Games against Sevilla and Borussia Dortmund should restore Zidane's faith on the bench

It is a well-known fact that Real Madrid does not have firepower on the bench that they had in the previous season. The club has let go, Pepe, James Rodríguez, Álvaro Morata, Mariano Díaz, Danilo and Fábio Coentrão, in the summer transfer window, which is one of the main reason behind their poor start in the current campaign.

In spite of so many departures, Zidane refused to spend big in the transfer window. The club made only two signings, i.e. of Theo Hernández and Dani Ceballos, while bringing back Borja Mayoral, Jesús Vallejo and Marcos Llorente from their respective loan spells. The young Moroccan, Achraf Hakimi, was the only player to move from Real Madrid Castilla to the senior side. The coach, however, doesn't seem to have similar sort of faith on the bench as he did last season.The Frenchman was impressive in rotating his squad in the 2016-17 season but has been reluctant in giving opportunities to these new signings this season, even when the going gets tough.

The fixture against Borussia Dortmund on Matchday 6 of UEFA Champions League was the first instant when the Frenchman elected to make some alterations in his starting eleven. Theo Hernández and Borja Mayoral were handed their first-ever start in the European competition. Borja Mayoral made an instant impact on the game by scoring the opening goal of Real Madrid in the 8th minute of the first half. The 20-year-old striker was impressive throughout the 90 minutes and didn't look like a player who has just played 347 minutes in the season.

Mayoral has been good in the limited opportunities that he had

Theo Hernández was also effective in the left-back position. Former Alavés player continuously troubled Bartra with his pace and linked up well with Cristiano Ronaldo.

Zidane had to make changes against Sevilla as Sergio Ramos, Casemiro and Dani Carvajal, were out of the clash due to suspension and Raphael Varane was also missing due to a muscle injury. Jesus Vallejo was partnering Nacho as the central defender, and Achraf Hakimi was making his first appearance since the return of Carvajal.

Vallejo only had 3 starts in all competitions before the game against Sevilla. He was sent off on his first senior experience against Fuenlabrada in Copa Del Rey after his careless tackle on Luis Milla. The Spain U-21 international failed to impress in his following two La Liga starts, bestowing his inexperience and ineptitude to read the game.

The 20-year-old showed why he's considered the future of Madrid defence in the game against Sevilla. The Spaniard made a lot of good interceptions, tackles and was even good with his passing. Zidane will be happy with this performance of the youngster as his side doesn't have enough options of central defenders in their squad.

2 - Achraf is the 2nd youngest goal scorer for Real Madrid in La Liga in the 21th century (19 years & 1 month) after Varane in September 2011 v Rayo (18 years & 5 months). History. pic.twitter.com/cLRuWpuNZD

— OptaJose (@OptaJose) December 12, 2017

Achraf played some crucial matches for Real Madrid during Dani Carvajal's absence. He was reliable in defence in these games but lacked the abilities like his compatriot when going forward. The Moroccan was a constant threat on the right flank against Sevilla and marked his first goal in the famous white shirt.

Dani Ceballos and Marcos Llorente came off the bench in both of the games and put in a good shift. Mateo Kovacic also got a full game against Borussia Dortmund after making a comeback from an injury. The Croation put in a solid display and was a lively figure in the Madrid midfield. Lucas Vázquez was present in both of the fixtures and it looks like he's back in his top form. Both Vázquez and Kovacic were significant for Madrid's triumph in the previous season.

Zidane will be thrilled with the return of Kovacic

These performances of young players will surely encourage the Frenchman to rotate the squad efficiently as he did in the last season. Also, the suspicion of replacement will encourage the regular members of the squad to do well too. It will be interesting to see how Zidane goes about squad rotation for remaining part of the season.