Real Madrid made the bold decision to keep Rodrygo Goes out of the starting lineup on Sunday against Barcelona with the title on the line, as Rodrygo has been massively disappointing over the last several weeks, including in the most recent Clasico.
So Carlo Ancelotti replaced him with the young Arda Guler, who was decisive in the last Clasico and has been a matchwinner in two recent LaLiga games against Celta Vigo and Getafe.
Guler made a big difference by starting for Real Madrid as a deeper-lying midfielder, making much more of an impact in this position than he did earlier this season when he was starting on the right wing. The Turkish international was anonymous in many of those matches as a winger, leading to transfer rumors about a potential loan in the summer.
Well now it's obvious that Guler is an important piece of the Real Madrid puzzle in the short and long term. Guler, however, didn't impress in his big opportunity to start for Real Madrid vs. Barcelona in the most important Clasico of the season.
Arda Guler is not a winger
In fact, Real Madrid hooked him off at half-time after he made literally no statistical impact on the game. Guler didn't register a single key pass, dribble complete, foul drawn, or shot in 45 minutes.
In a half in which six total goals were scored and both Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior were given room to run rampant against the Barcelona high line, Guler was pretty much a ghost on the offensive end.
Hopefully, Real Madrid learn their lesson from Guler's performance against Barcelona. He is not a winger. Guler does not have the physical attributes of a winger, and he does not approach the sport with the mentality of a winger.
That just isn't him. He's not a guy who is going to go out there and demand the ball wide, explode with his first touch, take players on in space, or win with athleticism.
Guler is a highly technical and cerebral player. He can beat defenders off the dribble with agility and quickness in tight areas, but he's not going to eat up space and blow people away. Guler plays for moments, picking the right spot, the right pass, the right time, and the right position to strike.
He can change games with a shot or a pass out of nothing, but to do that, he needs to play more centrally and behind other players.
Real Madrid have a special footballer who can make those around him better and come up with magical moments. But they have to understand who Guler is and what he's about, rather than shoehorning him into what they think they need for that game.
Had Real Madrid played Guler in a pivot next to Fede Valverde with Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe as the lone forwards, he would have made more of an impact with beautiful, game-breaking passes from deep instead of being a passenger in the game, on the periphery of an explosive Clasico that he should have helped Real Madrid win in the right position.
Carlo Ancelotti betrayed the brilliant discovery he had made just a couple of weeks ago, and, in doing so, he hurt both Guler and Real Madrid on Sunday.
Going forward, Xabi Alonso and Madrid need to take this last month of football into perspective and understand that Guler is a playmaker who plays off others, not a forward who does things on his own like an Mbappe or a Vinicius. And honestly, in the context of what Real Madrid need as a team, this is a very good thing.