7 Truths: Madrid’s scandalous depth, astonishing MSN, Silva criminally underrated

Zinedine Zidane elected to rest the lion’s share of his first team for the trip to Granada - only Sergio Ramos and Casemiro would be described as guaranteed starters. However, to call the side he fielded as second string would be a complete fallacy.

A front three of Alvaro Morata, Marco Asensio and James Rodriguez would be starters for almost any other team in Europe – bar a handful of the elite level clubs. They are closing in on a first Liga title since 2011-12 and look a decent bet to become the first team to retain the Champions League in its current format.

The reason? They have put together one of the strongest squads ever. There is a school of thought that their ‘second team’ might be slightly better than their first. It is incredible.

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David Silva left the field of play injured in the 23rd minute of Manchester City’s FA Cup semi-final against Arsenal. The Citizens went on to lose that game 2-1 and they drew subsequent fixtures against Manchester United and Middlesbrough. Both performances were marked by a lack of invention.

Silva returned to action against a Crystal Palace side on Saturday, who over the course of the last month had beaten Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool. Pep Guardiola’s men trounced Palace 5-0 and Silva was central to everything before his withdrawal with 68 minutes gone.

He may not garner the headlines but it is Silva who makes City tick and if Guardiola has designs on making a title charge next season, he needs to make the Spain international central to his plans.

RELATED: Man City thrash Palace to tighten grip on top-four place

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Manchester City have three of the world’s most expensive defenders on their books: John Stones, Nicolas Otamendi and Eliaquim Mangala. Yet, their backline needs considerable reconstructive surgery.

Pep Guardiola desperately needs two new full-backs, and at least one centre-half.

City spent £47.5 million on Stones last season and he is a Guardiola type of centre-half, so it is probably fair to assume that he will be central to the Catalan’s plans next season. However, he needs a partner and neither Otamendi or Vincent Kompany fit the bill.

Stones needs a calm head alongside him and neither fit that bill; both make rash decisions that would let the former Everton man exposed. Kompany is, of course, a fine defender but he is too liable to a rash challenge to complement Stones.

Of course, elite level defenders are at a premium but Toby Alderweireld would fit that bill supremely well; his body of work at Tottenham marks him out as a player that improves those around him – in other words: a fine foil for Stones.

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Harry Arter’s challenge on Joe Allen was an absolute aberration and deserving of further sanction than just the yellow referee Paul Tierney doled out.

There may have been zero malicious intent but Arter was off the floor and out of control. It was luck more than judgement that Allen escaped without serious injury.

The FA are hamstrung by the rules here; as it was seen by the referee and he produced a yellow card, they are not allowed to apply any further punishment if the incident is in the referee's report. It is ridiculous situation – in circumstances such as these where another player’s welfare was put at risk the FA need to set a precedent.

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Hull and Swansea both faced their fair share of criticism following their mid-season managerial changes. It is almost certain that one of the pair will go down but there is little doubt that both clubs’ have been fully vindicated in their decision.

Hull were rock bottom on 13 points when Silva was appointed with 18 games to go. After 36 games they have 34 points – that is a return of 1.3 points per game. Over the course of a 38-game season that would have left the Tigers with 49 points, which would have been good enough for 11th last season.

Swansea moved above Hull with their 1-0 win over Everton later on Saturday. Since Paul Clement’s came in, they have won 20 points in 16 games, or a points per game average of 1.25. That would have left them with a 47-point haul over a 38-game season – or exactly the same return as they had this time last year.

More than that though, they both play decent football and their presence in the league enhances it. There are plenty of other sides who are less deserving of staying in the league (looking at you Watford, Stoke and Palace).

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Marco Verratti’s goal against Bastia on Saturday should not have stood. But don't take our word for it, watch it below:

Firstly, Bastia keeper Jean-Louis Leca appears to be checking on a stricken Blaise Matuidi and looks to be under the misapprehension that the game had been stopped when Verratti strikes. There is an argument that Leca made the cardinal sin of not playing to the whistle but there is absolutely no reason why this goal should not have been ruled out for offside.

Secondly, Julian Draxler is nearly 10 yards ahead of the play and standing directly in the line of sight of Leca. He is absolutely offside.

Now if there were a Video Assistant Referee in action, this shocking decision could have been reversed. VARS absolutely make sense, roll it out sharpish.

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Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez were all on the scoresheet as Barcelona beat Villarreal 4-1 on Saturday. The 'MSN' now have 102 goals between them in all competitions this season and Messi personally has 51 goals.

The Argentine's excellence has been so sustained that it is sometimes easy to forget just how exceptional he is and his achievements are. Enjoy him while you can as there is absolutely no doubt that football will never again be blessed with a genius such as his.