Real Madrid Regrets the disciplinary issues

As Real Madrid's frustration with refereeing grows, former defender Alvaro Arbeloa admitted that the club may have reason to be angered.

In addition to having Cristiano Ronaldo red carded in the Supercopa de Espana, Los Blancos have had two men sent off in three LaLiga games, with Sergio Ramos and Marcelo both being shown a red card early.

"I think the president spoke very well about it the other day when he said that [referees] have made big improvements and fans would agree," he said.

"However, it hurts and it is painful to see that in three games, Real have the same amount of players sent off as Barcelona have in two years.

"The data and numbers are there and they speak for themselves."

Although there is some early concern given that Real have picked up one win from their opening three league games, Arbeloa isn't too concerned and pointed to last season as a reason for why he is so calm.

"Last year, the team drew for four games in a row, which is a lot," continued Arbeloa. "The team knows that they can't keep doing this but they have gone through similar situations before and will move forward."

In addition to concern about the lack of points, there is also a worry that it could be directly linked to an over reliance on Cristiano Ronaldo, who is sidelined through suspension.

"Of course, the odds of winning are increased when you have Cristiano in the team," the ex-Liverpool man said. "With this Real Madrid team though, something they are not lacking is scoring power.

"With players like [Gareth] Bale, [Marco] Asensio, Isco and others, there are plenty of guys who can step up and score goals."