Real Madrid will stick by Zinedine Zidane despite their title challenge not even lasting until 2018 and Saturday’s embarrassing 3-0 clásico defeat.

Sources at the Spanish club have told The Independent that there is “nothing to worry about” with regards to the Frenchman’s future even with the reigning European champions some 14 points off FC Barcelona’s pace in La Liga.

Second-half goals from Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi and Aleix Vidal crushed Madrid to leave them languishing in fourth place. But while the hosts had been the superior side in the first half and can claim some positives from the game, the scoreline was not a good look for a coach who made the bold call of leaving Isco, Gareth Bale and Marco Asensio on the bench.

Real Madrid vs Barcelona: Player ratings Show all 22 1 /22 Real Madrid vs Barcelona: Player ratings Real Madrid vs Barcelona: Player ratings Keylor Navas - 7 out of 10 At fault for the final goal but very little he could do about the other two AFP/Getty Images Real Madrid vs Barcelona: Player ratings Dani Carvajal - 4 Sent off for an cynical handball in the second half AFP/Getty Images Real Madrid vs Barcelona: Player ratings Raphael Varane - 5 Did his best but was left wholly exposed for Suarez's opener AFP/Getty Images Real Madrid vs Barcelona: Player ratings Sergio Ramos - 5 Stayed on the pitch - for a change - but isn't the defender he once was anymore AFP/Getty Images Real Madrid vs Barcelona: Player ratings Marcelo - 6 Got forward well early but faded Getty Images Real Madrid vs Barcelona: Player ratings Casemiro - 5 Left his back four exposed for Suarez's goal. Subbed shortly after Getty Images Real Madrid vs Barcelona: Player ratings Luka Modric - 6 Wasn't his usual self despite starting the game well AFP/Getty Images Real Madrid vs Barcelona: Player ratings Mateo Kovacic - 6 Did a job on Messi for large parts of the game but didn't do enough the other way Getty Images Real Madrid vs Barcelona: Player ratings Toni Kroos - 6 Not his finest display Getty Images Real Madrid vs Barcelona: Player ratings Cristiano Ronaldo - 6 Flashed signs of his class but not enough to give his side a way back. Snatched at a couple of chances when passes would have been the better option Getty Images Real Madrid vs Barcelona: Player ratings Karim Benzema - 7 Should have done better with first half header. Lacked service as game progressed Getty Images Real Madrid vs Barcelona: Player ratings Marc-Andre Ter Stegen - 7 Saved well in the first-half but became relatively untroubled Getty Images Real Madrid vs Barcelona: Player ratings Sergi Roberto - 8 Kept Ronaldo on a relatively short leash and got forward well AFP/Getty Images Real Madrid vs Barcelona: Player ratings Gerard Pique - 8 His best performance of the season. Excellent Getty Images Real Madrid vs Barcelona: Player ratings Thomas Vermaelen - 7 Considering his lack of playing time a tremendous display under pressure AFP/Getty Images Real Madrid vs Barcelona: Player ratings Jordi Alba - 7 Got forward superbly while always tracking back AFP/Getty Images Real Madrid vs Barcelona: Player ratings Paulinho - 7 Brilliant again. An unsung hero who was often Barca's biggest attacking threat AFP/Getty Images Real Madrid vs Barcelona: Player ratings Ivan Rakitic - 7 Excellent against Real's formidable midfield. Created the opener brilliantly AFP/Getty Images Real Madrid vs Barcelona: Player ratings Sergio Busquets - 8 At his powerful best. His composure for the opener set Barca on their way AFP/Getty Images Real Madrid vs Barcelona: Player ratings Andres Iniesta - 7 Not quite the influence he once was but still a classy customer Getty Images Real Madrid vs Barcelona: Player ratings Lionel Messi - 9 The main man as ever. Scored the second from the spot before making the third in style AFP/Getty Images Real Madrid vs Barcelona: Player ratings Luis Suarez - 7 Quiet for large parts but took his goal superbly AFP/Getty Images

The curious selection of Mateo Kovacic as a specialist man-marker was bold but ultimately backfired, with Messi dragging the midfielder out of position to allow Ivan Rakitic, another Croatian, to drive through the middle of the field and set up Barca’s opener from which the hosts would never recover.

Zidane was his own man, though. His predecessor Rafael Benitez once bowed to pressure from president Florentino Perez and played James Rodriguez over Casemiro in a Bernabeu clásico that ended in utter humiliation for Madrid. Zizou went with his instincts, but the gameplan did not work and he was ultimately exposed to criticism - something he was more than aware of.

"I know I'm going to get beaten up tomorrow [in the media] for the decision to start Kovacic ahead of Isco, but I'm never going to change. I'm here to make decisions, and if we'd scored in the first half, it would all have been different,” said Zidane in the post-match press conference.

Kovacic (l) was a surprise inclusion (Getty Images)

"We are not playing badly, that's why it is even more painful.

"Football can change so quickly. Many people said they [Barcelona] were bad in pre-season, and now we will be labelled as bad tomorrow,” he added.

"This is football, we have to accept it. When you win, [people think] everything is wonderful and when you lose, everything is f***** up.”

Of course not everything is necessarily “f***** up” for Real Madrid, who last week were crowned World Club champions and find themselves in the knockout phase of the European Cup once again. Indeed, Zidane was the first coach to ever defend the Champions League and could legitimately lead them to a threepeat in Kiev this summer, making the thought of sacking him now utterly insane.

But if he doesn’t make it back-to-back-to-back continental wins then it is going to be a difficult off-season for him.

With Antonio Conte likely to be available at that point and Madrid almost certain to make a run at Mauricio Pochettino - who showed a great desire to ingratiate himself with the Madrid club’s correspondents in the recent Champions League ties against Tottenham - Zidane’s biggest fear should be the managerial ambition of some of his Champions League rivals.

For all the records Zidane has broken, at times it is him who sounds like a broken record. Players like his calmness and ability to empathise but sometimes those qualities fall flat when things go bad. 14 points behind Barca and fresh from a mauling in their own back yard, things certainly aren’t going great.