Real Madrid would not have won without the services of both Arda Guler and Jude Bellingham in the starting XI on Matchday 1 vs. tricky upstarts Espanyol, and they actually combined directly for the opener on a special Sami Khedira coached set piece, with Guler whipping in a deep free kick and Jude heading the ball expertly in a way that neither Kylian Mbappe nor Vinicius Junior could ever dream of.
They also nearly hooked up for another brilliant headed set piece later in the match that actually should have led to a goal, but Mbappe flubbed it badly by not even getting a real attempt at the ball when it fell kindly to him with the net gaping.
Jude was the best player on the pitch from an all around perspective, scoring, defending, and progressing the ball as a modern pressing No. 10, basically carrying the world class displays with England in the summer at the World Cup to Real Madrid in this role.
Jude Bellingham and Arda Guler fit perfectly together
But Arda Guler was nearly as good, creating seven chances as the beating heart of the team, and Real Madrid were not as effective as a unit when he left. Instead of starting in the midfield, he played on the right wing, and while that is not his ideal position, Guler's creativity still ensured that he was a major asset to Real Madrid in this role.
Real Madrid are not going to win very many games this season if the rest of the team plays as poorly as it did, and it is quite obvious to Jose Mourinho and the fans that a Madrid with both Guler and Bellingham in the lineup is the best unit possible.
Even the Jude and Arda stans are uniting instead of fighting each other as they were last season. These impassioned fan bases within the Real Madrid fan base are seeing a clear truth that the two are mutually beneficial, and the assist Guler had on the free kick for Jude is going to be a scene that repeats itself often this season.
Instead, the ire is directed at Kylian Mbappe for being wasteful and poor at anything besides, well, running fast, and then even moreso at Vinicius Junior for playing like straight up garbage - and worse yet getting rewarded by still being on the pitch. Guler and Bellingham are the new nucleus of the team, and everyone else simply has to step up more.
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