Pellegrini: Real Madrid need rotations - except Kaka

Real Madrid coach Manuel Pellegrini admits Kaka is their key player.

The Brazilian came off the bench to score in Real's victory over Villarreal on the weekend.

And Pellegrini hinted he's ready to keep Kaka out of his rotation policy.

"It was a really bad first half in general. It is no secret that with Kaka I had to rotate. In the second half, he helped change the game. It is no mystery that Kaka will change the face of the team," said Pellegrini.

"We tried to play the match without him, but could not. We improved with the change and overall team performance."