Real Madrid in for Rough Ride After Luka Modric Adds to Injury Problems

Ask any Real Madrid fan and they will tell you being ahead of Barcelona, even if it's just on goal difference, at this stage of the season is a positive thing.

And in terms of the start of Rafa Benitez's reign, despite a little turbulence, things have been going well.

Scoring 15 times and shipping just two in La Liga leaves a healthy balance in the goal-difference column.

The Champions League campaign is going well too, with Madrid smashing Shakhtar Donetsk at home and beating Malmo away, meaning they have a 6-0 total in the goal charts in that competition.

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The aforementioned turbulence has been of the sit-down-and-buckle-up variety rather than the type that has passengers fearing for their lives.

For instance, there has been Cristiano Ronaldo's form in front of goal. The Portuguese has been criticised for only scoring in one league match—in which he netted five times.

Despite this, he has still managed to break—or equal, depending on whether you go by Madrid's total or the official count—Raul Gonzalez's all-time goalscoring record for Real Madrid.

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Then there's his alleged rift with Gareth Bale, which Cadena SER reported (h/t Sport) is simmering down thanks to a phone call from Benitez to the Welsh winger.

That's not to mention the alleged falling out between Benitez and his star players over the coach's tactics, as explained by Sport.

The coach has also been consistently asked by the media about his opinion of Ronaldo, which could soon become tiresome for him.

He was criticised heavily after letting Madrid's lead in the derby clash with Atletico slip, with Los Blancos 1-0 up before Luciano Vietto's late equaliser.

A win at the Vicente Calderon would have turned a decent start to the season into a good one, showing their local rivals who's boss and putting Madrid at the top of La Liga.

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As it is, they are second, one point behind Villarreal and two ahead of Atletico, level with archrivals Barcelona.

But none of those issues are the biggest problem of all.

The real frustration is the list of injuries Los Blancos have had this season.

Ronaldo was injured in pre-season, Pepe against Athletic Club, Jese Rodriguez against Malaga and Dani Carvajal against Atletico Madrid.

Sergio Ramos missed several weeks, Gareth Bale was out for most of September, Karim Benzema is now suffering and James Rodriguez is still out after being injured during a Colombia game in September.

Danilo missed several weeks but recently returned to training. Luka Modric has added to the list of problems, and according to Sport, he is likely to be out of action for three weeks.

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Some have questioned whether Benitez's hard training work in pre-season has tired the team out and made them more susceptible to injuries.

This all comes ahead of a testing period of six games in 22 days, and only two of them look comfortable for Madrid.

They take on Levante at home to open the run of fixtures, a chance to get back into their rhythm before they travel to France to face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.

That is followed by an extremely difficult visit to Balaidos to play high-flying Celta Vigo, who crushed Barcelona there earlier in the season, and they host Las Palmas the following weekend.

Then PSG come knocking at the Santiago Bernabeu before Madrid travel to Sevilla to end a tricky set of matches.

It is the preamble to one of the most crucial games of the season: El Clasico.

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Madrid welcome Barcelona to the Santiago Bernabeu on November 22, and after that match, we will have a much greater idea of Benitez's capabilities as Real Madrid manager.

Not just because we need to see how he can handle the pressure of that game but also because the string of games that comes beforehand presents a challenge in itself.

And even more so given the vast array of injuries which have hit the squad.

Casemiro played against Atletico and did well in midfield, which makes him the obvious option to feature in Modric's stead.

But the coach may feel he loses some attacking thrust that way and, as such, pick another Croatian in Mateo Kovacic.

This is one of several micro problems that need to be managed over the next few weeks. It will be intriguing to see whether Benitez can steer his aircraft out of the storm and into clearer skies.