When you're Real Madrid, you only have one of two moods: 'simply the best', or 'total crisis'. After taking their place as 15-time champions of Europe in June, they have drastically drifted into the flames of calamity.
The Spanish giants are already nine points off the pace set by early leaders Barcelona in La Liga - a 4-0 loss at home to their Clasico rivals didn't exactly do them the world of good - and currently sit in the bottom half of the Champions League's new table, behind the likes of Brest, Celtic and Dinamo Zagreb, after losing 3-1 at home to AC Milan on Tuesday.
Nearly every starter at Santiago Bernabeu has faced the brunt of the local media, been scapegoated and dug out for either a lack of quality or commitment to the cause. Now, manager Carlo Ancelotti is starting to feel the heat.
The Italian has won two Champions Leagues since his return to Madrid in 2021 and is heading for GOAT conversations for the next few generations, yet even he is not without fault. There are legitimate questions to put at Ancelotti's door.