It wasn’t entirely comfortable, but Los Blancos held on to overcome RC Celta 3-2 at the Bernabéu in Matchday 34, collecting three vitally important points.
It was Arda Güler who opened the scoring against the Galicians, with the Turkish international keeping up his recent run of minutes and good form. It’s clear that the 20-year-old still believes that Real Madrid can retain the league championship, and he is playing with the kind of positivity that can turn a season around.
Just past the half-hour mark in the game against RC Celta, Güler unleashed a rocket from the corner of the penalty area, one which found the back of the net and set Real Madrid on their way. It was the second LALIGA EA SPORTS matchday in a row in which he’d scored, after also netting the only goal against Getafe CF last time out.
Yet, Güler wasn’t done there. Just after the half-time interval, he played a superb defence-splitting pass to set up Kylian Mbappé for the Frenchman’s second goal of the afternoon, making it 3-0 at that point of the match.
Two goals and two assists in three matches
By scoring once and assisting once against RC Celta, Güler continued his run of good form. He’d also scored in the recent league game against Getafe CF and provided an assist after coming on in the Copa del Rey final, even if Real Madrid ultimately lost that duel with rivals FC Barcelona. As such, the youngster has two goals and two assists in his past three matches.
Güler also played well in the recent win over Deportivo Alavés, and is starting to gain the trust of Carlo Ancelotti. In February, the Italian publicly called out those close to the player who were criticising his lack of playing time, but on Sunday the coach admitted that the situation has changed.
“A couple of months ago I criticised his close circle but now I congratulate them because they’ve done a good job with him,” Ancelotti stated.
He elaborated further: “This is the natural progression for a Real Madrid player with motivation to play for the club. He boasts a lot of quality and has worked hard, and he has never lost confidence.
"It’s clear that the Güler of September is not the Güler of today. He has changed a lot, also his physical profile, as he is more forceful while maintaining his quality. It’s the normal progression for a young player at Real Madrid.”
The coach also revealed that Güler has a chance of being in the starting line-up for Sunday’s ELCLASICO away at FC Barcelona. It would be just his second appearance against Barça and the first start against the Catalan club, but with the way the midfielder is playing right now it could be the key to Real Madrid collecting the three valuable points. There are four matchdays left this LALIGA EA SPORTS season, so plenty of time for some more Güler magic.