Zidane denies crisis among team players after drawing with Eibar 1-1 in LA Liga

Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane denied his team were in crisis after Sunday’s shock 1-1 La Liga draw against Eibar at the Bernabeu.

Former Madrid academy product Fran Rico headed Eibar in front early on, but Gareth Bale soon equalised when he headed in Cristiano Ronaldo’s fine cross.

But Zidane’s team never really pushed on from there, missing the injured Luka Modric in midfield, as the Basque visitors held on relatively comfortably for their first ever point at the Bernabeu.

It is now four draws in a row for Madrid in all competitions — the first time they have been on such a run since March 2006.

Zidane told his postmatch news conference that it was too early to “go crazy” but said Real knew they had to work on turning their form around.

“This is not a crisis,” he said. “This is just October, we cannot go crazy. Something is happening for sure — four draws in a row, especially the three in La Liga.

“When you are ahead, after the start of the season we had, it is difficult. But I will not lose my head, and nor will the players.

“We must work more, be more intense at start of games, as we were doing before but not so much lately.”

Zidane said he was disappointed with how his team had begun the game, lacking the required intensity against well-organised opponents.

“This leaves a bad taste,” he added. “We did not play in the first half. The opponent did play.

“The second half was much better, which is something we are saying too much lately. Games last 90 minutes, and lately we are starting games badly.

“They scored after four minutes from a cross, when we had seen they could use that to do us damage.”