Real Madrid starlet Arda Guler was embraced by his teammates with special vigour after his goal against Celta Vigo two weekends ago, and praised by Carlo Ancleotti following his near-wondergoal against Osasuna. Two moments that came after a tough period for Guler, where he showed his frustration, and there was talk of him leaving on loan.
Guler appeared frustrated with his lack of game time a few weeks ago, but there was a definite change of tone from Ancelotti regarding him. He admitted publicly that his need for game time clashed with the demands of the team, while reports emerged that Ancelotti did not see him as ready for competition as his teammates.
As per Relevo, that was down to one or two incidents of indiscipline. Seemingly the teenager was caught out, having gone out late into the night, when he was supposed to be resting. While his camp put it down to a common part of the life of a young player, the staff did not appreciate it, feeling that it was not the time of the season for distractions. One or two of his colleagues spoke to Guler about his use of free time, as did the staff. The latter felt it was an act of rebellion against his lack of game time.
The coaches considered that his case is not comparable to his teammates. While some have earned the cachet and are responsible enough to know when to go out (certain times of the season and during free days), this was not the first time Guler had gone out, and given his injury issues, they believed the Turkish teenager should have been focusing on getting the proper rest.
Ancelotti’s praise this weekend also included that he had increased the intensity of his training, and after the Italian’s word in the ear of Guler – he does not generally like punishment as a course of action, feeling it can exacerbate minor issues – Los Blancos feel that their clip around the ears has worked with the youngster.
Guler is determined to fight for his place, and has shown in his brief cameos that he has plenty of quality, but has enough experienced heads around him to be clear that if he does not get his head down, then he will struggle for minutes. Clearly Guler has a strong personality to decide he will battle for a place rather than listen first to what Real Madrid want, but such is his competition, he may find his path blocked anyway.
