Sami Al-Jaber calls for Al-Nassr to consider major attacking change after Al-Ittihad defeat

Sami Al-Jaber has urged Al-Nassr to consider making a significant change to their attack after their 2-1 defeat by Al-Ittihad, asking whether Cristiano Ronaldo should continue to be treated as an automatic starter.

The Saudi football legend and former Al-Hilal captain pointed to the way his former club handled Karim Benzema as an example for their rivals to consider. Al-Hilal allowed the France striker to leave after his form declined and signed Ollie Watkins to strengthen their attack.

Al-Nassr were beaten by hosts Al-Ittihad on Saturday in the fifth round of the Saudi Pro League, with Ronaldo again facing criticism after being unable to inspire his side to a positive result in the fixture.

The defeat ended Al-Nassr’s run of four consecutive victories and left them with 12 points from their opening matches. They remain second in the table, three points behind leaders Al-Hilal, who have 15 points.

Al-Ittihad moved up to fourth on 11 points and maintained their unbeaten record.

Al-Jaber was responding to comments from former Al-Nassr forward Hussein Abdulghani, who said Ronaldo had not made enough of an impact against Al-Ittihad. Abdulghani also stressed that the Portugal captain could not remain at his peak indefinitely and argued that Al-Nassr should not rely on him as a starter in every match.

“Why did Al-Nassr not think about signing a strong striker?” Al-Jaber said.

“This is the difference when we see how Al-Hilal dealt with Benzema. His level had clearly declined, he was thanked politely, and Ollie Watkins was brought in to lead the attack for Al-Zaeem.”

Al-Jaber’s comments were based on the argument that the club’s long-term interests must come before the status of any individual player.

“The institution is more important than any name or any player, because the club is what will remain,” he added. “We should not keep saying that Ronaldo is staying so that he can try to reach 1,000 goals.”

Mohammed Noor, the former Al-Ittihad great, disagreed with Al-Jaber’s comparison. He said Ronaldo’s standing and importance to both the Saudi Pro League and Al-Nassr were on a different level to Benzema’s position.

“Cristiano Ronaldo’s status and value to the league and Al-Nassr are completely different from Benzema’s,” Noor said.

The debate comes after another high-profile defeat for Al-Nassr, who will now look to respond in their next league match. They host Abha on Wednesday, while Al-Ittihad face Al-Fayha at home on Tuesday.

Al-Nassr will hope that match provides an opportunity to recover from the setback and close the gap on Al-Hilal, while Al-Ittihad will attempt to preserve their unbeaten start to the campaign.