3 Real Madrid Players Who Must Hit Form After International Break

A week earlier, he'd been furious, but not here. "If we keep playing like this, we are capable of great things," said Zinedine Zidane in the aftermath of Real Madrid's 4-0 victory over Sevilla on March 20.

He was right. From Madrid, this had been more like it. But since, there's been a problem, too: His team hasn't been able to keep playing.

For Zidane and his players, the international break arrived at an inopportune time. After an indifferent month, Los Blancos put together one of their strongest displays of the season against Sevilla prior to the break, as key faces returned and elements aligned. 

Up front, the BBC was reunited for the first time since mid-January; in midfield, a sense of balance was evident with Casemiro involved; in defence, Danilo showed hints of improvement. 

This was something to build upon, but instead they've been given an interruption. It's an inconvenience that needs to be overcome, and when it ends, time is of the essence: Madrid face Barcelona in the Clasico when club football returns, and then head to Germany to take on Wolfsburg in the UEFA Champions League—the competition that stands as their only possible salvation.  

Winning it will require a perfect cocktail: moments of brilliance, a good draw, a dash of luck, collective improvement and, more than anything, the return to form of struggling stars. 

Here we look at three such players.

Sergio Ramos

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This is not the season Real Madrid had in mind when the club fought to retain Sergio Ramos last summer amid a lengthy contract dispute. 

Coming off a pair of fine campaigns under Carlo Ancelotti and inheriting the captaincy from Iker Casillas, Ramos was expected to be a pivotal figure in a reworked outfit this term. In a leadership sense, he felt vital in a youthful squad; emotionally, he entered the season as a sort of standard-bearer. 

But little has gone to script. 

Since its opening weeks, 2015-16 has been riddled with injury issues and form slumps for the Spaniard. Not in peak condition, Ramos hasn't been able to impose himself on matches, the forceful edge to his game missing. Often, he's looked uncharacteristically passive, and there's been an absence of clarity, composure, to his defensive work. 

If Madrid are going to see silverware this season, no Madrid player needs a form reversal more than Ramos. 

James Rodriguez

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Marca's recent headline summed it up: "Come back James, we need you."

Madrid do. 

In a manner akin to Gareth Bale last term, James Rodriguez has seen his existence at the Santiago Bernabeu flipped on its head in his second season at the club. Gone are the goals. The assists. The highlight-reel plays. The consistency. The admiration.

In their place have been injuries, stints on the bench, whistles from the stands, questions of discipline and a spiral of negativity. 

"From Ballon d'Or to barn door," said AS recently. 

Now is hardly the time for Madrid to give up on James, but in the closing stages of the season, the Colombian needs to find a spark, a catalyst. It might be a last-ditch tackle, a gut-busting run or a stellar goal—anything to sway the mood that surrounds him and win back support. 

It would be a boost for Madrid's final push this season, and it would give James a platform to work from going into 2016-17. 

Toni Kroos

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It was a moment that felt extremely significant at the time and has continued to prove so since.

Fifty-two minutes were up on the clock at the Bernabeu when Antoine Griezmann won possession just beyond the halfway line in February's pivotal Madrid derby. Instantly, Griezmann turned and ran at the Madrid defence; a couple of yards away, Toni Kroos started jogging. 

As the play unfolded, Griezmann kept running. Kroos kept jogging. The Frenchman then laid the ball off to Filipe Luis, who gave it straight back. Caressing his shot past Keylor Navas, Griezmann broke the game open and shattered Madrid's league season. 

When the ball was struck, Kroos, still in first gear, was a few yards away. 

That moment was a month ago, and the German hasn't played the anchor role on a single occasion since. Instead, after a moment that crystallised the issues Madrid have with Kroos in that position, Zidane has used Casemiro at the base of the midfield in every game that has followed. 

As such, the former Bayern Munich star has been shifted to the left side of the central trio. There, he has more freedom and fewer defensive duties; there, he can be himself. 

And that's what Madrid need: the smooth, effortless Kroos who controls, dictates and steers. 

That Kroos hasn't been seen often enough this season.