Real Madrid Zidane alarmed by defensive fragility

How Sergio Ramos challenged Mourinho after Ozil fight

Zidane and Real Madrid are losing control

After a 3-3 draw at home to Las Palmas as well as a defeat to Valencia a simple conclusion has been drawn at Real Madrid; the team concedes too many goals when Sergio Ramos is present.

This is an observation shared by coach Zinedine Zidane who intimated as much during the club's trip to Japan to take part in the Club World Cup.

It was hoped that the winter break would hand the players the opportunity to rest and correct any lingering defensive issues but if anything the problem has become steadily worse.

Ramos was one of the players highlighted after Wednesday's disappointing draw at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu for his positional mistakes.

His leadership and commitment to the cause cannot be questioned but he made two crucial errors that allowed Las Palmas to score their first two goals.

Cope journalist Pedro Martin made clear on his twitter account, @pedritonumeros, that the former Sevilla defender has enjoyed a difficult season and in the 1,421 minutes he has played in LaLiga this term, Real have conceded 21 goals over the course of 16 games.

This is more than a goal per game and it has seen Los Blancos win just 10 of those matches with four draws and two defeats to boot.

Without their captain in the team the numbers are eye-catching in their difference, Los Blancos only conceding four goals in the 720 LaLiga minutes played.

In the Copa del Rey the numbers aren't too different.

The three matches without Ramos saw Real win three times however, three matches with him present have yielded two draws and a defeat.

On the continental front the two games without him have seen the team ship four goals against Legia Warsaw.

The slide began last season when the team recorded 13 victories and two draws without him and conceded an average of 0.66 goals per game.

When he was in the team the balance simply wasn't there with Los Blancos losing four matches, drawing four matches and only winning fifteen.

It may be unfair to single him out and there is a lot he adds to the dynamic that is difficult to measure; his leadership and penchant for dramatic late goals are both invaluable.

However, Zidane has noted that the team's defensive issues are far worse statistically when the captain is present and this isn't sustainable for anyone in the long-term.