Cristiano Ronaldo could end the 2023/24 season in Saudi Arabia empty-handed.

Al Nassr started this season with promise. They recruited many top stars from Europe, winning the Arab Champions Cup in August 2023 when Ronaldo shone.

Until the mid-season break began, Al Nassr were still on the brink of winning three major trophies including the Saudi Pro League (SPL), Saudi King Cup (King’s Cup) and AFC Champions League. However, in the first week of March, Al Nassr threatened to upset it all because of their volatile form.

Decline

On the morning of March 8 (Hanoi time), Al Nassr lost to Al Raed 1-3 at home in the round of 23 of the SPL. The gap between them and Al Hilal is still 9 points, but the team leading the standings plays one game less than Al Nassr.

It should be remembered that Al Hilal possess almost unstoppable form, with 26 consecutive victories in all competitions. If Al Hilal win against Al Riyadh in the match on March 8, they will be 12 points clear of Al Nassr in the table, with the SPL only 11 rounds away.

The level disparity between Saudi Arabia’s big teams and the rest, makes the prospect of Al Nassr overtaking Al Hilal almost unlikely. Three days earlier, Al Nassr put themselves at a disadvantage in the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League, after losing 1-0 at Al Ain Stadium.

It was a match where Ronaldo and his teammates played poorly, despite being rated higher than opponents from the UAE. Al Nassr’s chances of turning things around against Al Ain remain, as they will be playing at home to Al Awwal in the second leg on March 12. But given Al Nassr’s current form, one has reason to be concerned about a disastrous sprint from Saudi representatives.

The seeds of decline began to come after Al Nassr secured a narrow 3-2 win at Al Shabab Stadium on February 26. Just a few days later, Al Nassr had a crazy 4-4 draw against Al Hazm, the penultimate team in the table. It was a game where Ronaldo didn’t play because of suspension, but Al Nassr couldn’t use that as an excuse for a poor performance. Anderson Talisca stunt CR7 was perfect as he scored a hat-trick against Al Hazm, but the gaffe defense cost Al Nassr.

So what’s going on with Al Nassr? The storm of injuries devastated an already inthick squad, and the dense density of play put Al Nassr in trouble.

The last two games Al Nassr have been disappointing, Talisca did not play. The Brazilian striker is considered one of the two most important factors in the Al Nassr attack, alongside Ronaldo.

The fact that Talisca was announced to be out for the rest of the season left Al Nassr with only the other stars in the squad. However, things are not very bright for Ronaldo and his teammates.

Can you turn the tables, Ronaldo?

Before this year’s season began, only two Saudi teams were able to recruit a large number of quality foreign players on the lines, namely Al Hilal and Al Nassr. However, if Al Hilal has a quality internal team to stand alongside Neymar, Mitrovic or Malcom, then Al Nassr depends almost entirely on foreign soldiers.

Sadio Mane, Ronaldo, Talisca, Otavio, Aymeric Laporte, Brozovic or Telles play too big a role in the way Al Nassr operates. Therefore, if one or two foreign players are absent or down, Al Nassr immediately plays badly. Against Al Raed, coach Luis Castro could not play Otavio or Talisca.

When they faced Al Ain in the AFC Champions League, they also lost Brozovic and Talisca. Castro’s ability to improvise and rotate forces has also been called into question. The Portuguese strategist is likely to lose his job if Al Nassr are empty-handed this season.

Al Nassr’s chances in the Saudi league are still very low, but the situation in the AFC Champions League or King’s Cup is not so dangerous. Al Nassr have reached the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey and still have plenty of chances to win this tournament.

Being 1 goal down by Al Ain in the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League is also not a big problem for Al Nassr, if they can regain their form in the second leg.

The season is not over for Al Nassr, but the challenge for them will be huge. It’s time for Ronaldo to show superstar qualities to rescue his team. Otherwise, CR7’s promising 2023/24 season will have a sad ending.