RIYADH: If the title race in the Roshn Saudi League was not dramatic enough, Al-Nassr decided to part ways with head coach Rudi Garcia on Thursday after a late-night board meeting the previous day.
The Riyadh giants are currently second in the standings, three points behind Al-Ittihad with seven games to play, but the French tactician has been ousted just days before a huge derby against city rivals Al-Hilal as the Yellows chase their 10th league title.
According to sources at the club, there has been some disquiet about Garcia’s performance and tactics from both management and players, especially captain and star Cristiano Ronaldo, and relations behind the scenes have worsened of late.
The former Roma, Marseille and Lyon boss, who won the French title with Lille in 2011, was hired last summer and immediately handed some big-name signings in goalkeeper David Ospina — the Colombian star joining from Napoli — and in-demand full-back Ghislain Konan, as well as former Bayern Munich and Brazil international midfielder Luiz Gustavo.
With Pity Martinez, 2018 South American Player of the Year, and Anderson Talisca also available, as well as a number of star local players, there was a little disappointment at Mrsool Park that, given the talent at the coach’s disposal, Al-Nassr have not been more dominant this season, even if results have been far from poor.
Ronaldo arrived at the end of December to massive worldwide fanfare to join a club at the top of the standings. Yet performances have been up and down, despite the fact that Nassr are still in the title race, with good results perceived by some behind the scenes to be because of individual moments of class from talented players rather than any system put in place by the boss.
The club also lost the Super Cup final to Al-Ittihad in January. The form of the league leaders, under Nuno Santo, who have grown to become a compact unit that does not concede while maintaining an attacking threat and a winning mentality, has also been noted in Riyadh. It has led to Garcia being compared unfavorably with his rival Portuguese counterpart who has developed a tight team spirit.
There have been reports that players, led by Ronaldo, are unhappy about the tactics and training methods, and have confronted the coach on occasion.
More than once, the five-time Ballon D’or winner has cut a frustrated figure on the pitch either during or after games, with the latest example coming after Sunday’s goalless draw against Al-Fahya that saw them fall further behind the leaders.
It did not help that Garcia laid the blame for that stalemate at the feet of his players.
“We played against a very good team but our level was not good,” the 58-year-old said on television. “I am not happy with the players’ performance. I wanted them to be at the same level as in previous matches but their level today was not good.”
Such comments did not go down well with the playing staff.
Management also felt that with a huge game against Al-Hilal coming on Monday — where defeat would deal a massive blow to their title chances — the time to make a change was right.
There is also a King’s Cup semifinal against Al-Wehda on April 24, a game that is not only crucial in its own right but also keeps an extra avenue open to next season’s AFC Champions League.
It remains to be seen whether Al-Nassr opt for a temporary coach for the final stretch of the season and then make a permanent appointment in the summer, or if they already have a replacement in mind. Whatever happens, a dramatic title race has just been given an extra edge.
