Real Madrid may not be in crisis, but there is no denying that a sense of unease has crept into the club.
A single draw against Rayo Vallecano should not, in theory, spark alarm at an institution built on trophies and dominance.
Yet the standards at the Santiago Bernabeu are so demanding that even the slightest dip forces deep internal analysis.
This time, the spotlight has fallen on the midfield, a department that has always defined Real Madrids control, identity, and rhythm.
Recently, the teams engine room has looked noticeably disconnected. What used to be the area where Madrid dictated the tempo now feels strangely empty.
The ball no longer progresses through the centre with the same confidence.
In just a few weeks, Madrid have shifted from dominating through the middle to appearing stretched and isolated on the flanks.
According to MARCA, during the match against Getafe, Real Madrid registered 327 passes in the opposition half and 149 in the final third, but the accuracy dropped to 75%, which was their lowest, matched only by the performance against Rayo Vallecano.
Without a natural link between midfield and attack, Real Madrid struggled to stitch their phases together.
Real Madrid are no longer dominating the midfield. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)
Against Juventus, though, the team produced 393 passes in the opposition half, 212 in the final third, and an impressive 85% accuracy.
It was the kind of performance that fans instantly recognise as Madrid at their best.
But inconsistency soon followed. Against Barcelona, the interior presence dipped sharply (117/79).
The Valencia performance brought a revival (473/263), but it vanished like an illusion.
Then came the trips to Anfield and Vallecas, where Madrid completed only 255 and 191 passes in the opposition half with accuracy levels hovering around 73%.
Madrids problem is not sloppiness. Passes lost in their own half remain stable.
They still protect the ball. What has changed is the geography of their game. The ball travels further, but it influences less. It moves with order, yet without presence.
This is not a decline in quality, rather a decline in density. Real Madrid still own possession, but it no longer feels like possession with purpose.
The ball is theirs, but not in the way it used to be, and until the midfield finds its rhythm again, Madrid will continue to look like a team searching for its heartbeat.