This is the question Tottenham's board members will be asking themselves after Igor Tudor's latest aberration: are the players responding to the manager's methods?
The answer appears clear. Four games have brought four losses, with 14 goals conceded.
Results aside, sources have indicated to BBC Sport in recent days that members of the Tottenham squad are still to be convinced that Tudor has the tools to guide this struggling team away from the sorry predicament they find themselves.
So, with that in mind, the club's hierarchy clearly has a big decision to make.
Before this latest loss, internal concerns over Tudor's position had already started to generate. This result will only serve to sharpen the focus on Tudor's job security in the coming days.
Before the clash, there was a sense that a positive performance in Madrid could be used as a building block for Tudor before a crucial game at Liverpool in the Premier League this weekend.
You wonder if the manner of this loss â and the sub-plots that unraveled on a tortuous night for Spurs â has altered the direction of travel.
Tudor was appointed because of his track record in sparking immediate improvements at other clubs, namely at Juventus and Lazio.
His arrival has heralded the opposite effect. That, coupled with what some have described as a "disconnect" between players and the manager, leaves Tudor under increased scrutiny.
A decision to sack Tudor so soon after his appointment would provide a clear admission of error from the Tottenham hierarchy. The club's ownership, you would imagine, will be demanding answers.
But k.eeping Tudor may prove an even bigger mistake with Tottenham's top-flight status on the line.