Al-Nassr Manager Rudi Garcia Explains Why Cristiano Ronaldo Struggled Against Al-Ettifaq
Al-Nassr manager Rudi Garcia has stressed the need for making the right decisions on the pitch and not always trying to involve Cristiano Ronaldo in the game after the Portuguese superstar drew a blank on his debut for the Saudi Arabian outfit.
Cristiano Ronaldo, who has joined Al-Nassr on a two-and-a-half-year contract that makes him the highest paid footballer in the world, finally made his much-awaited debut for the club in their 1-0 win over Al-Ettifaq.
The 37-year-old captained Al-Nassr on his debut for the club but failed to find the back of the net. Al-Nassr, however, earned all three points from the fixture as Talisca scored the only goal of the game in the 31st minute of the match.
Speaking after the match, Rudi Garcia asked his Al-Nassr players to play ‘normally’ and not always pass the ball to Cristiano Ronaldo as he explained why the Portuguese superstar struggled against Al-Ettifaq.
“I told them they need to make the right choices on the pitch. Obviously, when Cristiano or Talisca are alone and asking for the ball we need to give them the ball. These two players are able to make a difference.
“Tonight, I think that sometimes we had good positions to cross but not enough people in the box – and sometimes no Ronaldo and no Talisca. We need to work on that, to have one of them in the box and maybe the other playing outside the box.”
Although Cristiano Ronaldo failed to add his name to the scoresheet on his Al-Nassr debut, the Portuguese superstar bagged a brace when he featured for Riyadh All-Star XI – which comprised of players from Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr – against Paris Saint-Germain in the Riyadh Season Cup.
Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo will be aiming to hit the ground running soon and score his first goal for Al-Nassr as soon as possible. Al-Nassr will take on Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Super Cup semi-final in their next match.
The game between Al-Nassr and Al-Ittihad kicks off at 11:30 pm Indian Standard Time on January 26.
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