Is Real Madrid's current run of form a fluke?

Since their 5-1 humbling defeat by Barcelona at the Camp Nou back on October 28, Real Madrid have enjoyed a surge in form which has seen them win 10 of their 12 matches under Santiago Solari.

The other two games were a pair of disastrous 3-0 defeats by Eibar and CSKA Moscow in the Champions League. Their last win was a comfortable 3-1 victory over Japanese side Kashima Antler in the Club World Cup.

On the surface, this seems great. After a poor run of form under Julen Lopetegui, which included losses to Deportivo Alaves and Levante. However, if you read between the lines, you'll see a Real Madrid side barely scrapping past opponents rather than playing dominating attacking football the way Real should be.

Injuries, lack of form and consistency

For starters, Real are far too vulnerable and shaky defensively. Marcelo - known for his attacking runs - fails to transition in defence quickly enough. The wide areas are left uncovered as a result. Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane have both been a shadow of themselves in recent months.

Getting beaten far too easily and having seen their aerial dominance falter at times, Nacho Fernandez (knee) and Jesús Vallejo (muscle) aren't able to assert their first-team credentials given troublesome injuries of their own.

Nacho (left) has impressed upon occasion but not done enough, or remained fit for long

Daniel Carvajal is just returning from his own injury issues, gradually getting back to the consistent high-quality performance levels we've come to expect from the right-back.

Modric's dip, Kroos' quality and Isco's struggles

In midfield, Luka Modric has not looked anything like the player who dethroned Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to last month's Ballon d'Or. He is subject to plenty of criticism after winning the prestigious award, with many believing that although influential in Croatia's World Cup campaign, it ultimately wasn't enough to justify him winning.

Criticism of Modric's performances has reached an all-time high after winning the Ballon d'Or

Casemiro has just returned from an ankle injury and without his presence, the backline have been left even more vulnerable. Toni Kroos has looked stable and is actually one of few bright sparks for Los Blancos. Solari has been reluctant to feature Isco heavily, seeing him face a similar situation to James Rodriguez's under Zinedine Zidane.

A patchy forward line to boot

Meanwhile Real's forward line has been underperforming throughout the campaign, patchy at best. It's difficult to do but none of them have effectively stepped up to fill Cristiano Ronaldo's void. Marco Asensio has four goals and four assists in 25 appearances across all competitions, which are unacceptable numbers when playing for one of the world's biggest clubs.

Gareth Bale has ten goals and five assists in 21 games, though he recently scored a hat-trick against Kashima Antlers to propel Real into the Club World Cup final. His problem is consistency - a lack thereof - as he's failed to be a leader and take the mantle left by Ronaldo, which he'd been eyeing since his arrival in 2013.

Karim Benzema has been, well, Karim Benzema. It's been quite a few seasons now since the Frenchman has been a world-class goalscorer. Despite 11 goals and five assists across all competitions this term, most of them came against weaker opposition. Mariano Diaz has not featured regularly enough to earn much confidence or consistent goalscoring form - though his excellent finish against Roma proves he has plenty more to offer Real going forward.

Benzema, despite his quality, has struggled for goalscoring consistency in recent seasons

Most of this terrible run of form can be blamed on fatigue, with almost the entire squad being regulars with their respective national sides over this summer's World Cup campaign. Losing Cristiano Ronaldo certainly doesn't help, the departure of one of the greatest to ever play the game never does.

Their form doesn't seem like a fluke from afar, but if you delve deeper, it does look that way. Most of their wins came against lower-level opposition with close margins, but it's precisely the momentum they need going into the second half of this 2018/19 season.