MADRID - Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane is unable to explain how his side have roared back into form in the last week but is equally wary that they could slip back into their stuttering ways if they do not keep their focus.
The champions made it three wins from three testing games with Saturday's convincing 2-0 victory over early league leaders Atletico Madrid, after winning a Champions League decider with Borussia Moenchengladbach last Wednesday and beating Sevilla.
They host Athletic Bilbao on Tuesday looking to consolidate a return to form that has taken them up to third place in La Liga, three points off pacesetters Real Sociedad and Atletico, and into the last 16 in Europe where they face Atalanta.
"Nothing has changed, we keep working hard every day and we want to keep on doing what we are doing," Zidane told a news conference on Monday.
"We know we always have to be the best team on the pitch but the opponents play too and sometimes it's not easy to make life hard for them the whole time. We're a great side and should be consistent but, as far as we're concerned, nothing has changed."
The coach said he believed football was less predictable now than in the past, which explained his side's lack of consistency this season and certain results, such as the shock defeats by Cadiz and Alaves and twin losses to Shakhtar Donetsk.
"Sometimes you face difficult moments in a game and today it happens more than ever. Perhaps 15 or 20 years ago there was always a favourite, but today it's not like that," he added.
"We want to win every game but sometimes you have to learn how to overcome those difficulties." (Reporting by Richard Martin; Editing by Ken Ferris)