Turkish player Arda Güler has once again earned Carlo Ancelotti's trust. On Sunday, at Butarque, he was a starter for the first time since September 21. And he demonstrated the confidence that made him shine with Turkey, playing as a false winger on the right, with the freedom to make diagonals and showing flashes of skill with nutmegs, ball control, and dribbles that highlighted his current moment of confidence. 

This confidence has always been evident when playing for Turkey, but it had been lacking when he wore the Real Madrid shirt. After a first season with little involvement, he started this campaign with the same pattern, but after two games in which he played three minutes each, he earned two starting positions in four matches. That was until September 21 against Espanyol, when he was substituted in the 55th minute despite having a solid performance.

Arda Güler did not fully understand the substitution, and his involvement dropped. Since then, he has only played 62 minutes. Meanwhile, with Turkey, he has remained an undisputed leader, starting in all four of the October and November international break matches.

It was only against Leganés on Sunday that he played more minutes than in the previous nine matches with Real Madrid. He played 75 minutes at Butarque in which, although without scoring, he was one of the standout players, not only for being, along with Dani Ceballos, a surprise inclusion in Ancelotti’s starting lineup, but also for his good football.

He played as a false winger on the right side, a position where, with freedom, he had shone in last summer’s Euros. However, this came with the defensive responsibilities Carlo Ancelotti demands from Vinícius and Mbappé’s attacking partner. Being able to act as a fourth midfielder is one of the keys for the Italian coach.

This idea could change heading into Anfield, due to Vinícius' injury, with muscle discomfort in his left hamstring that will keep him out for three weeks. At least, Arda Güler now has another opportunity, one that comes unexpectedly due to his minimal involvement so far, but he has made the most of it.

At Butarque, he was the player with the most shots for Real Madrid (six, three of them on target), surpassing his per-90-minute averages for the rest of the season (3.25 shots and 1.63 on target). Against Leganés, Güler improved nearly all his offensive stats for the season, according to BeSoccer Pro data for EFE, except for attempted passes (42.43 compared to 37) and fouls received (2.64 compared to 2). This can be explained by the change in his playing style at Butarque. He was more direct with the ball, attempting fewer passes, making more dribbles (11), and, above all, losing fewer balls (9.55 compared to 2); he was also more successful in his dribbling (5 successful dribbles compared to 3.05 on average before Sunday).

He rounded off his performance with his first assist for Real Madrid, as he did not record any assists last season, although he scored six goals, with full accuracy on shots on target. Though not particularly impressive, databases count his assist as the ball he stopped from Dani Ceballos’ pass, allowing Fede Valverde to score the second goal with a powerful, low shot into the corner of the Leganés net after a free kick. 

These statistics highlight Arda Güler’s strong performance against Leganés and open the door for greater involvement at Anfield, in a major Champions League match where Ancelotti has yet to call on him, except for the one minute he played against Dortmund this season when the score was already 5-2. An unexpected opportunity, but one that arises in an attacking front where only Kylian Mbappé’s position is guaranteed, barring injury, as has happened to Vinícius.