Goal-shy Real rocked by CSKA
The last time Real Madrid went three games without a goal was in January 2007 and at the end of the season Fabio Capello was sacked.
Few deficiencies irk the fans at the Santiago Bernabeu more than shyness in attack and after an encouraging start under Julen Lopetegui, Madrid have drifted off course.
Their 1-0 defeat by CSKA Moscow on Tuesday left them three games without a win, even if none of those were straightforward, the previous two coming away to Sevilla and at home to Atletico Madrid.
"The atmosphere in the dressing room is not good," Luka Modric said. "When you do not score in three consecutive games, it is a bit of a worry."
In terms of position, the dip has barely made a scratch, with Madrid still level on points at the top of La Liga with the equally out of form Barcelona.
In the Champions League, they sit third in Group G, behind CSKA and Roma, but with a pair of games against the weakest side, Viktoria Plzen, coming up next. As they have proven in the last two seasons, group stage stumbles are easily corrected.
But there is concern about the team's bluntness up front, a complaint that instantly references Cristiano Ronaldo, the decision to sell and the failure to sign an elite replacement. "Sindrome Cristiano," El Pais called it on Wednesday.
"Cristiano set the bar very high," Keylor Navas added. "You cannot cover the sun with your finger. He scored many goals while he was here, but it's already the past and we cannot live in the past."
BAYERN HELD BY AJAX
In another match, Noussair Mazraoui's superbly worked first-half equaliser stunned an out-of-sorts Bayern Munich on Tuesday, as Ajax held the German giants to a surprise 1-1 draw in Bavaria.
After a draw at home to Augsburg and a shock 2-0 defeat to Hertha Berlin last week, Bayern's miserable form continued as they struggled against Ajax, who stay top of Group E.
"It wasn't an easy game today, but we've only scored two goals in our last three games, and that is not enough by our standards," Bayern captain Manuel Neuer told DAZN.
In the 21st minute, Noussair Mazraoui linked up brilliantly with Dusan Tadic and lashed the ball past Neuer. Unsettled, Bayern completely lost their rhythm and, other than a handful of half-chances for Hummels and defensive midfielder Javi Martinez, created little of note before half-time.
"We started well with a lot of momentum, but we let Ajax into the game," Bayern midfielder Thomas Mueller told DAZN. "Our commitment was good, but we were trying to get forward too quickly and kept losing the ball too easily."
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