By Tim Stannard

1) Madrid media pour over double defeat

Thursday sees Coach Zizou being the Dennis Rodman to the Spanish media’s Carmen Electra. It’s a Britney Spears relationship in the making.

The honeymoon is over and the marriage is already on the rocks after a DEVASTATING two defeats in a row and THREE matches for Madrid without a win. To be fair, this comes just a few days after the same media were declaring Zidane to be a tactical genius in charge of the best Real Madrid team in history after a run of 40 matches unbeaten for the side. Contrary is an understatement.

But this did not stop Thursday’s sports papers hitting the panic button with ‘Marca’ fretting that Madrid were on the ropes and Cristiano Ronaldo coming under fire for the 198th time in his career.

Zinedine Zidane is experienced enough in all things Real Madrid to know that this day was always around the corner, but that doesn’t make the experience any more pleasant for the taciturn French coach. At least there is a swift chance to end this truly abominable run of form that has lasted a brutal four days with a home match against Malaga on Saturday.

2) Barça battling history against Real Sociedad

Sports Burst in not sure that the tethers that hold our dimension together can sustain both Barcelona and Real Madrid being in crisis at the same time. But that could well be the case by the end of Thursday with the other side of the Clasico cacophony in action in the Copa del Rey against Real Sociedad.

History suggests that it’s a game that Barca won’t win which is not good at all for the fabric of our reality. Barca have failed to beat la Real in San Sebastian in a streak of eight matches that goes back to 2007. "My hope is that the game doesn't resemble the league game at all,” admitted Luis Enrique in a recent draw against the Basque side with the Barca boss said should have been a defeat.

That big game is live on beIN SPORTS from 3:10PM ET / 12:10PM PT preceded by Atletico Madrid’s cup clash with Eibar over on beIN CONNECT from 1:15PM ET / 10:15AM PT. If something AFCON greens your grass then Algeria v Tunisia is an epic encounter at 10:50AM ET / 7:50AM PT in a North African derby.

3) Man Utd knock Madrid off rich list throne  

Despite the double loss to Real Madrid in one week, what may really have packed a punch for the institution’s money-loving president, Florentino Perez, is the Bernabeu club being knocked off the perch as the richest club in the world in terms of revenue making after 11 consecutive seasons.

Manchester United now sit atop that tree of wealth with revenue in 2016-2016 increasing by over $100m to $731m. 

Actually, it’s worse than that for Florentino. Madrid are now down in 3rd with Barcelona in 2nd with revenues of $657m

4) Gabriel Jesus ready for Man City start

The official transfer of Gabriel Jesus has finally gone through between Brazilian side Palmeiras and Manchester City. The forward’s debut with City had been held up in bureaucratic hell after an agreement was made last summer, but the footballer is now cleared to face Tottenham at the weekend.

And a bemused Carlos Tevez has arrived in China following his transfer from Boca Juniors to Shanghai Shenhua where the Argentine will become one of the highest paid players on the planet.

5) Novak knocked back in shock defeat Down Under

Holy grapes, something’s not quite clicking with Novak Djokovic. The former world number one has been through a rough spell of form and that continued overnight at the Australian Open with a defeat to Denis Istomin, ranked 117 in the world. The loss is the earliest the Serbian has been knocked out of a grand slam tournament since Wimbledon 2008.

No such problems for Serena Williams who moved through to the third round after a straight sets victory over Lucie Safarova and then had another tussle straight after with a journalist who suggested the American legend did not play so well. Bad idea.

WHAT IS SPORTS BURST?

The life philosophy of Sports Burst is that if you are not upsetting someone, then you are not trying hard enough. SB is a daily trawl and troll through the morning's sports news to bring you fact-nuggets to make you both smile and swear. Hopefully at the same time.