Los Blancos have endured a desperately poor campaign in 2018-19 and it is hard to believe the same team were an all-conquering force just a season ago
The 2018-19 campaign has been a disastrous one for Real Madrid thus far, following three years of relative stability – and undoubted success – under Zinedine Zidane.
As they limp on into the new year in the hope of improvement, with the help of Opta, Goal takes a look at why this team is the worst Los Blancos outfit in recent history.
Getty1Unconvincing in Champions LeagueThey may have been crowned Club World Cup champions for a record-breaking fourth time in December, but Real Madrid have a serious fight on their hands if they are to maintain their status as Europe's kings. They were uncharacteristically shaky in the group stage and lost twice to CSKA Moscow, including a 3-0 defeat at the Bernabeu – their biggest ever home defeat in European competition. The last-16 draw has been kind – on paper at least – by pitting them against Ajax, but they will need to find another gear should they wish to defend their title.AdvertisementGetty2Poor work in the transfer marketIt is clear now that Real Madrid had no contingency plan for the exit of Ronaldo. Their transfer dealings during the pre-season window were uninspiring and they quite simply failed to strengthen the squad adequately enough. There had been talk of stars such as Neymar and Eden Hazard making their way to the Spanish capital, but Madrid's big-money signings ahead of the 2018-19 campaign were Mariano Diaz, who returned to the club from Lyon after one season, Alvaro Odriozola, who has been back-up to Dani Carvajal for much of the season, and Vinicius Jr., an unproven teenager.Getty3Isco is fading into obscurity
As mentioned, Ronaldo’s exit from the Bernabeu opened up an opportunity for some of those who had been forced to play second fiddle while the forward was in town, and one of those who was expected to take his game to the next level was Isco. The Spain international had shown glimpses of his capacity to take the initiative in games over the past two campaigns in particular, but he hasn’t reached the same level of performance in 2018-19.
Isco has been forced to contend with a place on the bench more than he would have liked and his return of four goals and two assists in 21 appearances leaves plenty to be desired. To top things off, the midfielder is said to be unhappy at the club after reportedly clashing with Santiago Solari.
Getty4They are dropping too many pointsOne must go back 13 years to find the last time Real Madrid posted a points tally of 30 after the first 18 games of the Liga season. They have dropped points against the likes of Eibar and Levante, while Real Sociedad's 2-0 win at the Bernabeu this January was the first time the Basque club achieved that feat since 2004. Lost Blancos are languishing in fifth place at the time of writing, and dropping points remains a worrying habit.