Former Real Madrid GM Jorge Valdano says the club knows it's in crisis.

He encountered Real coach Julen Lopetegui and president Florentino Perez after defeat at Alaves and was struck by the severity of the situation, with Real Madrid having lost again and gone four matches without a goal.

"At the end of the match I crossed paths with Lopetegui and Florentino and, seeing them face to face, I thought 'to the sh*t those of the events, this is a tragedy'," he wrote in his column for El Pais.

Valdano went on to discuss the team's confidence, saying that Lopetegui needs to get the squad believing again.