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Real Madrid have had a below-par season so far, probably the worst in decades. The reigning champions of Europe and Spain are struggling for form this time around. Real sit fourth in the La Liga table with 42 points out of possible 66.
They trail the arch-rivals Barcelona by a tremendous gap of 17 points. The Los Blancos have already crashed out of the Copa Del Rey after a humiliating home defeat against Leganes.
With Barcelona in an unmatched stride, the La Liga title race appears to be over for the holders. Real's only ray of hope for silverware is the Champions League. Having won the first leg at Bernabeu, Real have given PSG a serious headache for the reverse leg.
Real Madrid would be looking forward to the fixture as the last chance for them to salvage some glory this season. However, it would be greatly against the odds if Real manage to pull out a third successive Champions League title.
On that note, we take a look at the reasons why Madrid could go trophyless this season.
#1 Champions League performances not up to the mark
Real's catastrophic domestic run has come like a shock to the fans. Only the Champions League is the competition where Real have been most convincing this season. They defeated Dortmund convincingly home and away. However, Tottenham proved to be a tough test for them.
Real travel to Paris next month carrying a two-goal cushion to face PSG. They had an impressive first leg display which ended 3-1 in favour of the home side. However, the away goal could prove advantageous for Unai Emery's men. Real would be upsetting some odds if they manage to repeat their first leg display in France.
PSG have arguably the best attack in Europe at the moment. Not to mention that a PSG team without Neymar and Mbappe managed to put four behind Barca last term, let alone with them. Real need to produce something special if they want to get past this PSG team in front of the French crowd.
Assuming that Real do manage to get past PSG, the latter stages of the competition would be a bigger test for them. Real could be up against the sides who aren't strugggling domestically as much as Zidane's men.
The road to Kiev appears to be dodgy presently for the reigning champions.
#2 Lack of squad depth
One of the major forces behind Madrid's back to back Champions League titles was their squad. They had depth in their bench in the form of Alvaro Morata, Raphael Varane, Marcos Asensio and James Rodriguez.
These players used to wrap up the league games against the lower league oppositions for the team. This allowed Zidane to rest main players ahead of challenging fixtures.However, the club has parted ways with a majority of their squad players. Their best options now come in the form of Asensio or Lucas Vasquez.
Even though the domestic hopes are potentially over for the club, they still need to keep up in order to secure a respectable position in the league. Moreover, they need to secure a Champions League spot for the coming season.
La Liga fixtures would come cramped between the knockout legs, Real would need to find a way to get past it. They not only need to take maximum points, but rest their star players.
#3 Out of form strikers
Readers would be in disbelief while the perusal of this point, evidently, as Ronaldo has scored a hat-trick this weekend and a brace against PSG in the Champions League, but the Portugese has been good only in patches this season
His inconsistency has added to the team's woes. It would be harsh to individualise the 32-year-old because the team has failed to provide their strikers any momentum.Just when things appear to be turning around, Real have blown it out perfectly.
Ronaldo is not, however, the lone culprit here. He has netted 23 goals in 28 appearances for his team but has been let down by his counterpart, Karim Benzema. His recent form deserves no worse adjective than - awful.
The French forward has been missing some sitters in front of the goal. In his 25 appearances he has managed to find the back of the net only six times. The 30-year-old has often been a subject to the wrath of the Bernabeu faithful.
Zidane needs to figure a way out to heal his front-line troubles quick enough or Madrid could be left quenching for silverware at the end of the season. Their forwards need to be doing for what they are best known.
#4 Tactical shambles
If we mention the best midfield duos in the world at the moment, Toni Kroos and Luca Modric would be an obvious choice. Despite the fact, Real have been lacklustre when it came to creativity out of the middle of the park.
Zidane has been criticised heavily by the fans for his poor attacking strategies. The French boss has been over reliant or to the least, only reliant on his full backs for spurning chances.
With Isco, Asensio, Modric, Kroos and Kovacic, there is no shortage of creativity in the ranks of the Los Blancos. The ability to provide through balls is unmatched when it comes to the aforesaid names. However, Zidane seems to be ignoring the fact.
His tactics have seen the team switch to 3-5-2 in tough situations which leaves them exposed at the back. As a result, any mistake from Real players is punished by the opponent harshly.
When Real would be facing the teams with quality attacks, they risk being even exposed. There doesn't seems to be a way out for the champions if Zidane doesn't shuffles his team's layout.
#5 Too many overachievers
In Ronaldo, Bale and Benzema they have the deadliest attack in Europe. In Modric, Kroos and Casemiro they boast the most balanced engine room in the world. Their full backs have been in an unmatched stride and Sergio Ramos in every sense has been a leader.
Consequently, they have won literally "everything". There is no piece of silverware left unattained by these players. It is possible that the players have a feeling of being the "overachievers". What could possibly be better than defending the Champions League crown and being the FIFA Club World Cup Champions in the same season?
Thus, the players feel it to be harsh on themselves when they are criticised for some mistakes. Real need a set of players who have that hunger for success. The youngsters who are ready to spill their blood on the pitch. The players who are desperate to justify their credentials.
