Real Madrid are far from revolution, but something has changed in midfield.
Since Arbeloa sat on the Whites' bench, Arda Güler has found a continuity that had been complicated for him. He was only a substitute once – against Levante, in the Salamanca coach's second match – and since then he has been weaving a constant presence in the Staring 11. 34 games played so far this season, no injury, no card that kept him away from the pitch.
The last throes of the 'Xabi Alonso era' were for him like a thick fog that was blurring until he was left out of the starting eleven. Arbeloa has demanded of him like anyone else. Proof of this was his substitution against Benfica, precisely when he was being the highlight on the pitch of Lisbon. He is not an untouchable, but he has earned his place with performance: four assists in six games since the arrival of the new coach, performances of remarkable high in almost all of them. Compliance is almost assured.
Now, with Bellingham in the dry dock for a month and the possible return of Valverde to midfield, a horizon that was denied him just a few weeks ago opens up against Güler. That position of attacking midfielder, that space between the traffic of the midfield and the opponent's last defensive line. A kingdom that he longed for so much. From there, closer to the striker, with freedom to appear between the lines as a conjurer of the ball, was how he unblocked several games at the start of the campaign. His connection with Mbappé was not born by chance. It is football chemistry in its purest form that brings together eight assists to the 'Pichichi'.
This week, in addition, Güler was crowned the best in the physical tests designed by Antonio Pintus. A test with metabolic masks measuring each inhalation of oxygen. And there, in that laboratory of resistance, the Turk signed the best records of the squad. A figure that takes on epic dimensions when compared to the physical size of some of his teammates. It is one thing to have talent in your feet, and quite another to prove that the engine never dies. For Arda, the two converge.
His numbers this season are those of a player who is knocking on the door of consolidation: 0.34 expected assists and 2.94 chances created per 90 minutes, two statistics that place him as the best among the 452 midfielders in the five major leagues during this campaign combining domestic competitions and the Champions League.