Real Madrid News
Official: Real Madrid starting lineup against Real Sociedad | La Liga GW 38
As he prepares to bid goodbye, Carlo Ancelotti has named his final starting lineup as the manager of Real Madrid for their game against Real Sociedad.
Ancelotti will leave the club after today’s La Liga encounter, with Xabi Alonso primed to replace him.
For his final match in charge of Real Madrid, the Italian tactician has once again stuck with Andriy Lunin in goal ahead of Thibaut Courtois
Raul Asencio, back after missing the last game, slots in at the heart of the defence, with Jesus Vallejo making way. Jacobo Ramon also drops out with Aurelien Tchouameni starting at centre-back. Lucas Vazquez and Fran Garcia continue as the full-backs.
Meanwhile, captain Luka Modric, playing his last game at the Santiago Bernabeu, starts in midfield alongside Federico Valverde and Dani Ceballos.
Arda Guler, Kylian Mbappe, and Brahim Diaz form the attacking unit for Real Madrid with Vinicius Jr. left out on the bench despite having recovered from his injury.
Real Madrid News
Mourinho’s decision to substitute Real Madrid’s best player vs Real Betis sparks confusion
Arda Guler’s substitution in Real Madrid’s 0-1 defeat to Real Betis looked strange from the outside, and the numbers make the decision even harder to understand.
According to AS, the Turkish international was Real Madrid’s leading chance-creator at La Cartuja, producing seven opportunities for his teammates.
He was also the second-best outfield player for ball recoveries, winning possession back five times.
Guler was replaced in the 65th minute by summer signing Yan Diomande, despite having been arguably Madrid’s most influential player in attack.
His defensive work was equally important, leaving Mourinho with a decision that has inevitably attracted attention.
In fact, his work rate in defence and his attacking flair were something Real Madrid’s finishers failed to capitalise on.
Mourinho explains why Guler had to come off
Mourinho acknowledged that removing Guler was difficult, although he believed the possibility of a second yellow card justified the decision.
The midfielder had been booked earlier in the game and Mourinho feared Betis players would deliberately target him after the break.
“It’s difficult to substitute Arda, yes, very difficult. He was playing very well. The Betis players are smarter, the Madrid players are more innocent, more naive.
“They get up immediately after fouls. I don’t know how he finished the first half with a yellow card, when he played so much and only committed one minor foul.
“Afterwards, they were going to try to catch him, and I had a feeling they could give him a second yellow,” explained the manager after the game.
Guler’s substitutions are becoming a pattern
The Betis match was not the first occasion on which Guler was withdrawn while performing strongly.
Against Espanyol, he was substituted after an hour while Madrid were chasing a winner, despite providing the assist for Jude Bellingham.
He had also been one of the team’s best performers throughout pre-season.
But substituting Guler was then, and it was also against Betis, the easiest substitution.
Guler currently occupies the false right-wing role and remains a regular starter, but Diomande’s arrival adds competition, particularly given the significant fee paid for the new signing.
However, the Turk is seizing every opportunity, even when his teammates struggle to keep up, giving Mourinho even more of a selection headache.
