Real Madrid's poor form: What's wrong at the Bernabeu outfit?

Real Madrid, or Los Blancos, are not performing as &quot;royally&quot; (so to speak) as they should be. Before the international break, they lost to Alaves 1-0 in LaLiga. Yes, the squad is ageing. And Cristiano has left. Modric, the recent World Player of the Year, is over 30. Marcelo, possibly the world's greatest full-back presently, is ageing too. Benzema, Kroos, Bale, Ramos, etc. have all been together for a while also.It may be time for renewal at the Bernabeu, given this state of play of their squad. However, whilst they are only a few points off the top (held by Sevilla at the time of writing), it has not been a stellar start for &quot;the whites&quot;.This has been compounded by a Champions League loss against CSKA Moscow, which is concerning given their recent record-breaking run in the competition. They may well qualify for the knockout stage, but it won't be easy from this point.Is it all down to Ronaldo leaving? Or the ageing but still outstanding players? Or is it the new manager? Lopetegui, despite the furore of the Spain national team in the World Cup, has been appointed as The Whites' new manager this season, and as with any new man in charge, it takes time to bed in.Real Madrid, however, is not any club, and often the time is short. Even Zidane, who won LaLiga and of course three Champions Leagues in a row with them, left the club. And Zizou is both a playing and a managerial legend with them. Managers of the calibre of Mourinho, Ancelotti, Benitez, etc. have been replaced if things aren't ideal on or off the pitch. Lopetegui, if things continue negatively, may be no different to them ultimately.What has gone wrong, and is it really a problem? The LaLiga difference can be made up, and their &quot;friends&quot; Barcelona are also in a similar predicament if it counts as valid consolation. A good win against them in the coming El Clasico would do much to lift spirits - or inflame them if they lose.All the same, Real Madrid need to do something to enhance their league position, despite it being early at present.#1 Ronaldo leaving not the only issueRonaldo is without a doubt one of the best players Los Blancos have ever had, many would argue the greatest player, and given the talent they've had over the years, it's a high accolade to possess.There was the talk of him and club President, Florentino Perez, having a falling out. If this is true or not, it possibly was time for Cristiano to move on to pastures new. Thus far, the new &quot;grazing ground&quot; at Juve is proving good for him.That said, his goals would be a loss for them now, but could be compensated by Bale, Benzema, and even Modric in a deeper position.Is blaming the poor form on Ronaldo going simplistic? Maybe.As one of the richest clubs on Earth, and the biggest and most prestigious club on the planet to boot, they should have no issues in attracting top talent to replace Cristiano.If anything, it should be the club hierarchy who are to blame for this, and not Ronaldo departing per se. Bale proved in the CL final win against Liverpool that he can be the main man at the Bernabeu. His overhead kick was world class, and one of the best ever goals in CL history, let alone in a final.A lack of proactive thinking is the issue here, since losing a player who averages 40-50 goals per season (and has been the instrumental factor in four Champions League wins) should require some foresight and forward thinking in recruitment.

Real Madrid's poor form: What's wrong at the Bernabeu outfit?

#2 Lopetegui's methods