Jude Bellingham is the man of the moment, and rightfully so. The English superstar received all the plaudits for his fine display against Juventus, which he topped up with a goal.
At the start of this season, Real Madrid was missing Jude Bellingham. Not just literally, but metaphorically too. There was a Bellingham-sized hole in the team, and that was growing impossible to fill... Until.
Until Arda Güler made himself a non-negotiable starter in this newfound Xabi Alonso system. The Turkey international has been one of Real Madrid's standout players, and he has been the creative hub for Los Blancos all season so far.
Arda Güler must play further forward than Jude Bellingham in El Clásico
Against Juventus, Arda Güler dropped back more than usual. He still had an impact in the final third, and he was there a lot, too. However, the Turkish wonderkid allowed Bellingham all the free-roaming glory in the world.
Against Barcelona in the Clásico, things might be different. It would make much more sense in a game of this magnitude to allow Güler to act as the most creative player, while Jude Bellingham drops slightly deeper while out of possession.
This would make the most sense, because Real Madrid fans would feel far less anxiety watching Bellingham in a one-on-one defensive scenario than they would with Güler in the same battle.
And look, that's not to belittle Güler. He has clearly worked hard on his physicality, and he is dropping back more and more often to help out with Real Madrid's backline. This is one of the main reasons why Alonso continues to select him, after all.
So, Güler will also get stuck in. However, from a logistical standpoint, it would be much wiser to give Bellingham that role, with Güler helping out as and when required.
We all know how tightly contested and combative El Clásico can be. It's the type of game where every player needs to bring their A-game, and every minute intricacy from the manager's tactical setup matters. Wherever Alonso can get an edge is absolutely worth exploring.
In an ideal world, Real Madrid could ditch their defensive duties and go all-out attack against Barcelona. This would certainly be a pleasing game to watch. But the world is not ideal, and Real Madrid must anticipate Barcelona coming at them better than they have in recent years.
Against Juve, it was Bellingham who was tasked with carrying the attacking charge. Against Barcelona, it must be Güler.