Zinedine Zidane Wants More from Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema

Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane reportedly wants to see his front three working harder defensively.

According to Marca's Jose Felix Diaz (adapted by Aldo Sainati), the Frenchman wants the team to be more balanced with Luka Modric and Casemiro injured, and as such, Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo are "being asked to press with more intent and put in more work without the ball."

The trio's collective lack of work rate is highlighted without the two midfielders providing solidity in the middle, as the likes of Isco and James Rodriguez are unable to perform the same role.

Zidane is hoping the increased defensive ethic will leave them less isolated from the rest of the team, with the more hardworking Alvaro Morata, Marco Asensio and Lucas Vazquez knocking on the door.

Francisco Seco/Associated Press

Real beat Legia Warsaw 5-1 in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, but the match was not quite as comfortable as the scoreline suggested. Indeed, the Polish side had plenty of opportunities themselves, per La Liga writer Andrew Gaffney: "Real Madrid dangerous whenever they attack but (needlessly) open, which is giving Legia chances."

Even Los Blancos' defenders were guilty of some slack defending, as noted by SB Nation's Managing Madrid: "You know RM don't [care] about defending when you see Pepe jogging back from midfield to defend against a Legia counter."

Real's BBC provide a great contrast with their counterparts at Barcelona. While Neymar isn't known for his tracking back, Luis Suarez's tenacity and tireless running are key parts of his game, and even Lionel Messi has shown he's willing to put a shift in where required.

He did so against Manchester City on Wednesday, per Bleacher Report UK's Rik Sharma: "Messi [was] very unselfish today. Seen him playing behind [Javier] Mascherano at various stages."

Despite arguably doing the least defensive work of the Real front three, Ronaldo would seem the safest given the political difficulties Zidane would face in dropping him.

Michael Probst/Associated Press

Bale, too, would seem fairly secure thanks to his outstanding form and greater willingness to cover ground, but Benzema—who has netted just three goals in 10 appearances this season—is struggling to justify a starting berth either in work rate or success up front.

Real's lax approach to defending from the front is yet to prove costly to Zidane, who has lost just twice since taking over in January, per Squawka Football.

However, for the Frenchman to get the best out of Los Blancos in the long term—particularly as he's unable to recruit any more defensive-minded players until 2018 because of the club's transfer ban—he needs his forwards more willing to help out with the less glamorous aspects of the game.

Real will hardly turn into Diego Simeone's relentless Atletico Madrid, but a little extra work from the front three will go a long way, especially in big games.