Real Madrid News
[Video] Guardiola teases Vinicius during City vs Real Madrid: “Are you guys gonna play?”
Manchester City utterly dominated Real Madrid in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final second leg at the Etihad Stadium, winning 4-0 to book a place in the finals.
The Cityzens, who enjoyed 60% possession, attempted 16 shots, eight of which were on target.
The team from Manchester opened the scoring through Bernardo Silva in the 23rd minute before the Portuguese doubled the lead minutes before half-time. Defender Manuel Akanji made it three while substitute forward Julian Alvarez delivered the final nail in the coffin.
While it was a disappointing night for Madrid, not all love was lost between the two teams. Vinicius Jr., who is used to getting the flake from the fans and the opposition players constantly in La Liga, shared a humorous moment with Pep Guardiola for a change.
As caught by Movistar Plus+, Guardiola humorously asked the Brazilian, “Vini, Vini, are you guys gonna play?”
To this, the forward replied, “Yes, yes, in just a little bit,” before the City manager chuckled and said, “Yeah, sure…”
Guardiola 🤝 Vinicius #DeportePlus #UCL pic.twitter.com/XlzNeyMByD
— #Vamos por Movistar Plus+ (@vamos) May 18, 2023
After the conversion, the two were seen engaging in a friendly high-five before sharing a burst of laughter. The game moved on and so did Manchester City.
As for Real Madrid, they just could not deal with their hosts on Wednesday night as Bernardo Silva opened up their defence with relative ease on a regular basis.
The Portuguese exploited the pockets of space to mere perfection. As seen in the first goal, his clever moment allowed him to go one-on-one against Thibaut Courtois while his presence of mind put him exactly in the right spot for the second goal.
Madrid, on the other hand, hardly troubled Ederson. Apart from Toni Kroos’ belter from distance, the Man City keeper was hardly tested throughout the contest. Safe to say City were the better side and deserved the win.
In a season where Real Madrid have largely struggled to keep pace with leaders Barcelona, Arda Guler has been one of the few bright sparks.
Despite his limited minutes, the Turkish international has shown that he is capable of becoming a first-team regular for Los Blancos, especially at a time when others, including Vinicius Jr. are struggling to make an impact.
Guler was notably named in Real Madrid’s five-player star of the month for September and the player could soon be rewarded with a contract extension as well.
New contract for Arda Guler
According to AS, Guler has agreed terms for a new deal at Real Madrid, in what could be the club’s first major renewal for the new season.
The young Turk’s current deal at the Bernabeu expires in 2029. But the renewal will ensure his future at the club at least until 2031.
The new contract will effectively acknowledge Guler’s growing role in the Real Madrid first-team and include a salary-increase.
The negotiations between the two parties had started last month and has now come to fruition, with Guler more than happy to continue his chapter at Real Madrid.
He also joins a long list of Real Madrid players with long-term contracts, including Yan Diomande, Vinicius Jr., Marc Cucurella, Aurelien Tchouameni and others.
An important season ahead
With the contract likely to be finalised soon, Arda Guler’s main goal will be continue to his form when the season restarts next weekend.
The forward has been involved in four goals in seven matches this season. With Vinicius and Diomande struggling for form, the Turkish international will have an excellent opportunity to become a regular starter for Jose Mourinho throughout the course of the campaign.
Mourinho, for his part, must identify how to get the best out of both Guler and an in-form Jude Bellingham. If the two can somehow work together in the final third, Real Madrid could find themselves dominating most matches.
