During a pre-season friendly against WSG Tirol, Xabi Alonso was overheard repeatedly instructing his Real Madrid players to pass to one star specifically.
Madrid returned to action after an unsuccessful Club World Cup campaign in which they lost to Champions League champions PSG in the semi-finals.
The friendly will be Alonso’s only test until their La Liga campaign begins against Osasuna next week.
During the first half, Alonso was heard on the touchline demanding all but one of his starting eleven, which included Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Fede Valverde.
According to MadridXtra, Alonso was constantly shouting ‘find Arda’ to his squad, with the Turk filling the vacuum left by the injured Jude Bellingham.
Despite being one of the Madrid squad’s less experienced and established members, this should come as no surprise given Alonso’s past admiration for the 20-year-old.
Speaking at the Club World Cup in June, the Spaniard stated that Madrid performs best when Guler is as involved as possible.
“I agree with Arda that he needs to be close to the ball,” he told journalists.
“He’s one player that is special because the more touches he has, normally the better plays himself and better plays the team.”
Guler joined Madrid from Fenerbahce in 2023 and has since appeared in 61 games, scoring 12 goals.
What Xabi Alonso stated after the Club World Cup exit
“Today it hurts, and our level wasn’t good enough,” he told full-time reporters.
“Being down 2-0 early on is a conditioning issue. We wanted to play an intense game and then approach it in a different way.
“More than the difference between the two teams, we need to enhance our margin. It is the end of the current season, not the beginning of the next.
“We’ll take the positives from the Club World Cup era. We are departing as a better team.
“We didn’t discuss it during the Club World Cup, but from now on, we’re open to making improvements. “We are always looking to improve, and there is still room for improvement,” he continued.
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