Portuguese coach José Mourinho faces a challenge in Real Madrid's midfield after four games in which the midfield pairing of Fede Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni has not achieved the expected balance. The results have been three victories and one defeat, but the feeling of “misgovernance” has remained, as evidenced in the 3-4 comeback against Roma, where the white team needed a change of structure to achieve victory.
The problem has manifested itself in four different games: Elche, Atlético de Madrid, Villarreal and Roma. In the match against Elche, Real Madrid won 3-2 with a goal from Carlos Espí, but the midfielder's lack of dominance left doubts about the team's ability to control the game. Mourinho defended Valverde and Tchouaméni, ensuring that when the team worked, they both did too. In the match against Atlético, the situation worsened, with Real Madrid imposed in an area where it could not establish its authority. In the defeat against Villarreal, the team was stuck for minutes without finding continuity in its attacks or a midfielder to assume command. Mourinho changed the lineup, moving Valverde to the right back and placing Arda Güler in deeper positions, which allowed the team to gain clarity and win 1‑0 thanks to a goal from Yan Diomande.
The next test, against Roma, once again opted for Valverde and Tchouaméni in the starting lineup, but the result was a defeat that turned into a 3-4 comeback. In that match, Güler, a starting substitute, became the protagonist of the final three goals, with shots from the corner that led to goals from Espí, Endrick and Antonio Rüdiger. His entry offered an alternative in circulation, a footballer willing to receive, raise his head and look for solutions where difficulties in linking the game previously predominated.
Mourinho has pointed out on several occasions Güler's qualities to assume responsibilities in the organization of the team. In September he highlighted his vision, his decision-making ability and the stability he brought to the game. On another occasion he hinted at a change in the Turk's position, comparing him to players like Modric or Bernardo Silva, and suggested that he could evolve from a position of 10 to one of 8 or 6. The coach sees in Güler the ability to think about the next pass before receiving the previous one, something that distinguishes the organizers.
Mourinho's dilemma is to decide whether to continue insisting on the Valverde-Tchouaméni pairing, which has not yet found the balance, or take advantage of the alternative that has been shown to him in recent games. The three victories in four games have not cleared up doubts about its performance. Güler offers another possibility, not guaranteeing order, but providing an idea of how to find it. Mourinho has already pointed out the Turk as one of the footballers capable of organizing the Real Madrid of the future, and after the games against Villarreal and Roma, perhaps the time has come to trust him with the present.