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Al-Nassr boss Garcia reveals his tactics for getting the most out of Cristiano Ronaldo following his debut blank.
Al-Nassr manager Rudi Garcia has outlined his plan for getting the best out of Cristiano Ronaldo after seeing the Portuguese struggle on debut.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner made his debut in the Saudi Pro League as captain of his new team against Al Ettifaq, although he had little impact in the 1-0 victory that was won thanks to a goal from Brazilian forward Anderson Talisca.
Garcia acknowledges that at times his team’s efforts to insert Ronaldo into the game were excessive and that a shift in strategy is necessary for the 37-year-old to succeed in the Middle East.
On how he intends to get Ronaldo firing on all cylinders, Garcia told reporters: “It’s very important for the players to play normally and not always try to give the ball to Cristiano. 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.
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These two players are able to make the 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.”
Garcia feels Ronaldo is playing with a smile on his face again after a trying period with Portugal at the 2022 World Cup and a difficult time at the club level with Manchester United, but admitting that there is work to be done in helping Ronaldo acclimatize to new settings.
He added: “Everyone knows Cristiano – he’s a five-time Ballon d’Or winner. He’s one of the best players in the history of football. It’s up to us to make sure we get him in the best condition. I want him to enjoy playing here and tonight he was happy to play for the first time.”
Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr and received the most paid contract in football, scoring in an exhibition game against a Paris Saint-Germain team that included his enduring nemesis, Lionel Messi. Ronaldo has already scored goals in the Middle East.