Jose Mourinho's Arda Guler and Jude Bellingham problem has a simple solution
Real Madrid star center midfielder Jude Bellingham is one of the best players on the planet, and for anyone doubting that sentence, the England international proved it unequivocally at the World Cup. When factoring in his importance to the Three Lions and his all around quality in terms of ball progression, defense, and, yes, goal scoring, there was likely no more impactful player at the summer tournament than Jude.
Jose Mourinho is set to build Real Madrid back around Bellingham, who was actually the team's most impressive player when they last won the double in 2023/24. And since divesting from Jude as a focal point, it is no coincidence that Real Madrid have faltered, though there are obviously other factors - including failing to assimilate the new superstar striker Kylian Mbappe.
Going back to Bellingham as the modern No. 10 who tracks back to defend yet also crashes the box to score is an obvious decision, but it is not as easy to do given the emergence of young Turkish international Arda Guler, who also joined Real Madrid as a hyped young signing in 2023.
Jude Bellingham is the 10, Arda Guler is the 6
Guler had nine assists last season and was the best playmaker statistically in the Champions League. He is expected to keep developing rapidly, and, like Jude, Jose Mourinho is high on the Turkish star, seeing him as potentially his next Mesut Ozil to Cristiano Ronaldo pairing for Mbappe, with whom Guler already has insane chemistry.
Fitting both Guler and Bellingham into the starting lineup is a major challenge, especially with Fede Valverde and Bernardo Silva also needing minutes in what is likely to be a three man midfield formation for Mou.
The solution is simple. Play Jude Bellingham as the modern No. 10 who tries to score goals and leads the press for those quick chances but then sit Arda Guler further back in the midfield as a playmaker so that he is away from the fray and can playmake with more space - turn him into Andrea Pirlo next to more of a defensive presence like Bernardo Silva or Aurelien Tchouameni.
Guler played further back in the midfield under Carlo Ancelotti before Real Madrid forgot all about it, and now Jose Mourinho has been toying with that in the preseason. Trent Alexander-Arnold is another option for this role, but Guler has the advantage of playing with a left foot, which can open new possibilities, especially when it comes to feeding VInicius Junior with those cross field passes Toni Kroos used to love.
