As you say, Ramos has saved Real's

bacon so many times that it is tough for me to be too mad at him. His late header against Barca earlier this year saved us two points and he has come through for both Real and the Spanish national team on countless occasions. I could not despise him even if I tried. I just wish he would knock off the antics and the reckless play. Maybe he feels he cannot play without that edge. Who knows.

Having said that, his reputation as a dirty player only gets cemented with plays like yesterday. Imagine if he had connected on that assault? Both his spikes were up and he was off the ground. There is no doubt in my mind it would have knocked Messi out of the game and possibly the season. Barca was defending in their own end and Messi was 45-50 yards from his goal. To call it unnecessary is an understatement. My guess is he will be handed a 3 game match ban at least at a time when Real needs him the most.

My other issue with the game...if you are Real Juventus just gave you the template on how to neutralize Iniesta. You cannot let him roam the middle without contact. As reckless as Casemiro is he did a poor job marking Iniesta. I get on Benzema a lot but Modric has been less than inspiring late this year and his defense yesterday was particularly poor. It is time for Zizou to get Isco a starting role ahead of him.