Zinedine Zidane: PSG Better Than Real Madrid 'In Every Department' in UCL Clash

Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane said his team came up short against Paris Saint-Germain "in every department" during their UEFA Champions League clash on Wednesday. 

Los Blancos were comfortably beaten 3-0 at the Parc des Princes, with a brace from Angel Di Maria and a late goal from Thomas Meunier enough to down the 13-time European champions.

Speaking after the game, Zidane said his team need to improve in multiple areas to compete with some of the continent's best, per Pablo Polo of Marca:

"They were better than us in every department, in the play, in midfield, and the thing that annoys me most is the intensity. 

"It's difficult if you don't start strongly. They're good at creating chances, that's not what worries me, it's seeing my team without the necessary intensity at the high level of this competition. We knew they were going to press us, but we barely made any impact on the game and we created few chances."

Zidane was also asked about specific players who had a poor night in Paris but said "we're all in the same boat here—I'm not going to single anyone out."

Per BT Sport, PSG's third goal summed up the difference between the two sides, as Juan Bernat and Meunier rampaged forward:

Madrid have been struggling with injuries as of late, although they were still able to field a strong team for the fixture, including a front three of Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale and Eden Hazard.

However, they failed to spark in attack and were unable to test former goalkeeper Keylor Navas, who was between the sticks for PSG:

During his first tenure in charge at the Santiago Bernabeu, Zidane excelled in Europe. In his managerial career, every time he's been involved in the Champions League, he's steered Madrid to success. On this evidence, this team is a long way off being ready to compete at the pinnacle of the European game.

Per ESPN FC, since being reappointed by the La Liga giants last season, Zidane has found it difficult to scale the same heights as he did during his first spell:

Spanish football journalist Colin Millar thinks Zidane relied on some star individuals when he first took over as manager:

It's still early days in the 2019-20 season, and following a summer of significant investment, it will take time for Real Madrid to click into gear. In addition to the injuries, Zidane was also without captain Sergio Ramos for the defeat in Paris because of suspension.

Despite the chastening loss, Madrid should still be confident of progressing into the knockout stages of the competition from Group A. The other two teams they have to face are Galatasaray and Club Brugge, who played out a 0-0 draw on Wednesday.