5 reasons why Real Madrid are struggling

Real Madrid C.F had an abysmal week where they were first humbled by Sevilla at Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán when they conceded 3 goals in the first half itself. Later that week Real Madrid could only salvage a point at Santiago Bernabeu against their bitter city rivals Atletico Madrid. It went from bad to worse when the defending UCL champions lost 1-0 away to a young and an inexperienced CSKA Moscow.

So what is it that is holding Madrid back? Here we take a look at the reasons for their current struggles.

#1 Goal drought

Sevilla, Atletico Madrid and CSKA Moscow have all kept clean sheets against Real Madrid, as the Los Blancos haven't found the back net since Marco Asensio's goal against Espanyol. This Real Madrid side has now gone 319 minutes without scoring which represents the third worst goal drought in Europe's top five leagues only bettering Cagliari and Dijon. This is largely due to the fact that this side has been unable to open up the defense of teams that like to sit back and absorb pressure and just rely on counters.

Karim Benzema started the season in scintillating fashion scoring 4 goals in LaLiga but off late has been disappointing. In his last 5 appearances he's failed to get on the scoresheet with only 1 of his last 11 shots being on target. It's not solely down to Benzema, the midfield has struggled to create clear cut chances for the striker to capitalize. Neither has anyone else stepped up to score these goals recently.

#2 Injuries are taking a toll

Both the starting fullbacks Dani Carvajal and Marcelo have been sidelined with injuries. Marcelo out with a calf injury is expected to be back within a week or two but Carvajal's issue is much more serious which may cause him to miss around 6-8 weeks. Alvaro Odriozola was roped in this summer as Carvajal's backup has been doing well but he's still inexperienced and has a lot of things still to learn. Meanwhile, Nacho and Reguilon can cover up for Marcelo but to cover up Marcelo's offensive contributions is not an easy task.

Even the star midfielder Isco has been out citing his recent appendicitis surgery. To add to this list even Gareth Bale had a scare when he felt some discomfort in his groin. With Ronaldo's departure Bale is supposed to be their main man but for it, he must be fit throughout the season. With injuries taking a toll it has forced Julen Lopetegui to make so many changes and Real Madrid's squad depth which has been deteriorating over the years after the departure of players like Kovacic, James, Morata, Cristiano and many more is also one of the reasons.

#3 Life without Cristiano Ronaldo was never going to be easy

When Cristiano came to Madrid the team was struggling to even qualify for quarters of UCL, but with his arrival, the team won everything they could not have imagined a decade back. Cristiano was there for Real Madrid when everyone was down saving the team on numerous occasions which one can't even keep tabs on. Real Madrid relied on Cristiano's individual brilliance to get them sailing and his numbers speak for him as he never disappointed. Ronaldo scored 451 goals in just 9 years to become the club's all-time goalscorer and managed to collect 16 titles.

After his departure, it was all down to Julen Lopetegui to get this squad balanced out and find a way to replace 50 goals a season. Everyone knew it was never going to be easy for Real Madrid to keep the current Ballon d'Or achievements in the past.

#4 Inconsistent performances from the promising Marco Asensio

Marco Asensio often termed as the best youngster in world football alongside Kylian Mbappe had a huge responsibility on his shoulders as he was going to feature more than ever for Real Madrid after Cristiano Ronaldo's departure. Marco Asensio started the season on a high and contributed to team victories against Leganes, Espanyol and Girona but underperformed against Athletic Bilbao, Sevilla and CSKA.

Florentino Perez refuted from signing any other player to replace Cristiano Ronaldo as he did not want to hamper Asensio's growth and looks at Marco Asensio as his personal project. Asensio definitely has what it takes to be a talisman in the future if he remains consistent throughout.

#5 Leaking goals

Raphael Varane and Sergio Ramos are arguably the best centre-back pairing in the world but this has not prevented Real Madrid from leaking goals off late. The reason being the advancements of the fullbacks high up the pitch and Casemiro's positioning sometimes leave Real Madrid vulnerable to counters which is too much for both the centre-backs to deal with. Ramos who used to cover up for Marcelo's area when he used to advance up the pitch has not reached his peak form this season. In the hunt for goals, Real Madrid have been leaving acres of spaces uncovered inviting teams to counter. The goals have nothing to do with the goalkeepers Thibaut Courtois and Keylor Navas who've been excellent till now. It's all down to the defensive shape, positioning of players and being alert to the possibility of dangerous attacks.

Conclusion

Julen Lopetegui started the season well playing breathtaking football and has done well to keep up with the pressure but all of these issues coinciding have created problems for him but it is too early to criticize a manager who is managing a team as big as Real Madrid which is under a transition phase. All the fans would be hoping Lopetegui to look for solutions to get out of this slump.