Real Madrid were forced to face Real Betis on Friday night without star midfielder Arda Guler, who is done for the rest of this dismal season with an injury. Although Madridistas knew that Guler would be a big loss and have been singing his praises all season long, seeing how the team performed against the Verdiblancos without the Turkish superstar really sealed just how important he has become to this team.
Only one Real Madrid player had more than two chances created against Betis, and that was star left winger Vinicius Junior. The rest of the chance creation came from either Kylian Mbappe, who practically has a monopoly on the ball in the final third, and a couple of brilliant passes from Trent Alexander-Arnold out wide.
The midfield, though, did a really poor job of creating chances for the forwards, and Brahim Diaz also had another off night. Without Guler setting the tone in bridging the midfield and final third while creating from wide, central, deep, and high attacking areas, Real Madrid lacked that killer edge and quality of the pass in the area.
Arda Guler was badly missed vs. Real Betis
Guler left the 2025/26 Champions League season with more key passes than any other player, and what he is doing from a creative perspective at this age is pretty close to historic. The 21 year old is both the team's leader in assists this season and second to only Kylian Mbappe in key passes per game despite 1) hoarding possession in the final third less than the Frenchman and 2) having to play further away from goal, including as a wide midfielder in many of the Madrid formations so the others can be accommodated in their preferred roles.
Real Madrid without Arda Guler is not the same and lacks a lot of creativity and bite, and you can tell that Vinicius Jr. and, especially, Mbappe suffer without the young midfielder's ability to break the lines. Guler is far from a finished product and still has to do a better job of keeping the ball and controlling the play, but those issues will resolve with time.
The most important aspects of Guler's game and his influence on Real Madrid as a team are unmistakable. This has been Guler's true breakout season as a core member of the squad, and his injury absence against Real Betis really drives home that his breakout campaign, possibly due to how dismal this team has been overall this season, is still not quite getting the credit it deserves.
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