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Arda Guler remains one of the few Real Madrid players to have seen a steep rise in prominence compared to last season when Carlo Ancelotti was on the sidelines.
Both under Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa, the Turkish international has maintained reasonable importance in the on-field dynamics and is a regular off the bench if not a starter.
His performances have partially backed why the management back him so rigidly, especially given how he is one of the team’s few controlling and creative presences in midfield. There is, however, still more expectation from him.
The one clear lacuna
As relayed in a recent report by MARCA, Arda Guler’s development at Real Madrid is going well, as the club had hoped it would. He has established himself as a regular and continues to make a difference on the field week after week.
What he lacks clearly, however, is scoring goals and that was an aspect of his game Real Madrid rated highly in the past.
Making good progress. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
The youngster’s last goal was in the league derby when Real Madrid took on Atletico Madrid back in September. Since then, he has played 31 games for Real Madrid and has not found the back of the net once.
His lack of goals in 156 days is not down to a lack of chances but poor finishing, something that is clear given the number of big chances he has been presented with that he has failed to bury.
There has, concurrently, been an element of bad luck for the player as was the case in the game against Benfica when his goal was disallowed.
Even with his lack of goals, only Jude Bellingham has managed to outscore Guler out of the midfielders at Real Madrid – a statistic that provides a reality check on the sad state of affairs in the department for Los Blancos.
The return of Guler’s goalscoring touch, needless to say, will thus go a long way in making Real Madrid more dangerous on the field even in the absence of his English teammate.