It is indisputable that Real Madrid have had a poor season with a lot of challenges.
Los Blancos are currently on their third manager of the campaign after sacking both Julen Lopetegui and Santiago Solari in the last six months.
Zinedine Zidane has returned to steady the ship, but he will be unable to deliver any silverware come May.
Madrid have been knocked out of the Copa del Rey and the Champions League, while they’ve also fallen 13 points behind Barcelona in La Liga.
Finishing the season without lifting a trophy will be an unfamiliar feeling for Real’s fans, but former boss Fabio Capello has a theory as to why they’ve struggled so much.
And it’s all down to losing Cristiano Ronaldo. The retired Italian manager believes that Madrid no longer instill fear in opposing defences without the five-time Ballon d’Or winner in their side.
“I always say, that Real Madrid and Barcelona start matches winning 1-0 and if you want to beat them you have to score at least two goals,” Capello said at the World Soccer Congress.
“This year Madrid have lacked the 1-0, and have started at 0-0 like the others and that’s why they have faced so many difficulties.
“Now we see what is happening at Juventus with Cristiano [Ronaldo] as, with the Portuguese, the opposition defenders were very scared before and now they are not.”
On top of suggesting Ronaldo’s departure has seriously damaged Real’s fear factor, Capello also revealed he was surprised by Zidane’s reappointment, but believes he has more power this time.
“[Zidane’s return] has surprised me a lot to say the truth,” he continued.
“I think that now he has more power than before because when he joined the club for the first time it was Florentino Perez who put him on the job and now it was [Perez] who asked him to go back.
“Zidane is the one who knows about the transfers, as there are three good players they can sign and they know who those players are.”