Carlo Ancelotti cannot do much more wrong than to give promising Real Madrid gem more game time in the remaining matches – Opinion | OneFootball

Real Madrid were unable to take advantage of their best opportunity to win a piece of silverware this season as they ended up the losers in the Copa del Rey final against FC Barcelona last Saturday.

As opposed to the previous two meetings between the two sides, the Merengues certainly made the effort to get a win in this game. However, they were left undone by some errors, of which the Blaugranes took full advantage.

Once again, the game started in poor fashion for Los Blancos, and they ended the first half with a 1-goal deficit. However, Ancelotti made several changes in the second half, and these changes definitely paid off as Real Madrid scored two goals in these 45 minutes.

Arda Guler impresses against Barcelona

One of the changes that had the most impact on the game was the introduction of Arda Guler on the pitch. The young Turk came into this game with his spirits quite high, as he had scored the only goal in the last league game against Getafe to get his side the full three points and to keep them alive in the La Liga race.

Against Barcelona, he was once again very good, as he helped his team create several chances and was not afraid to attempt high-risk passes. In fact, it was his corner from which Aurelien Tchouameni scored to give his side a temporary lead.

This performance was only an indication of the youngster’s readiness to play the most difficult games. Facing this high-flying Blaugrana team in a final is no mean task for a 20-year-old youngster, but Guler was able to hold his own against Hansi Flick’s men.

Real Madrid gem Arda Guler. [Photo by Aitor Alcalde/Getty Images]

The Turk can eliminate a serious problem for Real Madrid

One of the most glaring issues in the Real Madrid team structure this season has been the absence of a good balance between physicality and technicality/creativity. Players like Aurelien Tchouameni, Federico Valverde, Jude Bellingham, and Eduardo Camavinga provide a lot of physicality, but leave the team short of players who can make the difference with the ball.

Luke Modric and Dani Ceballos have both provided the solution to this problem to some extent so far in the season. But the former is now too old to continue playing a lot of minutes at the highest level, while the latter is also quite inconsistent.

In such a scenario, Ancelotti cannot do much wrong to give Arda Guler more opportunities, especially as he is still only 20 years old, and some competitive minutes will allow him to become a better player.

Hopefully, he will take advantage of any such opportunities that come his way to showcase the Italian, or any other manager who takes charge for the next season, that he is ready to take on a starting role in the team.