Real Madrid suffered a huge setback in their quest to hunt down Barcelona at the summit of the La Liga table today.

After a welcome return to form under Santiago Solari and on the back of a 3-1 win away at city rivals Atletico, expectations were understandably high against Girona this afternoon.

And everything appeared to be going swimmingly in the first-half, with Casemiro heading Los Blancos into a deserved lead over the Catalan side at the Bernabeu.

But after the break, it all descended into chaos, with Cristhian Stuani and Portu turning the game on its head to hand Girona all three points.

Barca are now nine points clear of their eternal rivals, with the two sides meeting in La Liga on March 2.

A number of Real players really struggled to match Girona in the second period of the game, but it was left-back Marcelo who bore the majority of the criticism.

He was lacklustre defensively once again and a remarkable statistic surfaced in the wake of his latest sub-par display.

In the last nine La Liga games that Marcelo has started, Real have managed just one win.

That exact statistic was uploaded by a Los Blancos supporter on Instagram and Marcelo himself humbly replied.

It's hard not to feel a bit sorry for him after reading his response.

MARCELO ADMITS IT'S HIS FAULT

https://twitter.com/FlacoRMCF/status/1097192980774043649

The Brazilian icon said from his official account: “It’s all my fault. We move on!”

At 30-years-old, he knows he has to perform better as one of the experienced leaders in the Real dressing room.

Sergio Reguilon has been mighty impressive when called upon by Solari and it looks as if the 22-year-old may be first-choice for the rest of the season.

However, after the game, Solari gave an odd response when questioned on Marcelo's performance.

When asked by a reporter, the Argentine replied: "Good, he played well."

Should Marcelo be dropped? Have your say in the comment box below.