Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has made some bold decisions this season, as he has had to drop Luka Modric and Toni Kroos to the bench more often than not.

The two veterans have been a mainstay in the Madrid midfield for a decade now, and are still top quality players.

For this season, Ancelotti has chosen to trust his youthful midfielders more, at the expense of the veterans.

“Kroos and Modriс? It hurts to leave them on the bench,” Carlo Ancelotti told the media ahead of the Madrid derby.

“But not just them. Valverde too, Tchouameni… We have a strong squad. it’s always hard to leave a player on the bench.”

Modric started the game against Union Berlin, and was subbed off late on, as Real Madrid sought the winning goal. Kroos didn’t start the game, but came on in the second-half.