I don't think this has anything to do with Ronaldo having more freedom this season than last season. I doubt that the coach last year limited him in his decision making on the pitch. Ronaldo can always play whatever he wants. But as you can see Ronaldo scores more and yet they are behind. They have the most goals but concede about twice as many goals as Al-Hilal. That's a problem they need to work on.
There seems to be something different with the Al Nassr team, they have a very different approach, mentality and pattern from that of last season and it is in favor of them so far. I just hope they don’t give up and keep fighting for the best
I brought up their weak defense because that is exactly the reason why Al-Hilal is in front of Al-Nassr. When you argue that their defense is not the problem, well it can turn into a problem whereas Al-Hilal can win games with one goal scored. Al-Nassr almost always needs to counter conceded goals whereas Al-Hilal doesn't. If it stays like this throughout the season, it is more likely for Al-Nassr to have some more draws than it is for Al-Hilal.