Real Madrid News
National team coach happy with Real Madrid starlet’s progress under Alonso – ‘Forced him to do different things’
Arda Guler has been one of the top beneficiaries of Xabi Alonso’s arrival and his situation at Real Madrid has seen a drastic turn for the better in recent months.
The youngster is now a bona fide starter in Los Blancos’ midfield and the new manager counts on him as the creator-in-chief for the team. His performances, needless to say, have backed up Alonso’s faith in him.
So far this season, Guler has started all three of Real Madrid’s La Liga games and has played over 70 minutes on all occasions. In that duration, he already has a goal and an assist to his name and even earned another assist in Turkey’s first game of the break.
Turkey manager speaks
Speaking to the media ahead of Turkey’s clash against Spain later this week, the coach of the Turkish national team was asked to give his honest thoughts on Arda Guler, especially with the youngster now seeing regular minutes at the club level.
“Arda has played consistently at Real Madrid since the end of last season. He is a great talent and a great football player,” he began, acknowledging his talent.
Montella then went on to explain how Xabi Alonso was extracting the most from the youngster’s talent and providing a template of his versatility.
“He can play in all positions, and he is doing it further back. Xabi Alonso has forced him to do different things.”
Guler will start for his national team against Spain tomorrow night where he will be up against a steep challenge. After all, La Roja are one of the most in-form international teams at the moment.
What will be more interesting to follow on the night will be Guler sharing the field with Lamine Yamal in a battle of prodigal talents.
Source: AA Spor
Real Madrid News
Mourinho reacts to Vinicius suspension: “Why announce it two hours before an important match?”
Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has questioned the RFEF Disciplinary Committee’s decision to announce Vinicius Jr.’s four-match suspension just hours before their UEFA Champions League meeting with AS Roma on Wednesday.
The Brazilian has been hit with a four-match ban for his red card against Villarreal, meaning he will miss the matches against Sevilla, Barcelona, Racing Santander, and Valencia.
And, speaking to Movistar+ (h/t MARCA) before the match, the Real Madrid manager was asked whether the punishment could affect the Brazilian psychologically.
Mourinho instead turned his attention to the football authorities and the timing of their announcement.
“I think that is a question for the Committee. Why have they announced the suspension at this particular moment? If you are asking me this question, it is presumably because you think it could affect him,” the Portuguese coach replied.
“You should ask the Committee why they did not announce it this morning, or tomorrow morning. Why do they do it two hours before a match that is important for Real Madrid, which is a Spanish club?” he added, questioning the timing of the decision.
Mourinho explains his tactical approach against Roma
The Real Madrid manager also outlined his plan for facing a Roma side known for their aggressive pressing.
“My intention is to stop them from pressing us so high up the pitch, given the players we have available and as a precaution,” he said.
Continuing, the Portuguese manager added: “They press man-to-man higher up the pitch better than anyone else, and we will see whether we can take advantage of that. If not, they will have to drop their press five or ten metres.”
Why Rudiger over Huijsen
Mourinho also justified his decision to start Antonio Rudiger at centre-back alongside Ibrahima Konate rather than Dean Huijsen.
“They played very well together in the last match, Rudiger and Konate, showing great leadership and the ability to withstand a difficult situation when we had ten men for 30 minutes,” he said.
“I am not saying Dean is not capable of playing a match like this, but this is a wonderful atmosphere for Roma and a difficult one for us. I think a player with Antonio’s experience can be important,” Mourinho added.
Finally, Mourinho was asked about his emotions ahead of returning to face Roma, the club he managed between 2021 and 2024.
The Portuguese coach offered a brief response, saying that he had his feelings about the occasion “blocked”.
