It very quickly went from smooth-sailing to tumultuous wave-avoiding for Real Madrid.
Xabi Alonso came in, got them playing exactly as they should be playing, and Los Blancos then went on a winning streak in both La Liga and the Champions League.
Unfortunately, that high-flying form was never going to last forever. The cracks which Xabi Alonso did an excellent job at papering over are starting to become obvious now.
Real Madrid is not at the point of no return, but after losing the Madrid derby, losing to Liverpool, and now failing to score against Rayo Vallecano before the break, the comeback needs to be stronger than the setback was.
Real Madrid hit with double injury blow on international duty
Unfortunately, after just one day of being on international break, Real Madrid has been hit with a double injury blow. According to Fabrizio Romano, both Thibaut Courtois and Fede Valverde will return from international break, and they will not play for their countries due to injury.
On Courtois, Romano said: "Thibaut Courtois suffered an injury to the adductor longus muscle in his leg. Real Madrid staff will assess him during the break, as Courtois will miss the upcoming games with Belgium."
So, Courtois is not confirmed to be ruled out for after the international break. However, the fact that he needs to be rested from the international break is never a good sign. Fans can only hope for the best here, as until Real Madrid carries out the necessary medical tasks, there is nothing more to do than hope.
Courtois was Real Madrid's best player against Liverpool last week, so for him to go down like this would be a big blow.
Then, on Valverde, whose injury blow came a little earlier, Romano said: "Fede Valverde suffered a semimembranosus muscle injury in his leg. Real Madrid’s midfielder, expected to return after the international break, and he won’t be available for Uruguay."
At this stage, it appears that Valverde will return quicker than Courtois. But we do not know anything in detail until Real Madrid carries out their tasks and communicates the findings to the fanbase, as they always do. Until then, anything else is merely speculation.
When injuries are located on international duty, the usual protocol is that both the country and the domestic team carry out their own tests. The two parties can communicate, but ultimately, it up to each nation and Real Madrid to do what they think is best for the player.
After the international break, Real Madrid faces Elche in La Liga and Olympiacos in the Champions League within the same week.