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Real Madrid had high hopes when Julen Lopetegui was appointed. He was just off the Spanish national team job where he did not taste defeat throughout his 20 games as boss, a run which had them penciled down as one of the favourites for the World Cup in Russia this past summer and he did so with his side playing brilliant football. It seemed like a match made in heaven for the club - he was primed to continue the dynasty that the legendary Zizou began.
The club have now been stuck in a rut for the past few games and the most recent loss suffered against Levante left the Spanish giants seventh in La Liga, four points off the pace.
Their last three results make for grim reading: consecutive defeats against winnable opposition - CSKA Moscow, Alaves and now Levante? The all-conquering Real Madrid side who took Europe by storm last season seemingly no longer know how to win, which has come at the worst time given their next league game is against defending champions and arch-rivals Barcelona in El Clasico.
If they succumb to another defeat there, it seems inevitable that the Basque native will be dismissed. However, should he be the scapegoat for Real's forgettable start to the campaign across all competitions?
Ronaldo's surprise departure
Days after the World Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo - the most dominant player-cum-force in Real's illustrious modern history - left the club in limbo after departing for perennial Serie A champions Juventus in a €100m deal in his search for a "new adventure". Given his and their success in recent seasons, they didn't expect him to leave and so were caught cold by the swiftness of his exit as his goals had continually kept them in the forefront in the battle for the biggest of trophies.
His sheer goalscoring impact for Real Madrid during his nine seasons at the club was always going to be felt - but at a club where success is bred - surely they would have prepared better?
They did not. The powers that be at the Bernabeu made crucial errors during the summer transfer window, which has led to the club facing a season where nothing is going right for them.
Club president Florentino Perez banked a lot on the "what ifs" with his baffling decisions over the summer months. He hoped that Marco Asensio would become a world-beater if granted more regular minutes, Gareth Bale being injury-free for a season and Karim Benzema to benefit from a Ronaldo-less structure so he could improve his individual goalscoring tally.
The warning signs and current issues at hand
The warning signs were there for all to see during their UEFA Super Cup 4-2 defeat by city rivals Atletico, where Real's attacking options - besides their starting eleven - were essentially nonexistent. Watching on as the Los Colchoneros inflicted a significant debut defeat on Julen Lopetegui, it must have dawned on Perez that the right-back and goalkeeping positions he had worked hard to improve were far from the main issues for this new-look side.
He signed Mariano Diaz but the Dominican forward never looked like giving Benzema a run for his money and more importantly, neither were going to give the club the goals that had gone to Turin with Ronaldo.
The league season began with promise but at the first sign of resistance, Los Blancos were found out as they played out a 1-1 draw at the San Mames. The worst was to come as visits to the Estadio Sanchez Pizjuan and the Estadio Montolivi both ended in losses, sandwiched by a goalless draw against Atletico. The warning bells that gently tolled the beginning of a mini-crisis at the San Mames had now evolved to a full-blown crisis last weekend after succumbing to another loss, this time against Levante.
Ronaldo's departure has continued a gradual weakening of the club's core: Pepe, Danilo, Mateo Kovacic (loan), Álvaro Morata and more have been lost over the past two seasons and how were they replaced? Inadequately. Dani Ceballos, Jesus Vallejo, Álvaro Odriozola, an untested Vinicius Jr and the aforementioned Diaz have all joined.
While they may have massive futures to come, it must be stressed that the big-game experience, quality and influence the former players possessed were never going to be adequately replaced at such short notice. The bulk of these woes should not rest on Lopetegui's shoulders, instead squarely on the board.
With every passing day, Ronaldo is showing his worth to the Old Lady while his former side continue to struggle in the absence of a prolific goalscorer. Another boss could be appointed who would utilise the existing squad better than Lopetegui is currently, but the truth remains that this shade of White is far away from what the club is renowned for - that's down to Perez and his short-sighted board, not Julen.
