Cristiano Ronaldo Must Reclaim Real Madrid Lead Role After Copa Del Rey Defeat

Cristiano Ronaldo's incredible scoring output in the first half of the 2014-15 La Liga campaign has failed to carry over to 2015, and the Real Madrid star has to reassert himself as the club's unquestioned leader after the Copa del Rey loss against rivals Atletico Madrid.

The newly crowned Ballon d'Or winner has scored twice in four matches since the turn of the year after a relatively quiet showing at the Club World Cup, and in that span, Los Blancos have won just one of four.

Andres Kudacki/Associated Press

Compared to the incredible run the 29-year-old was on before the new year—26 total goals in 16 La Liga matches so far, via WhoScored.com—the numbers look a lot less impressive. More worrying than those numbers were the club's tactics in those four matches, however.

Against Atletico, Carlo Ancelotti decided to counter the defending La Liga champions' defensive tactics by having his deep playmakers control the ball. Losing 4-2 on aggregate, it's safe to say those tactics failed.

Ronaldo afterwards told AS (h/t Daily Mail's Chris Waugh) he was none too happy with the Atleti's defensive tactics, although he respected their ability:

"

Atleti don’t play attractive football. They are very defensive. They wait for dead-balls, but it works well for them. Their coach and players should be respected. ...

Atleti are a consistent team who have spent a long time together. Valencia are getting better and are a rival to watch out for.

And then there are Madrid and Barcelona who are candidates for everything. This is good for La Liga.

"

Fans hoping for a historic treble can aim their sights on something else—after a deserved loss over two legs, Real won't be winning this year's Copa del Rey. For a club so obsessed with silverware, the setback has to hurt.

Los Blancos remain the strong favourites to win the La Liga title, leading the standings with a match in hand. On paper, Sunday's meeting with Getafe shouldn't pose much of a problem, as shared by RonaldoStats:

Ronaldo loves playing against Getafe. Over the years, he's put in a number of sensational performances against the club, including this perfect hat-trick, via The Madridistas:

In that performance, Ronaldo was front and centre. He was the heart and soul of Los Blancos, demanding nearly every ball and running up and down the pitch to collect it.

Since then, Florentino Perez has added an army of talent to surround the Portugal international, with the likes of Gareth Bale, James Rodriguez and Isco all best when the ball is at their feet.

Against Espanyol, Rodriguez set the tone for Real in a 3-0 win. Ancelotti's plan worked then, but it backfired tremendously just days later against Atletico. Over the course of those two matches, Ronaldo was one of the guys.

Real have the talent to beat 95 percent of clubs they meet this way, but the Champions League holders are a far better team when Ronaldo works as the top dog, demanding the ball and pulling defenders toward him.

That's when the likes of Bale, Karim Benzema, Rodriguez and Isco find the space to use their natural talent against an undermanned defence, allowing Real to run riot.

Since the start of 2015, Ronaldo hasn't profiled himself like that. As a result, his numbers have dropped, and Real's incredible win streak came crashing to an end. Los Blancos have to go back to what was working for them, but fortunately, the schedule looks like it could lend them a hand.

The squad faces a number of very winnable matches the next few weeks, and Ronaldo is on the verge of breaking another record, via Real Madrid Stats:

The Portuguese star will likely demand the ball against Getafe and chase the record, and Ancelotti should pay close attention to the results. The squad simply functions better when Ronaldo is asking for and receiving the ball, and it'll show on Sunday.

Real can no longer win the treble in 2015, but they could still manage a double. To have the best chance of doing so, Los Blancos have to realise that more than an incredible collection of talent, this is still Ronaldo's team.