"Playing next to Cristiano Ronaldo does not cause pressure" - Al-Nassr head coach dismisses talk of Talisca's form being affected by superstar
Al-Nassr head coach Dinko Jelicic has insisted that Cristiano Ronaldo's presence with Al-Aalami is not the reason for Anderson Talisca's poor run of form.
Talisca was Al-Nassr's main man in the first half of the season, bagging 13 goals from the team's first 15 Saudi Pro League games. However, he has scored only thrice in his last eight appearances across competitions.
The Brazilian has failed to find the back of the net in each of his last three league games, which Al-Nassr have also failed to win. His poor run of form has seen him fall behind in the race for the golden boot, with Al-Ittihad's Abderrazak Hamdallah (20) having four goals than him.
Talisca returned to Al-Nassr's starting lineup against Al-Khaleej on Monday (8 May) after missing their 4-0 win over Al-Raed. However, the attacker failed to make an impact as Al-Aalami were held to a 1-1 draw at home.
Talisca's struggles have led to suggestions that he is affected by Ronaldo's presence in the team. Jelicic, though, has said those claims are not true, citing Abdulrahman Ghareeb's form as an example.
"Talisca did not deliver what was expected of him in more than one match, but it is related to level fluctuations and other reasons," Jelicic said (via Kooora). "Playing next to Cristiano Ronaldo does not cause pressure, and the performance of Abdulrahman Ghareeb is an example of that."
The Al-Nassr head coach added that Talisca is under pressure due to his goal drought.
"Talisca is also in agreement with Cristiano in training but in matches the performance drops," Jelicic said. "There is pressure on him may be because he is not scoring goals."
Al-Nassr draw against relegation-battling Al-Khaleej, meanwhile, saw them fall five points behind Al-Ittihad in the title race. They won only one of their last four league games.
Cristiano Ronaldo cut frustrated figure after Al-Khaleej draw
Cristiano Ronaldo made a bright start to his life in Saudi Arabia, bagging 11 goals in his first nine league games. However, things have been far from ideal for the Portuguese icon recently.
Al-Nassr have only won one of their last five games across competitions, crashing out of the King's Cup and falling five points behind in the title race. Ronaldo notably scored only once in those games.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner cut a frustrated figure after Al-Nassr's 1-1 draw against 14th-placed Al-Khaleej. He rejected advances for a selfie from an opposition staff member on Monday (8 May), seemingly shoving the person away.