Arda Guler has made it impossible for Jose Mourinho to bench him
Real Madrid midfielder Arda Guler is officially a bonafide superstar. Guler was influential during Real Madrid's 2-1 win over Barcelona on Sunday night, and it is just becoming apparent to everyone who watches football that he is officially indispensable for Real Madrid now.
In this current Real Madrid team, there is not a single player who can provide what Guler is able to week in, week out. He is easily the most creative player in this side, and there is no debate there at all.
Guler is also a very capable dribbler whose IQ is among the highest on this team, and it shows every time he steps on the pitch. Guler's set-pieces have also been incredible lately, which have resulted in so many goals for the team in these last few weeks.
All of this is to say that Guler is making it extremely difficult for Jose Mourinho to ever bench him again, and it is no surprise to anyone.
Arda Guler has become one of the best players on this Real Madrid team
Every time Real Madrid fans made a starting XI for Mourinho's team before his tenure started, the name most often excluded from the team sheet was Guler's, and as harsh as it was, it did make some sense.
Guler was the player who was going to be the most in and out of the lineup for this Real Madrid side, given Mourinho's insistence on starting the 4-2-3-1 formation as much as he is possibly able to.
Already having Jude Bellingham in the attacking midfield spot made things difficult for the midfielder, while signing star player Yan Diomande also eventually saw Guler's name excluded from the lineup.
The club hierarchy and the players who have been named in front of him by so many in the past also kept showing up, and it made sense that although Guler will be an important Real Madrid player, he might not be a genuine starter in all games.
It is fair to say that even that has changed now. Despite the heirarchy, despite the star players, despite Bellingham being as great as he is, Guler has managed to find a way into the starting XI, and he is doing so in a role he used to struggle in, in recent months and years.
Guler is playing out wide, often drifting inside when needed. Either that, or he is playing as a deep-lying playmaker when Bernardo Silva is not on the pitch. In both of those roles, he has been seriously impressive, which is great to see. Hopwefully that continues more often, and he is able to further build his legacy at the club in the best possible way.
