Sergio Ramos and defence holds firm as Real Madrid go back to basics ahead of Brugge test

Spanish side head into Matchday 2 of the Champions League on the back of three clean sheets in the league

Atletico Madrid's Spanish forward Diego Costa jumps for the ball with Real Madrid's Spanish defender Sergio Ramos, top. AFP

Real Madrid's Spanish defender Sergio Ramos looks on. AFP

Real Madrid's French defender Raphael Varane beats Atletico Madrid's Diego Costa to the ball. EPA

Real Madrid's Dani Carvajal in action with Atletico Madrid's Saul Niguez. Reuters

Atletico Madrid's French midfielder Thomas Lemar, right, vies with Real Madrid's Croatian midfielder Luka Modric. AFP

Real Madrid's Spanish defender Sergio Ramos and Atletico Madrid's Montenegrin defender Stefan Savic jump for the ball. AFP

Atletico Madrid's Ghanaian midfielder Thomas Partey jumps for the ball during the Spanish league football match between Club Atletico de Madrid and Real Madrid CF at the Wanda Metropolitano stadium in Madrid on September 28, 2019. / AFP / OSCAR DEL POZO

Atletico Madrid's Spanish forward Diego Costa (R) hugs Real Madrid's Brazilian midfielder Casemiro at the end of the Spanish league football match between Club Atletico de Madrid and Real Madrid CF at the Wanda Metropolitano stadium in Madrid on September 28, 2019. / AFP / JAVIER SORIANO

Real Madrid's Welsh forward Gareth Bale jumps for the ball during the Spanish league football match between Club Atletico de Madrid and Real Madrid CF at the Wanda Metropolitano stadium in Madrid on September 28, 2019. / AFP / OSCAR DEL POZO

Atletico Madrid's Spanish midfielder Saul Niguez kicks the ball during the Spanish league football match between Club Atletico de Madrid and Real Madrid CF at the Wanda Metropolitano stadium in Madrid on September 28, 2019. / AFP / JAVIER SORIANO

MADRID, SPAIN - SEPTEMBER 28: Toni Kroos of Real Madrid battles for the ball with Vitolo of Atletico Madrid during the Liga match between Club Atletico de Madrid and Real Madrid CF at Wanda Metropolitano on September 28, 2019 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

MADRID, SPAIN - SEPTEMBER 28: Saul of Atletico Madrid battles for the ball with Nacho of Real Madrid during the Liga match between Club Atletico de Madrid and Real Madrid CF at Wanda Metropolitano on September 28, 2019 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

MADRID, SPAIN - SEPTEMBER 28: Gareth Bale of Real Madrid battles for the ball with Renan Lodi of Atletico Madrid during the Liga match between Club Atletico de Madrid and Real Madrid CF at Wanda Metropolitano on September 28, 2019 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

MADRID, SPAIN - SEPTEMBER 28: Federico Valverde of Real Madrid battles for the ball with Saul of Atletico Madrid during the Liga match between Club Atletico de Madrid and Real Madrid CF at Wanda Metropolitano on September 28, 2019 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

Atletico Madrid's Slovenian goalkeeper Jan Oblak (L) makes a save during the Spanish league football match between Club Atletico de Madrid and Real Madrid CF at the Wanda Metropolitano stadium in Madrid on September 28, 2019. / AFP / JAVIER SORIANO

MADRID, SPAIN - SEPTEMBER 28: Kieran Trippier of Atletico Madrid battles for the ball with Eden Hazard of Real Madrid during the Liga match between Club Atletico de Madrid and Real Madrid CF at Wanda Metropolitano on September 28, 2019 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)

epa07878243 Real Madrid's Dani Carvajal (c) duels for the ball with Atletico Madrid's Saul Niguez (2R) during their LaLiga Primera Division soccer match played at the Wanda Metropolitano stadium, in Madrid, Spain, 28 September 2019. EPA/JuanJo Martin

Real Madrid's revolution was supposed to be built around their attack but resilience has been the base for the recovery ahead of their Champions League group game at home to Club Brugge on Tuesday.

At the end of last season, as Zinedine Zidane's dreary run-in came to a close and paved the way for what many expected to be a spectacular summer, polls were published by Madrid's newspapers asking fans which of the world's deadliest strikers they hoped would arrive at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Harry Kane, Mohamed Salah, Sergio Aguero, Mauro Icardi and Robert Lewandowski were some of the names offered up and, in the end, Luka Jovic arrived, the Serbian who has struggled for starts so far and is yet to score a goal.

Eden Hazard is tasked too with helping fill the void left by Cristiano Ronaldo, even if the Belgian's own opening in Madrid has also been underwhelming, stalled by injury and now seemingly a period of adjustment.

"We would like him to score because it will release him," Zidane said following Saturday's 0-0 draw with city rivals Atletico Madrid. "But there is no problem with him."

Yet the stalemate against Atletico, in which neither side ever looked likely to find a winner, was a stark indication of how Real Madrid have relied on their defence to ease the pressure on their manager.

"We have been compact and again we have not conceded," said Zidane. "We have missed a little offensively but we are in it and we can improve."

This is the first time Madrid have kept three consecutive clean sheets in the league under Zidane and in the games against Sevilla, Osasuna and Atletico, they have had to cope with just a single shot on target.

"Defending is very important, it is the fundamentals," Zidane said.

The turnaround has been remarkable from Paris Saint-Germain, whose 3-0 win in the Champions League 10 days ago was Zidane's worst ever defeat as manager, as well as Levante and Villarreal, who had just scored twice against Madrid in the league.

When they were floundering last season, the focus was on their lack of goals but Madrid's defending was arguably just as problematic, with Sergio Ramos, Raphael Varane and Marcelo all woefully out of sorts.

After missing the loss to PSG, Ramos' return has coincided with the trio of clean sheets and his performances have been tighter too, more disciplined and less prone to extravagance.

But perhaps the biggest gains have been made ahead of him, in central midfield where Zidane's options are light but boosted by two excellent displays from Fede Valverde, who was given a chance in the rotated line-up against Osasuna and impressed enough in defensive midfield to keep his place.

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Ahead of Valverde, there has been more diligence from the front three, with Zidane singling out Gareth Bale for praise a handful of times since his move away failed to materialise in the summer transfer window.

Zidane's scepticism around Bale in the past has centred on a belief the Welshman cannot be trusted to defend but against Sevilla it was Bale who was at his own back post in injury tme, hacking a cross clear from danger.

"Gareth is doing very well," Zidane said. "Above all he is also helping a lot in the defensive areas and it shows. The team is more comfortable when we all defend."

Perhaps as well, there is a sense of a team finding its reality after a fantasy summer, a coming to terms with the need to build this new era not on glamour signings but going back to basics.

They restart this week in the Champions League too, where PSG's victory makes the French side favourites to go through top of Group A but a win over Brugge would at least get Madrid on the board.

The rematch at home to PSG comes in November and before then, the season's first Clasico against Barcelona arrives at the end of the month. Zidane will hope his defence can hold firm.