Zinedine Zidane Says Real Madrid Aren't 'As Bad as Everyone Says,' Talks Granada

Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane has defended his side against criticism after they were held to a 2-2 draw by Club Brugge in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday.

Zidane's side had to come back from two goals down at home to the Belgian side, and they've taken just one point from two Champions League games.

Goal's Robin Bairner, he said: "We know the situation, we're not as bad as everyone says. This is Real Madrid, it won't change because of anything I say."

Real's defending at the Santiago Bernabeu was calamitous at times during the match, and Brugge punished them twice through Emmanuel Bonaventure Dennis:

The performance followed a dismal showing in their last European outing, in which they were beaten 3-0 by Paris Saint-Germain despite the French side being without Edinson Cavani, Neymar or Kylian Mbappe.

Their poor start to the Champions League campaign has left them in an unfamiliar position:

Los Blancos are bottom of Group A, five points behind the Parisians.

Managing Madrid's Kiyan Sobhani was critical of Real:

Meanwhile, Covering Futbol noted their performances have been at odds with their domestic position:

Indeed, Real are top of La Liga and the only unbeaten side remaining in the Spanish top flight after seven matches.

They've also kept clean sheets in their last three league games after shipping five goals in their first four, despite facing away trips to Sevilla and Atletico Madrid.

Real host second-place Granada on Saturday, and Zidane is aware of the importance of the match.

"It's first against second, that means everything," he said. "We'll play against a team that's having a good season, like us. We want to play a good game, like always. We've not had much time to recover, but we're ready to play."

Despite their run of domestic clean sheets, Tuesday was a reminder that they're a team with defensive issues, while at the other end, Eden Hazard is yet to score or assist in his first five appearances.

The Belgian was the only one of Real's summer signings to play against Brugge, too. Ferland Mendy was injured, while Luka Jovic and Eder Militao were unused substitutes and Rodrygo Goes was left out of the squad.

As such, it's largely the same side that struggled throughout last season, and the only new face in the starting XI is failing to make an impact so far.

Granada will be a tough test for Los Blancos, who will soon find themselves slipping from the top of the table if they don't improve significantly.