Have yourself a week, Real Madrid. After defeating Manchester City 3-0 in Champions League play, Los Blancos got an emphatic 4-1 victory over Elche, and young midfielder Arda Guler closed it out with quite a stroke of genius. Spotting Elche keeper Matias Dituro off of his line, Guler took a shot from behind midfield, placing it perfectly where the keeper couldn’t even dive to try and save it. That ended a day with four goals, all scored by different players.
Take a look at the goal:
Antonio Rudiger, Federico Valverde, Dean Huijsen, and Guler all found the back of the net, but it was the Turkish midfielder who had the best goal of the bunch. It is a goal like this that defines Real Madrid, players succeeding at audacious attempts that most wouldn’t even dream of taking. I mean, take a look at this goal. The placement, the power, it was perfect.
It’s one of two goals from outside the box for Real Madrid and they took nine shots from outside the penalty area. Some managers would try to rein in that talent because low percentage shots can take away from a team, but at Real Madrid, these are what make them great. Manager Alvaro Arbeloa wants his players to take the chances on the pitch, and it helps keep defenses off balance.
That goal is Guler’s fourth of the season to go along with 12 assists in all competitions. Guler’s importance to the team has grown as he is blossoming as a midfielder in his third season with the club. With Jude Bellingham sidelined, Guler has earned consistent minutes in midfield and has already outdone his goal contributions from last season as he’s on pace to almost double the 11 contributions that he had. More will be needed if Real Madrid are going to catch up to Barcelona for the LaLiga title, but players like Guler stepping up are why this team are a Champions League contender.
