Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane has said that his team's problems are mental and not physical.
Madrid began the 2016-17 season with six straight wins in all competitions, but have since drawn four games in a row for the first time in over a decade, leading Zidane to have to deny that the team is now in crisis.
Former Real Madrid coach Fabio Capello blamed the team's current issues on Cristiano Ronaldo's fitness, saying he is "not perfect physically."
Ronaldo, 31, began his preseason late after recovering from a knee injury picked up in the Euro 2016 final, but has played in all four of the drawn games, scoring once.
Zidane, however, refuted Capello's theory in an interview with RMC's Christophe Dugarry.
"Right now, we are having trouble at the start of the matches, but we are looking for a solution," the 44-year-old said. "Right now it is complicated. I must fix the problem, but I think the problem is psychological, not physical."
He stressed the importance of time on and off the pitch.
"I have talked to the players about the rotations. They are necessary because if you don't play enough you can't play well when the team really needs you," he said.
"Cristiano? It is normal that he gets angry when we take him out, that is good. He wants to play all the time and help the club. That is good, but I don't think anyone can play 60 matches in one season.
"After the Euros, he needed some time to rest. In 1998, I returned too soon and I had a horrible season."
#OM, #PSG, équipe de France... quel avenir pour Zidane après le Real ? https://t.co/5AEq5IcFDd pic.twitter.com/zDS2gVZlQL
- Team Duga (@TeamDugaRMC) October 6, 2016
Zidane was coy when asked about how Real Madrid tried to bring Paul Pogba to Spain over the summer before they were beat out by Manchester United.
"Pogba to Madrid? He could have come. There were discussions about it, but well..." Zidane said.
Asked about his training methods, the former French international said he has put in long hours.
"We videotape all of our training sessions. I can watch to see if we reached our goals or not," he said. "During my first three weeks with Madrid, I would arrive at Valdebebas at 8 in the morning and I wouldn't return home until 11 p.m. I have learned good things from [Carlo] Ancelotti and [Jose] Mourinho, but I have also learned from their mistakes."
He added that he knows his job won't last forever.
"I have an exceptional group," he said. "We can win or lose, but I have an exceptional group. Of course I will get thrown out, I don't know when. It could be six months, could be a year. It is something normal, it is the reality, that is why I try to enjoy every moment. When I drive into Valdebebas, on the way from my car to my office I look at the trees and enjoy them. I am enjoying the moment. I tell myself that this is an incredible opportunity."