Madrid have already dropped more points than last season

The numbers, sometimes, speak for themselves. Zinedine Zidane's team face an unusual and frustrating period in La Liga. They could become the players who, for a Madrid side, finish the furthest away from the leaders after the mid-way point of a season (19 league games), beating Jose Mourinho's 2012-13 squad.  

During the first-half of this season, Real Madrid have dropped 22 points, compared to the 21 points that were lost in the entirety of last year's league. After six draws and three defeats, the Spanish giantshopes of retaining their La Liga crown have already all but ended. Even if they won every fixture from now on, they could not reach the 93-point tally which made them champions last term. 

The Madrid club has not had two consecutive losses at home since they endured the famous 2-6 'Clásico' defeat in 2009 with Juande Ramos in the dugout. In terms of failing to score in two matches at the Bernabeu, you have to look back to 2006-07 when Levante (0-1) and Real Betis (0-0) managed to keep clean sheets away to the eventual champions. 

Whatever happens on Sunday, Real will reach the halfway point in the season in a Champions League qualification position, though there is currently only a point between them and fifth-placed Villarreal, the team who managed to snatch a late winner in Saturday's game. Sevilla could go equal on points on Sunday when they face Alaves, but barring a miracle the Andalucians would still find themselves below 'Los Blancos' on goal difference. 

Finally, if we compare this season's figures to those that resulted in the dismissal of Rafa Benitez in 2016, the Spanish coach left after 19 games with 37 points, five more than Zidane having played one game less.