Al-Nassr head coach Rudi Garcia now believes that Cristiano Ronaldo's teammates have "realised what he wanted" after just a fortnight ago stressing the importance of them playing "normally" and not always attempting to give the ball to their star signing.
Ronaldo scored all four goals in Thursday night's 4-0 win over Mecca-based side Al-Wehda and, in the process, put together a 61st hat-trick, meaning that he has now scored more hat-tricks after turning 30 than he did during his teens and 20s combined. After the match Garcia described it as a "good night" for the player.
The 58-year-old also said: “Ronaldo has reached a great stage of homogeneity and harmony with his teammates. Over time, his teammates realised what he wanted and when he will score.”
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This represents a change of tone from the boss. After seeing Ronaldo miss a gilt-edged chance during last month's Saudi Super Cup semi-final loss against Al-Ittihad, Garcia said that it was "one of the things that changed the course of the match".
After the previous game against Ettifaq, Garcia also aired his frustration at the decision-making of Ronaldo's teammates. “It is very important that the players play normally and don't always try to give Cristiano the ball,” he said. “I told them they had to make the right decisions on the pitch.
“When Cristiano or Anderson Talisca are alone and ask for the ball, we have to give them the ball. These two players are capable of making a difference. We have to work on it, have one of them in the area, and maybe the other will play outside the area.”
Garcia will hope that such "homogeneity and harmony" continues into upcoming matches and that their work pays off when facing Al Taawoun next Friday. The match is set to be just Ronaldo's second appearance at home and the first in more than a month after their last three matches were all away fixtures.
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