David Alaba suffers torn ACL in Real Madrid's victory over Villarreal

Real Madrid beat Villarreal 4-1 over the weekend and moved into first place in La Liga - pending Girona's result against Alaves.

However, it wasn't all good news as Los Blancos lost anothe pillar of their defense as David Alaba was forced off with an injury. Real Madrid released a statement, confirming the worst possible scenario.

"Following tests carried out on our player David Alaba, he has been diagnosed with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee," the statement read. "He will undergo surgery in the coming days."

Madrid are already without Eder Militao and Thibaut Courtois so a thin defense has now only gotten thinner.

"It's a shame obviously. We're very sad to lose another player, I've never seen three cruciate ligament injuries in four month. it's incredible. But there's nothing we can do," Carlo Ancelotti said after the match.

"What the team has to do is whay it's donw with all the injuries we've had, which is to hang on. We've done more than people thought we would. With all our problems, this team is battling, fighting, with extraordinary commitment. It's the only way we can all replace all the important players who've suffered injuries. We'll see in the next few days if we can do something."

Ancelotti is right to point out how Madrid have not only battled through their plethora of injuries but have seemingly not missed a beat. While there have been some wobbly moments, Real Madrid are still at , or near the top, of the league table. They also finished the Champions League top of their group, winning all of their games.

Still, losing Alaba is a blow because, alongside Antonio Rudiger, were performing very well. Alaba is also a player who can play at left-back, giving Ancelotti flexibility, which he's had to use given injuries to Ferland Mendy as well as Fran Garcia yet to fully convince.

Real Madrid have been able to weather the storm without Militao and Courtois but Ancelotti wants his club to go out and sign someone to cover for Alaba's absence.

According to Relevo, Ancelotti wants an experienced center-back or a young defender on the rise. He does not want there to be any "experiments" and would prefer a more stable option. Whether he gets his wish granted remains to be seen as Real Madrid, aside from some notable signings, have been less willing to splash the cash in recent history.

Madrid may have enough depth in defense to mount a challenge in La Liga. At the moment, Girona is their only real threat given Barcelona's struggles. The Champions League, however, could be a different story.