LaLiga: Is Zidane's time up at Real Madrid? All the fallout from their shock Copa del Rey exit last night

What a difference six months makes. As Zinedine Zidane was lifting his second consecutive Champions League trophy, the footballing world laid at his feet.

Real Madrid were no longer also-rans, or cup specialists. Zidane appeared out of the flames like Daenerys Targaryen and claimed the LaLiga title.

There was an ‘A’ and ‘B’ team which could match any team in Europe. A one-off? No, these were the makings of a dynasty.

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This morning as Real Madrid fans wake up, their dream of ruling football feels like a cruel joke. You can make excuses for dropping points here and there, it happens, but to lose over two legs to Leganes?

And I say that without malice or ill will towards their Madrid-based minnows, but in no reality should Real Madrid be losing this tie.

Yet, as is the case with the league, these ‘shouldn’t happen’ scenarios are a regular occurrence. More regular than a string of top draw performances, that’s for sure.

From untouchable to unwanted in six months

Zidane has gone from being Superman to Clark Kent. To quote a line from Friends: “I have the cape, yet I cannot fly.” There’s something seriously wrong at the club. Zidane’s peaceful aura doesn’t seem to be having the desired effect.

The players aren’t responding to his battle cries, like uninterested teenagers in their bedrooms with headphones on. Whatever is being asked of them, if they ignore it for long enough, will soon disappear. Right now that question is: “Do you want to help Zidane save his job?”

At any other club in world, your position would be safe after such an impressive 18 months in charge. So the last six months were a little rocky, below par, but it still saw them pick up another three trophies.

After all, isn’t football about winning silverware more than general improvement or eye-catching displays? The league title defence might be over, but we knew that already, and now too are their Copa del Rey hopes. But there’s still the Champions League, the holy grail for Madrid’s fans. Is that enough to keep Zidane in the hot seat?

The response in Spain, for the first time, is maybe it isn’t.

What are the papers saying?

MARCA are usually strong supporters of Real Madrid but they feel Zidane’s position is hanging by a thread. “Gestures and embarrassment” is their headline. The attitude and performance of the players – plus the coach – are thrust under the spotlight. It’s referred to as the first real ‘big failure’ under Zidane’s leadership.

Digging deeper into the current situation, they ask whether Zidane’s reign is now a sinking ship. While they acknowledge Zidane’s achievements – and they are sensational – they are quick to point out his errors too.

His decision-making, on and off the field, is far too pragmatic. In the summer he was offered a variety of players, some who would improve and strengthen his first XI, but he turned them all down. He felt signing big names would come across like he didn’t appreciate his current star players. You need to take risks to remain at the top. If this was a game of blackjack, he was sticking on 13.

This logic saw him inadequately replace Alvaro Morata, James Rodriguez, Pepe, Danilo and Mariano Diaz. While all of the players mentioned weren’t part of this core ‘A’ team, all of them brought something unique to the table. It made the squad stronger and their form pushed those ahead of them in the pecking order to maintain their level. It kept everyone on their toes, it made the collective feel valued and important.

There’s also criticism for the team selections in the Copa del Rey. With the league way out of reach, this was their best chance of lifting domestic silverware. Instead of using the competition to build up confidence in his jittering stars, he put in the ‘B’ team. It worked last season with stronger options to call upon but less so during this campaign. To rivals, who already don’t fear Madrid like before, a weakened side is a huge confidence boost. Is it over confidence or arrogance? It feels more like the latter.

Is Zidane responsible for ‘killing off’ Real Madrid’s super team?

If Zidane was hoping that AS would be kinder to him, he better not pick up a copy today. “The reasons (behind) the suicide” is perhaps the most hard-hitting headline you’ll read this morning. They point out Real Madrid’s poor form at home – both in LaLiga and in the Copa del Rey – as to why they’re in such a bad place.

Fuenlabrada, Numancia and now Leganes all either avoided defeat or won at the Bernabeu. Like MARCA, they point out Zidane’s obsession with rotating his team isn’t working as good as last year but he persists with this method.

Not even saving his big guns on the bench smacks of arrogance. Luka Modric and Borja Mayoral were the only offensive changes available to Zidane. Gareth Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo, Toni Kroos and Marcelo all didn’t make squad.

A key component to Zidane’s team last season was their self-belief of turning matches around, even in the final few minutes. It’s sometimes what makes the difference between a very good team and a great one. Madrid, while they were still breathing, would find a way to turn a situation around. This season, in 13 matches across all competitions where they’ve gone a goal down, only twice have Madrid turned it around and won.

Delusional or loyal, Zidane will stand by his decisions

Zidane is stood in a farm, up to his boots in manure, but insists he can only smell the flowers. It’s going from being incredibly optimistic to delusional. Barcelona, despite running away with the league, have added Philippe Coutinho to their squad this month.

Manchester United signed Alexis Sanchez and Manchester City will bring in Aymeric Laporte. Even PSG, who need to count the pennies, have brought in a new face to their squad. Zidane continues to believe in his team.

Like the captain of the Titanic, maybe he feels a moral obligation to go down with his crew.

The only thing keeping Zidane in a job right now is his past achievements and the fact they are still in the Champions League.

After the match against Leganes, he was asked: “Are you playing for a job against PSG?” The answer was conclusive. “That’s obvious, I’m responsible for this. I need to find the solution so this team is more effective.”

What are the fans saying?

Tomas Roncero is one of Real Madrid’s most passionate fans. He also writes for AS and last night, following the result, said he didn’t want to talk about his team. “It’s an inadmissible embarrassment.”

Lucas Navarrete is the chief editor of Managing Madrid and, like Roncero, felt the match against Leganes was a major low point in recent history. He asks if Zidane is running out of credit after this season’s continuous disappointments.

Eduardo Alvarez, who appears on BBC Sportsworld and formerly at ESPN covering Madrid, felt the team selection was all wrong. With previous scares in the competition, why did Zidane leave out his match-winners – or at the very least include them on the bench?

Is Zidane going to be sacked?

The overall impression is that Zidane’s time is running out but he still has one rabbit left to pull out from his hat: the Champions League. The match against PSG was already shaping up to be a tough test but now it matters even more so. The issue for Zidane is even if beats the French giants the pressure will just move onto the next knockout match. It’s either win the Champions League or bust.

Real Madrid have gone full circle.