Has Cristiano Ronaldo's lack of big-game form cost Rafa Benitez his job?

As Rafa Benitez's unspectacular spell as Real Madrid manager comes to a premature end, the Spanish coach has been heavily criticised for his side's performances in big games - but is there someone else to blame?

Los Blancos failed to beat fellow title contenders Atletico Madrid and Barcelona, and also suffered defeat against Villarreal and Sevilla. There was one name conspicuously absent from the scoresheet on each occasion: Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Portuguese superstar may have scored 25 goals this season, but few were decisive and he went missing when his team - and manager - needed him most and on the biggest of stages.

Ronaldo's shot rate and accuracy plummeted against La Liga's top four, plus PSG in the Champions League, as he failed to net a single goal.

In La Liga, he has scored against just two sides in the top half of the table - with the average league placing of opponents a mere 13.6th - while his goals have directly resulted in just seven points; if you deducted his Liga goals, Madrid would only have dropped points against Real Sociedad.