Champions League 1998 winner Predrag Mijatovic revealed that Real Madrid's 3-1 away defeat to Atletico Madrid did not surprise him.
Los Blancos suffered their first loss of the season across all competitions at the hands of their arch rivals on Sunday in La Liga.
The Montenegrin spoke to Cadena SER after the game and insisted that Real will continue to struggle after failing to replace Karim Benzema.
The veteran striker left the Santiago Bernabeu in the summer to join Al-Ittihad on a free transfer.
The Madrid giants brought in Joselu on loan from Espanyol, but many believe the 33-year-old is not up to the task.
Mijatovic told Cadena SER as quoted by Tribal Football: "There is no player in the squad who can come close to Benzema's numbers.
"When you don't get these numbers, you have problems. In important games, like today, we have suffered. It may be a year of transition. In January you can't sign a great player, but I think that in the summer Real Madrid will make a great project with the new stadium.
"We have to endure this season; I am not as optimistic as in previous years."
