"He must go", "Struggling against 10 men" - Fans want Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr manager Stefano Pioli sacked despite win in SPL clash
Netizens on X have slammed Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr coach Stefano Pioli despite their 3-1 win over Al-Khaleej in the Saudi Pro League on Tuesday (January 21). The victory at Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium was their ninth in the league and took them to 32 points in 16 games.
Stefano Pioli joined the Knights of Najd in September 2024 after former manager Luis Castro was sacked following a string of disappointing results. In 20 games in charge of Al-Nassr, Pioli has registered 13 wins, three draws, and four defeats. However, the Italian tactician has been criticized for his conservative approach and failure to win crucial games.
In the recent game against Al-Khaleej, Al-Nassr got a significant advantage as the home side were reduced to 10 men following a red card to defender Saeed Al Hamsal. Despite having a one-man advantage, the visitors struggled to find clarity in front of the goal. They had just four shots on target from 20 attempts.
Fans on X slammed Stefano Pioli despite celebrating Cristiano Ronaldo's performance. Many criticized the Italian manager for struggling to win comprehensively against a quintessentially mid-table side even after being a man up.
"Happy for Ronaldo's goals. Barely beat 10 people. Even if they buy more players (which I doubt), PIOLI MUST GO!" a fan wrote.
"Struggling against 10 men, what does Pioli instruct the players to do???" commented another.
One fan slammed Stefano Pioli, alleging that Al-Nassr struggled in both attack and defense.
"Even if Pioli isn't an attacking-minded coach, why is his defense just as bad??" opined the user.
"Mane and Pioli have to leave," announced another.
"Get Out Pioli," one user chimed in.
A user compared the coaching tactics of former manager Luis Castro with those of Pioli, concluding that the former was better.
"Castro ball was so much better than Pioli this is so boring man..," inferred the fan on X.
After a goalless first half, Cristiano Ronaldo broke the deadlock for the Knights of Najd in the 65th minute. However, an 80-minute penalty from Kostas Fortounis balanced the scales.
Sultan Al-Ghannam restored the visitors' lead within the next few seconds and Ronaldo made it 3-1 in the eighth minute of stoppage time.
When Stefano Pioli shared his experience of working with Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr
Al-Nassr manager Stefano Pioli recently lavished praise and opened up about the nuances of working with Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese superstar joined the Knights of Najd in January 2023 and has been prolific in front of the goal ever since.
Having watched Ronaldo from close quarters, Pioli marvelled at his child-like passion despite being days away from turning 40. Speaking on the Saudi Pro League website in December (quoted via GOAL), he said:
“Of course, I have always thought that Cristiano is a great champion. But above all, a great professional with a great work ethic, a great culture of always trying to express oneself to the maximum. And, therefore, I am discovering a boy who is no longer young, but with the same enthusiasm, with the same passion."
Pioli added:
“As when he was a kid, he wanted to do things in wanting to always try to give the best, to reach the maximum, to score many goals and help the team. So, definitely, a pleasant surprise.”
Cristiano Ronaldo has already recorded 19 goals and three assists in 22 games this season and is currently the leading goalscorer in the Saudi Pro League with 13.
