It's fair to say things haven't gone to plan for Real Madrid so far this season. Against Athletic Bilbao, much of what has gone wrong was on display. From no real game plan to Kylian Mbappe's penalty miss highlighting his struggles.
It's no surprise the latest defeat has caused criticism from all angles to rain down on Carlo Ancelotti and Real Madrid. Despite it all, Ancelotti remains defiant and accepts the criticism -- to an extent.
"I have to accept the criticism because the team is not at its best," Ancelotti said. "As is always the case in football, the coach is the most responsible and that is where the criticism falls. That said, I thnk I am getting too much criticism, which could mean that you are tired of me."
"But I am not tired of this job. I am happy despite the criticism, which I understand. And sometimes criticism can be fuel to do even better."
Real Madrid have been hit by injuries to the likes of Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao and Vinicius Junior. Those are all important players for Ancelotti but they were going through some of their struggles even when all three players were healthy.
Fairly or unfairly, Kylian Mbappe has been a focal point for criticism and singled out for Real Madrid's struggles. The penalty miss against Athletic Bilbao further fueled those jabs considering it was his second straight penalty miss and in an important moment of the match.
When facing an opponent who has some quality, Real Madrid have not been up to task. They've lost to Barcelona, AC Milan and Liverpool quite comfortably. While they only lost by one against Athletic Bilbao, the Basque side was all over them throughout.
Because of their track record this season, it's not surprising there is pessimism heading into their next match against Girona. While Girona aren't the same team from last season -- the one that was in the hunt for the league title -- they are still a difficult side, especially at home.
Under Michel, Girona are still a side that like to have possession and go at their opponents. With no cohesion, Real Madrid have been more than willing to cede the initiative. As mentioned, against better opponents, its come back to haunt them.
Madrid need a win for more reasons than one. Depending on the Barcelona result, they could find themselves seven points back should they lose against Girona. Not only that but then they travel to Bergamo to take on Atalanta in the Champions League. An Atalanta side who sit fifth in the standings and secod in Serie A.
Ancelotti believes they can silence the critics and they're going to have to considering his job could be on the line should he not win his next two games. Not only could they fall further behind in LaLiga, but they could be putting their spot in the Champions League play-in at real jeopardy.