On the eve of the new La Liga season, it was Barcelona who were supposed to be in crisis, not Real Madrid.

Los Blancos won both the league and the Champions League last term and it was almost impossible to see how they weren't going to repeat those exploits.

Not only had Barca done some very questionable transfer business in the summer, they were outclassed by Real in the Spanish Super Cup.

Maybe we're throwing the word 'crisis' around a little lightly. However, Zinedine Zidane's men haven't looked great.

Whereas Ernesto Valverde has stormed to six wins on the bounce, Madrid have drawn with Valencia and Levante and lost to Real Betis. That run of form has left them fifth, already trailing the top spot by seven points.

No wonder the knives are out at the Bernabeu. Even when things are going well, this is a crowd that love to boo Cristiano Ronaldo, so just imagine how they'll be feeling now.

The Portuguese hasn't scored a single goal this term, though partly because of suspension. His sending off in the first leg of the Supercopa ruled him out of the first three games of the regular season.

The only games he's actually featured in came against Betis and in the weekend's 2-1 win over Alaves.

An unwanted record 

Even in that victory, the four-time Ballon d'Or winner drew attention to himself for the wrong reasons with a theatrical dive following very minimal contact from the defender.

As he won't have an opportunity to put it right until the Espanyol game on October 1, Goal have pointed out that he can no longer avoid reaching an unwanted milestone.

Since joining the club from Manchester United in 2009, he's never had to wait this long to find the back of the net. In 2010, he had to wait until September 21 to score his first goal of the season, but he's now eclipsed that record.

Should it be cause for alarm? The 32-year-old has had to change his style in front of goal, no longer relying on his pace and instead evolving to make his game more about power and positioning.

Surely it's only a matter of time before he finds his shooting boots, but by then, it may be too late to catch Lionel Messi - the Argentine has already netted nine goals this season.

What have you made of Ronaldo's start to the season? Have your say in the comments.