Real Madrid were hit with a speed bump after their perfect start to the season, with Real Betis offering an important reality check to Jose Mourinho’s team.

After three wins from three to start the season, Madrid ran into a resolute Betis side at the Villamarin in a game where the ball simply refused to go in for them.

On the one occasion that it did, Carlos Espi’s sensational overhead strike was ruled out for a marginal offside.

Los Blancos lost the game 1-0 to the Andalusian side, but one of the few positives from the game was the continued good form of Arda Guler.

Even with the team struggling around him, the Turkey midfielder once again showed why he believes this could be the year he takes a major step forward under Jose Mourinho.

Guler making his opportunities count

According to AS, Guler remains convinced that working with Mourinho can accelerate his development and help him reach another level competitively.

His confidence comes at a time when his performances are making an increasingly strong argument for greater responsibility.

The numbers from the Betis defeat underline the kind of game the Turkey international had, despite the result not going his way.

Guler created seven chances, more than any other Madrid player, while also recovering five balls, the second-highest total among the team’s outfield players.

That made Mourinho’s decision to substitute him midway through the second half particularly perplexing.

The coach’s concern was Guler’s yellow card and the possibility of Madrid going down to 10 men. However, this is not the first time the 21-year-old has been removed despite playing well.

Against Espanyol, he was also substituted after around an hour despite assisting Jude Bellingham and being one of Madrid’s strongest performers.

Mourinho has a difficult decision

Guler remains Mourinho’s starting option in the right-wing role, but Yan Diomande’s presence creates obvious competition after Madrid invested €125 million plus bonuses to sign the Ivorian.

The encouraging part is that Guler appears determined to respond through performances rather than worry about the competition.

He is taking his chances and, at times, playing at a creative tempo his team-mates are struggling to match. That should strengthen his position rather than weaken it.

Guler believes Mourinho can help him develop and make a significant competitive leap this season. So far, there is reason to share that confidence.

The next stage is about turning impressive stretches into sustained influence over complete matches.

Guler’s on-pitch relationship with Mbappe is probably the best two-man relationship in the team at the moment.

So far, the Turk has done nothing wrong to make Mourinho consider dropping him, and it remains to be seen how many more minutes he gets with Diomande’s threat looming large.