Real Madrid are in the midst of a campaign which has fared just about as badly as it gets by their famously lofty standards. Sometimes, though, things have to get worse before they get better.
Los Blancos had reached the stars at the end of last season as they claimed their 13th European crown, but perhaps the most difficult task in football is to improve a side that is already at the top of the game.
Cracks began to show last season as Zinedine Zidane’s side slipped to a third-place finish in La Liga, 17 points adrift of champions Barcelona and three behind local rivals Atletico Madrid.