Madrid's No 9 crisis

Suddenly selling Alvaro Morata to Chelsea doesn't seem like such a good idea.

Not only has the Spanish centre forward started so well in the Premier League, but with Benzema out for a month with an injury, Ronaldo in the middle of a suspension for pushing a referee and Gareth Bale's headers all dropping the wrong side of the post at the moment, Real Madrid could definitely do with an extra No 9 in their ranks.

The perfectly good No 9 which they had last season and need this season is currently scoring goals for another team.

Following his side's shock 1-1 draw with Levante at the Bernabeu on Saturday, Zidane said: "We need to be more effective in front of goal." The early season optimism generated when Madrid swept aside Barcelona with a 5-1 aggregate victory in the Spanish Super Cup is slowly draining away.

On the weekend Bale and Madrid golden boy Marco Asensio both had four attempts on goal but couldn't find the back of the net. As Benzema limped off injured, Bale replaced him up front, which is far from his best position. He is at his most dangerous when arriving at pace, something which is robbed from him when he plays as the furthest forward.

He is not bad with his back to goal playing others in and no one can leap higher than him to get on the end of crosses but facing his team-mates and acting as the target man to shield the ball for other runners is where the opposing defenders would prefer to see him.

Benzema is Madrid's main man for link-play but his injury at the weekend is likely to keep him out until October. Keeping Benzema, who has always been susceptible to injuries and will turn 30 this December, and selling Madrid-born Morata to Chelsea was surely a strange decision but was not questioned in the summer.

Los Blancos fans were still celebrating the Champions League and La Liga double but it is starting to look like a mistake. At just 24 years old, the homegrown centre forward could have been the future of a club which is suddenly showing a lot of pride for their 'made-in-Spain' contingent in Isco and Asensio.

It wasn't just Morata that Madrid let go, having also sent Mariano Diaz out on loan to Lyon where he has already notched 4 times in five games and is playing well enough for Spain coach Julen Lopetegui to consider calling him up. He has played one game for the Dominican Republic but would be eligible to change his allegiance.

Whilst Mariano only managed five goals last season, the 24-year-old looks like a better option than Borja Mayoral, who has stayed at Madrid but who Zidane left out of his squad at the weekend when his team failed to score more than one goal against Levante.

A home game against Apoel should give Madrid a much-needed boost, with Ronaldo eligible to play and Bale likely to be up against defender Jesus Rueda. The Welshman scored a hat trick last time he faced Rueda when Madrid thrashed Real Valladolid.

A rout inspired by main man Ronaldo and a goal from Bale would surprise no one but doubt has already started to creep in at Madrid during the last two home fixtures.

Any overconfidence and complacency which may have surrounded the club at the start of the season has quickly disappeard, which could be good news to Zidane.