Real Madrid advanced to the quarter-finals of Copa del Rey despite throwing a two-goal cushion in normal time to beat Celta Vigo 5-2 at the Santiago Bernabeu.

A brace from Endrick in extra time, sandwiching a beautiful Fede Valverde rocket was enough to get Real the victory, but they had to work hard for it.

Here are three quick observations from the game:Aurelien Tchouameni returned as a defensive midfielder It is sometimes difficult to blame Tchouameni for all the problems that Real Madrid have had this season.

He has not been good, but one could argue he has also played out of position on a number of occasions because of Ancelotti's reluctance to start Raul Asencio over a first-team player.

On the flip side, Tchouameni has not had more than one or two truly good performances as the pivot, either.

The Frenchman was not good against Celta Vigo; he was not bad, either, but he just did not do enough to warrant a starting spot.

He was lethargic on the ball, slow to react, and gave the ball away cheaply on several occasions - sometimes very close to Andrey Lunin's goal.

He was not awful, but it was a rare occasion for him to start at his preferred position, but I honestly did not see him do a lot of good for Los Blancos.

And this is coming from someone who has advocated for and defended Tchouameni a lot since he joined the club, but he has to improve his performances if he wants a future at Real Madrid.

It is also worth noting that Ancelotti clearly wants Tchouameni to be around on the pitch, whether as a centre-back or a defensive midfielder.

It remains to be seen whether the Italian manager would keep starting an in-form Eduardo Camavinga (who has, admittedly, had a terrible week as a footballer), over the Frenchman he clearly wants to see in his best XI.

Long answer: you would not know if you do not try.

A genuine argument could have been made about Ancelotti's choices in the second half, when Real Madrid nearly blew it, conceding two goals in the last 10 minutes of the game.

Ancelotti, thinking the game was done and dusted, took Kylian Mbappe (who was once again, and comfortably, Real Madrid's best player) off.

Would that have caused any trouble had Real Madrid won the game in normal time? Probably not.

But they didn't, so it did.

Ancelotti brought on Endrick and Arda Guler, and the former did not have the best of games until the second half of extra time.

We probably would not have seen this happen if Mbappe stayed on, and there is blame to be put on Ancelotti for not taking someone other than Mbappe off, who was clearly enjoying the game.

But it was so good to see these youngsters ball out.

Endrick came through with a brace, while Guler gave two assists in the last 15 minutes of the match.

Ancelotti, whenever asked about youngsters, has said one thing: "I am here to win football matches, not to give minutes to young players.

" Well, sometimes, that can coincide.

It is not always a good idea to keep starting your core XI regardless of whether things are working.

Youngsters deserve some faith to show out.

They will make mistakes - Asencio made one today - but that is how these players will be ready for when they need to be.

Real Madrid have the highest standard when it comes to everything, and that includes the players.

There needs to be an expectation of quality from those starters.

But, if some of those starters are not meeting the expected standards, maybe it would help if the young guns were given a chance to help out, like tonight.

The elephant in the room.

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Standard Copa del Rey practice continued for Real Madrid when they let in two goals in the last few minutes of the game - clearly taking their foot off the pedal - and let the match go into extra time.

A match that was supposed to be an easy win for them.

Real Madrid controlled most of the game, but somehow let it all slide through weird personnel changes and individual mistakes.

Asencio had been brilliant in every single minute he played leading up to the match against Celta, and he was mostly impressive against Celta too, but he did give the penalty away for the second goal.

It is almost harsh to be critical of him after seeing him play for the last two months, and he is a young player who will inevitably make mistakes, but Real Madrid players have to be held to a high standard.

That also applies to Camavinga - who has been mostly flawless in his games this season but has had a hell week because of consecutive poor performances against Barcelona and Celta - giving away possession for the goal that kickstarted the away side's comeback.

It is also a collective issue, as the team as a whole decided to give away possession cheaply, not try to control the game, and succumb to Celta's press without making them work hard for it.

Things like these are unacceptable.

It is, frankly, embarrassing that Real Madrid let it come to extra-time heroics from three of their players to dig them out of yet another hole.

You just cannot let that happen, and that is why I do not see much improvement in Real Madrid all season.

Intensity, defense and lack of intent have all been issues this season - apart from a few games.

It is just that sometimes they get punished for it, and sometimes they are lucky to have the best players in the world.

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