Agreed. In Zidane's first season we had a bigger gap which we turned into a mere 1 point difference by the end of the season.

And let's not forget that last season was disastrous as well, including the CdR defeat and the league, which was gone by december. People did doubt Real Madrid even with Cristiano who was on his usual 'decline' as people would call it.

7 points is do-able, but good god play like you want to get closer to Barça. And the Champions League? It's true we don't have Zidane nor Ronaldo, but we still have guys like Ramos and Marcelo who have lived for the CL as well, and Asensio, as inconsistent as he might be, he turns it on for a good CL night.