Real Madrid Do What They Need to at Schalke, and That's All That Counts

Iker Casillas jumped and tapped his crossbar. "Cheers, good friend," was basically the message. 

Real Madrid's goalkeeper wasn't afraid to publicly acknowledge his team's good fortune; Schalke's 19-year-old striker, Felix Platte, had just smashed a rasping shot into the visitors' goal frame in the 74th minute. It gave Carlo Ancelotti's men a genuine scare with the score delicately in favour of Real at 1-0. 

Five minutes later, Marcelo's right-footed blast found the favourable underside of the crossbar at the other end and deflected into the net.

Two-nil to Real Madrid. Advantage secured. One foot in a Champions League quarter-final. 

In the background, Casillas might have felt compelled to repeat his gesture at the Schalke end, for this evening at the Veltins-Arena was decided by a matter of inches. 

In the immediate aftermath of the result, it was interesting to observe my Twitter feed. Nearly every comment on Wednesday's game was along the lines of "Real Madrid won, but ..."

The overall response was underwhelming, with a consensus that Los Blancos weren't—and aren't—even close to their best. That the European champions have work to do. 

Such a stance may be true; Real Madrid probably are the equivalent of an out-of-sorts thoroughbred at present. The team's form of late 2014 does feel somewhat distant. 

But in the context of the club's Champions League defence, citing that as a long-term concern misses two key points: the value of winning ugly and the extent of time now available to the Bernabeu-based club. 

How often have you heard the phrase, "it's important to win when you don't play well"? It's one of the game's biggest cliches. If I had a dollar for ... no, that's a cliche, too. 

The thing is, though it's a cliche, it's also very true. And relevant. Winning when you don't play well is extremely valuable; an instigator of belief, of resilience. 

Yet, somehow the concept is regularly overlooked when discussing Real Madrid. Because of the club's history, its business model, its modus operandi, its position of power in football's aristocracy, the value of winning ugly has been largely dismissed. 

"Yeah, Real Madrid won, but ..."

Come on, even The Beatles produced some subpar stuff. 

Martin Meissner/Associated Press

Of the 16 sides remaining in the Champions League, 13 would have been widely praised had they put together Real's effort at the Veltins-Arena. 

It would have been labelled a job well done, a mission carried out, a plan executed. 

But if you're Real Madrid, Barcelona or Bayern Munich, the perception is different. Due to excellence, due to power and superiority, the external expectation is greater. Underwhelming isn't tolerated. 

For the players, however, it's all the same: Like any other club, winning ugly—in the Champions League, away—will instigate belief and resilience. 

The broader perception means little. 

It's also important to consider the scheduling of the Champions League.

With Real Madrid, despite middling form, having secured a two-goal, first-leg advantage over Schalke, Los Blancos' grip on a quarter-final place is extremely tight. A catastrophe would have to occur at the Bernabeu for the tie to change its current complexion after Wednesday night's result. 

But when are the first legs of quarter-finals played? April 14 and 15.  

Two months away. 

Critics of Real Madrid's performance on Wednesday will tell you that, now, in February, December's form means little. And they're right. 

But that principle is also relevant to the Champions League quarter-finals; Real Madrid's form, now, in February, will mean just as little in eight weeks in the middle of April. 

Assuming the club takes a smooth passage into the last eight of the continental competition, Ancelotti's men will head into a quarter-final boosted by the returns of James Rodriguez, Luka Modric and Sergio Ramos. 

And they'll have done so on the back of a grinding performance in Gelsenkirchen—the sort that heightens conviction when form inevitably returns—and with their new-year difficulties likely in the rearview mirror. 

A victory, regardless of how it was achieved, was all that mattered for Real Madrid on Wednesday—even if Casillas had to thank his crossbar.

Follow @TimDCollins