5 of the top contenders for the UEFA Champions League

#4 Real Madrid

Real Madrid players look dejected after losing to Tottenham Hotspur

La Liga

Played - 12 | Won - 7 | Draw - 3 | Lost - 2 | Goals For - 22 | Goals Against - 9

Champions League 2017/18:

Played - 5 | Won - 3 | Draw - 1 | Lost - 1 | Goals For - 14 | Goals Against - 5

Fourth position is a massive downgrade for a team that was tipped to win everything at the beginning of this season. Real Madrid has underwhelmed with their performances, both in the league and the Champions League.

The poor league form of Real Madrid has been a mystery. They have struggled to score goals, with the form of Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema extremely concerning.

Isco is their top scorer (4 goals) and definitely has been their best player so far. He is the only one who has looked to make things happen with a sense of urgency that is just not visible in his teammates, unlike last season.

Cristiano Ronaldo has the worst shot conversion rate in Europe's top five leagues this season with one goal from 55 attempts https://t.co/w86oSfZ9Ts pic.twitter.com/kXml7AGNRJ

— MailOnline Sport (@MailSport) November 21, 2017

In the Champions League, things were going their way until Gameweek 4, when Tottenham sprung a surprise with a dominating victory over the defending champions.

Ronaldo has been in much better form in the Champions League with 8 goals from 5 games, but he needs better assistance in the bigger games if they are to make it all the way.

The defeat to Tottenham ensured that Real will end the group stage in second place, which could make life extremely difficult with excellent teams like PSG and Manchester City awaiting them in the next round.

Real Madrid needs to take it up a notch if they are to defend the UCL crown once again. They have the firepower, but the motivation seems to be lacking. Never count them out though.

Zidane needs to turn things around and quickly