Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane had the finger of blame pointed at him as the inquest on a 3-0 home defeat to Barcelona began.

"The French coach decided to try to eliminate the effect of Lionel Messi on the game," sports paper Marca said. "Did it work? Definitely not."

Zidane had sacrificed crowd favorite Isco for the more defensive Mateo Kovacic in his team selection Saturday, in the hope that he would stop Sergio Busquets playing out from the back and snuff out the threat of Leo Messi. But although Kovacic played well in the first half his influence on Messi and Busquets waned in the second period and it was the latter who set up the second goal.

Marca called the defeat "the worst possible ending to the best possible year" and it will be the fact that Madrid won five trophies in 2017 that will save him from further scrutiny. But Marca added, "The lack of self-criticism does not help him."

Zidane had said he felt he made no mistakes with the way he lined-up his team. There was also criticism for not putting Gareth Bale and Marco Asensio on earlier and for putting a defender, Nacho, on when the team was already 2-0 down and with 10-men as the game, and perhaps the league, was slipping away.

Few Madrid players escaped criticism for the defeat that saw the reigning champions slip 14 points behind their big rival and league leader. Karim Benzema had been jeered off in the second half when he was replaced and Sergio Ramos might easily have been sent off for thumping Luis Suarez.

"In Barcelona, I'm sure they think I should go to prison like Puigdemont," said Ramos in reference to the former president of the Catalan Parliament who is in exile in Belgium to avoid going into custody in Spain.

"We have to keep going," said Ramos. "This was going to be the cherry on the cake for this year so we are doubly distraught."

Diario AS ran with the headline: "Madrid throws in the towel," despite Ramos and coach Zidane saying that league had not been lost. The pressure will not just be on the coach but also on the club to make a move in the winter transfer window that opens at the end of the month.

Athletic Bilbao goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga is rumored to be on the way but supporters want striker reinforcements after once again Madrid failed to take their chances. Benzema has just two goals so far in the league this season.

Barcelona players now go on their holidays until Dec. 30 but South Americans Messi, Luis Suarez, and Javier Mascherano have all been told to report back on Jan. 2. There had been so much made of whether or not Barcelona would give Real Madrid a guard of honor as they walked on to the pitch because of their winning the World Club Cup.

"In the end, it was Madrid that gave Barcelona the guard of honor," added Diario AS with another stinging criticism of the way it had surrendered the three points in the most important league game of the season so far.

"Guard of honor to the title," added El Mundo Deportivo.