Real Madrid's big reaction starts in LaLiga

Nobody is under any illusions at Real Madrid this week; the defeat against Tottenham Hotspur has hit the club hard and they must react by making immediate gains in the LaLiga title race.

Going into the game, the prospect of a win at Wembley Stadium against a Champions League group rival was seen as a potential turning point in Los Merengues' season, however that dream turned out to be far from reality.

After just 65 minutes, Real were 3-0 down and ahead of a league fixture against Las Palmas on Sunday, there is recognition with the camp that domestic duties are where the revival must begin, or as the word is at Valdebebas: "Everything is more or less under control, but it is true that LaLiga has gotten out of hand."

Focus on the title

Just like last season, Zinedine Zidane is strongly aware that the day-to-day demands of the league campaign bears the true litmus test of a team's capabilities, and in recent weeks Madrid had been on decent form.

However that came to a grinding halt with the defeat in Girona and its impact was felt across the fanbase and dressing room. A reaction is a necessity and, while the coach does not expect to build any kind of lead atop the table, he expects them to re-enter the fight for the title.

This is also because Zidane sees LaLiga as the basis from which the squad find a positive dynamic, giving them motivation and momentum to compete week after week, a factor which cannot be underestimated.

A juddering start

It is true that last season gave Zidane many injury headaches but this campaign has seen a number of first-choice players struck down in the early weeks, making it more difficult to hit top gear when in tough games.

Already, Karim Benzema, Marcelo, Dani Carvajal and Gareth Bale have had fitness issues and getting them back to top condition amid the winter grind is tough, especially as Barcelona have not offered any openings by way of dropped points.

Plan B's immaturity

Cristiano Ronaldo intimated on Wednesday that Real's second string has been weakened over the summer and Zidane is among the first to recognise this.

Last season's rotations were covered by the security of a top class athlete such as Pepe or James Rodriguez entering the fray as an alternative, luxuries that are not available to the boss with his new, fresh-faced batch of reserves.

Taking stock

Two incredible performances in the Super Cup finals of the summer gave an impression that Los Blancos were to stroll away with further honours throughout the season, yet that has not been the case.

Because an eight point gap has opened up in LaLiga, the playing staff acknowledge the need to get through the following weeks with any many wins as possible before reigniting any aspirations of a big trophy haul come May.

Isolated Isco

It is unusual that only one player is in good form at this stage of the campaign, but Zidane has the conundrum of trying to revitalise his star players while giving Isco as much freedom as possible.

The Spaniard has not been the natural star of the team in recent seasons and yet now he is undroppable amongst a squad that has far too many big names playing below-par.