5 reasons why Real Madrid are struggling

There are dark clouds hanging all over Real Madrid and things are turning toxic for manager Julen Lopetegui. This afternoon's shameful 1-2 loss to Levante at the Santiago Bernabeu has sent the crisis talk into overdrive.

The defending European champions have been a disaster to watch this season. Leaking goals at the back, an ineffective midfield, an attack blunter than a politician's conscience and players that don't seem to know what to do.

The unplanned-for exits of Zinedine Zidane and Cristiano Ronaldo were expected to have an effect this season. However, not even the most pessimistic Madridista could have foreseen this level of struggle.

The European Super Cup defeat to local rivals; Atletico Madrid was a sign of things to come. Early defeats of Getafe, Girona and Leganes was a false dawn as Lopetegui has overseen a terrible run of results and performances.

Here is a look at 5 reasons why Los Merengues are struggling;

#5 Defensive issues with Ramos at its heart

Ramos has been very bad so far this season

Everybody in the Real Madrid backline is struggling at the moment. This may sound extreme but is an accurate description of the current state of affairs.

The centre-back pairing of Raphael Varane and captain Sergio Ramos has looked shaky and disjointed. Including Nacho Fernandez, the centre-backs have struggled against all types of opposition. Against Levante, the defence was repeatedly breached by simple long balls. Against Sevilla, Madrid was undone by the press and movement of the Sevilla attack.

Even the usually reliable Marcelo has looked heavy and ponderous in possession and has found himself being rinsed consistently by the fleet-footed opposition.

Alvaro Odriozola has struggled gamely in his debut season for Los Merengues while currently injured Dani Carvajal has also been culpable for defensive errors. A big portion of the blame should go to Ramos. The captain has failed to lead by example and has been guilty of a lot of errors that have led to goals.

Sergio Reguillon and the goalies; Keylor Navas and Thibault Courtois are the members of the defence that probably deserve the least blame. However, they too will need to step up their games if the team is to escape from this terrible run of form.

#4 Star players have been poor

The world's best footballer has had a terrible start to the season

From goal to the frontline, Real Madrid's star men have underperformed badly so far. Fresh from winning the World Cup, Varane has been a pale imitation of the commanding presence at Russia 2018. It seems the journey to the World Cup final has taken a lot out of Luka Modric. The newly crowned Best player on the world has looked lost and lacking in his usual verve and drive.

Toni Kroos has probably been the worst of the lot. The German international has been misplacing passes, slowing down the pace of the game and generally hindering the team's effectiveness.

Lopetegui will need to shoulder a huge part of the blame for this. Dani Ceballos has looked hungry and full of verve, yet he has only been played in bits and parts. These are players who have been there and done it all in their careers. A change of attitude is needed badly.

#3 Lopetegui's tactics/choices have not been on the money

Lopetegui looks like a dead man walking

One of the worst takes in football has been that Zidane and Pep Guardiola were simply "lucky" during their all-conquering spells at Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. The Frenchman's wise use of his squad was an understated reason why Real won three UEFA Champions League titles in 3 seasons.

This is something that Lopetegui has failed to do. Shorn of Real's greatest goal scorer after Ronaldo's move to Juventus, a rejigging of the team was needed. Despite his poor displays, Karin Benzema has continued to enjoy the lion share of game time with little in terms of delivery. Given the underperformance of star players, it's amazing that players like Ceballos and Mariano Diaz have not been given more game time.

His insistence on playing a slow passing game despite the absence of genuine pace in attack (minus Gareth Bale) has also been baffling. With little movement by the front line to get in behind the opposition's defence, the midfield has had little to aim at. This has meant that Real have been easy to defend against as opposition isn't worried about leaving gaps behind.

With Florentino Perez's proclivity for sacking managers, only a miracle could see Lopetegui retain his job. Given the circumstances behind his sacking from the Spain job, this would be a bitter pill to swallow.

#2 The terrible nature of the attack

Benzema is symptomatic of Real's attacking woes

The people in the Madrid hierarchy who thought the likes of Bale and Benzema could replace Ronaldo's goals need questioning. Too many times, the Portuguese star's goals and personality covered up the deficiencies of the other attackers.

Against Levante, Lopetegui's team set an unwanted record; they failed to score in over 480 minutes of football for the first time since 1985. Isco is a fan favourite at the Santiago Bernabeu, this cannot be attributed to his effectiveness. Often choosing the flashy option over the effective one, alongside Marco Asensio, the Spanish pair have been very ineffective.

As expected, Bale's injuries have continued to haunt him and restrict his performances. He seems to have lost a bit of pace and has not stood up to be the main man like he has been demanding. The less said about Benzema, the better. The Frenchman seems to have lost the edge and verve that made him one of Europe's top marksmen all those years ago.

Lopetegui has found it difficult to get a tune out if the front line and may ultimately, have to be the one to pay the price.

#1 A failure to refresh a side in need of new blood

Real Madrid has failed to replace Ronaldo's goals

Almost everyone knew that Real Madrid will be in need of refreshing this season. The Champions League run last season papered over the cracks that were very visible in La Liga. The team finished in third but was a whopping 23 points behind league winners Barca.

It has become apparent that this was a problem that Zidane foresaw. It seems now that the former Ballon d’Or winner was not given the assurances that his demands for changes would be met.

Los Merengues’ summer activity saw the team reinforce positions that were not in need of immediate fixing: goalkeeper (Courtois) and right-back (Odriozola).

Vinicius Junior and the re-signing of Diaz from Lyon was the sum total of the attacking changes made. This was never going to be enough to replace the frightening tally that Ronaldo consistently set.

The constant rumours linking the likes of Eden Hazard, Mauro Icardi, Neymar, Mbappe and other star names turned out to be mere gossip. On this, Perez should bear the brunt of the blame as his pursuit of a marquee forward to replace CR7 meant that other less-popular attacking options that could have helped were ignored.