Real Madrid Struggling Against Tough Opposition

After Sunday's 1-1 draw against Athletic Bilbao, Real Madrid proved once again that they are not a cohesive team. These are Real's accomplishments against top European clubs.

As you can see, Real Madrid's two wins are somewhat questionable. The first one against Athletic Bilbao came when the Basque squad was still trying to learn Valverde's system and their performances weren't as great as they are right now. And on the 2-1 win against Juventus, Real Madrid made the best out of Giorgio Chiellini's red card and also a mediocre performance -even though it's always good to beat the Italian champions-.

The first 2-2 draw at Villarreal, where Gareth Bale made his debut for the club was in fact a terrible match for Real Madrid that could've easily ended in a blowout if Diego López didn't have the match of his life with a double game-winning save.

It's also true that Real Madrid probably deserved better at the Camp Nou. Ancelotti deployed Sergio Ramos in the midfield, but Illarramendi and Karim Benzema dominated the whole second half as soon as they entered the pitch.

All things considered, Ancelotti's men are arguably underperforming in these kind of games. After nine months, one could expect this roster to keep the 0-1 lead they collected thanks to Jesé's goal. San Mamés is a difficult stadium to play in, and it's also obvious that the referee's red card on Cristiano Ronaldo was more than questionable.

If we also take into account that Carlo decided to replace Jesé, Benzema and Carvajal for Illarramendi, Morata and Varane, showing that he was afraid and didn't want to go after the three points when Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off. Isco didn't play a single minute even though it seemed as if he could be the player who changed the game and bring the three points home.

One thing is certain. This team is no good against decent opposition for the time being.