Solari delighted by Real Madrid youngsters
Real Madrid boss Santiago Solari praised his side's young players after 'Los Blancos' got back to winning ways in LaLiga with a 2-0 win over Valencia on Saturday night.
A chastening 3-0 defeat away to Eibar last time out in LaLiga meant that Madrid were under pressure to claim three points by whatever means necessary at the Bernabeu and they did just that thanks to an own goal form Daniel Wass and a late Lucas Vazquez strike.
Despite the importance of the game, Madrid's injury problems meant that chances were given to youngsters Sergio Reguilon, Marcos Llorente and Federico Valverde and Solari was quick to praise the trio's displays.
"I'd like us to repeat what we did in the first half. In general, the game was good but we were really impressive in the first 45 minutes. The second half was different, Valencia had chances to draw level and really piled the pressure on," he told the club's official website.
"The younger players brought some energy, but there needs to be a balance of that and the experience that the older players give. Players who combine both can compete in this squad, but we want to open the doors to those young players who can feature in the future.
"It gives me real satisfaction that players like Valverde, Reguilon and Marcos Llorente are here. We're happy as a club because we have had players who have come up through the system and they're now getting minutes in the first team."
As well as Madrid younger stars, Solari was also quick to hail veteran midfielder Luka Modric, with the Croatian considered the bookies' favourite to claim this year's Ballon d'Or.
"He's an exceptional player," the Argentine enthused. "He's shown that right throughout his career. He's a role model of personal self-improvement.
"He grew up in a difficult and tough environment and we don't know if that's perhaps what's behind his personality. As for his quality, we just don't know where he gets it from."