiro also managed to get on the score-sheet in the Champions League final last season.Casemiro was brought in from Sao Paolo after a decent string of results on loan with the B-team. He was meant to provide defensive cover for the illustrious midfield of the Los Blancos. With the likes of Luka Modric and Xabi Alonso in the side, the Brazilian didn't even manage to get a look-in throughout the season and was therefore loaned out to FC Porto the following season.With Toni Kroos coming in for the departing Xabi Alonso,the dye looked cast against Casemiro who would've thought that his shot at making it in Madrid was all but over. At the end of the loan move to Porto (where he did a decent job) Casemiro would've mentally prepared himself to be seated on the bench for a majority of the season, till his fortunes changed.In came Rafael Benitez, who is often criticised for his defensive approach towards football - looking to stifle opponents rather than being the aggressor - and Casemiro had his break. The only thing that Real Madrid fans will give the Spaniard credit for, grudgingly, is that he gave the Brazilian his first proper break at Madrid.In the short spell of seven months under Benitez, the defensive midfielder was involved in 12 of the 17 games that he managed. A surprising stat, considering Casemiro was on the fringes of the squad, let alone the first team.So when Benitez got the boot and in came the flamboyant Zinedine Zidane, everyone expected the Brazilian to fill the empty spaces on the bench. But the level of performances put in by the player made him simply un-benchable, even for Zizou, who looks to employ a much more free-flowing brand of football.Casemiro has won more tackles (38) in the Champions League than any other player since the start of last season.£5.1m from São Paulo. 🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/LLUfdy80N2— Squawka Football (@Squawka) September 15, 2017And the defensive aspect to his game isn't the only thing that is keeping the Brazilian firmly in the plans of the Frenchman. To add to his grit and determination to win the ball back for his team or from preventing the opposition to gain a foothold in midfield, the former Porto man has found his feet further up the pitch as well making him a constant in the Madrid line-up.He has started getting involved regularly in creating chances for the team and also finishing off quite a few. His ability to strike the ball from distance has seen him find his name on the score-sheet on a number of occasions, impressive for a defensive midfielder only meant to thwart the opponents attacks.He has scored really important goals for Madrid in their two consecutive triumphant Champions League campaigns including this one to give Madrid the lead in last year's final.