Carlo Ancelotti has no choice but to use Arda Guler more

There will be an innumerable amount of rumors and reports circulating in the media following Real Madrid’s abhorrent 4-0 loss to Barcelona in El Clasico, an unacceptable result at the Valdebebas and one that should have consequences for how the Merengues approach the remainder of the season.

Already, the tide was seemingly turning as far as Real’s pursuit of center backs, which had been non-existent prior to this point despite a multitude of injuries, and, now, it is abundantly obvious that defensive help is needed across the back line to keep up with Hansi Flick’s emerging attacking juggernaut in Barcelona.

In the more immediate term, questions will be asked about Carlo Ancelotti. And these will be serious ones, perhaps even graver than the ones he so deftly answered in March 2022 when Real Madrid were last embarrassed 4-0 by their eternal rivals.

That year, Carletto changed his tactics, made greater use of Fede Valverde, finally started playing box-to-box mavens Eduardo Camavinga and Dani Ceballos in midfield, and hedged to a more rigid defensive structure en route to an unforgettable Champions League campaign.

This season, Carletto will have to make many of those same adjustments, which makes it that much more baffling that he didn’t already learn from his previous ills in the first place.

Arda Guler was supposed to have a bigger role for Real Madrid

But I guess with new faces like Kylian Mbappe and the departure of Toni Kroos, a shock to the system was needed to wake the reigning Champions League and LaLiga-winning manager out of his slumber.

There is one more error Carlo must rectify, and that is giving more minutes to two extremely talented youngsters who are seemingly wasting away on the bench despite, in some cases, being better options based on the game state in the second half than their current starters.

One of those is striker Endrick, but the player everyone thought, even based on information relayed by Carlo himself, would be headed for more minutes was Turkish talent Arda Guler.

The surprise signing of the summer 2023 window, Guler looked like the biggest talent at Real Madrid this summer after lighting up the Euros, just as he lit up LaLiga with six goals in under 400 minutes.

Guler, however, has played just 250 minutes this season with a mere three starts, and, lately, he has been almost completely phased out of the Real Madrid lineup; Carletto didn’t even call upon him in El Clasico with the game slipping away.

Arda Guler can be what Eduardo Camavinga was for Real Madrid in 2022

Relevo’s Rodra P wrote the usual post-game insider column about the doubts around Carlo Ancelotti after a big loss to Barcelona, but buried in the article was a specific nugget about the behind-the-scenes grievances from the front office about Arda Guler’s lack of minutes.

It looks like the decision-makers at Valdebebas are just as baffled as the fans as to why Guler, a world-class gem of Real’s own, isn’t getting minutes when he has a unique skill set that can help the team in a number of positions.

In 2022, Camavinga came in and was a dynamic game-changer for Real Madrid as both a starting No. 8 and an elite option off the bench, even in the biggest games against Chelsea and Manchester City.

This season, Guler can be that game-changer, too, in a more attacking role, and you can argue that he has even more talent than Cama. Regardless, Guler is a phenomenal player already and someone who, like Camavinga in 2022, offers technical and playmaking qualities that Real Madrid are very much missing.

You won’t find many people arguing in favor of Guler toiling away on the bench. The push for Ancelotti to play Guler more is almost unanimous, and it could be a move that saves Real Madrid from being the most disappointing team in ages.