When Xabi Alonso was appointed as Real Madrid manager, one of his main goals was to get Arda Guler back to the best of his game after a tough first two seasons at the Bernabeu, and that is exactly what Xabi Alonso did. This season was the best of Guler's career, and we saw the strong relationship between player and coach, one that the Turkish international will remember for the rest of his career. While speaking this week, Guler discussed the relationship he had with Xabi Alonso and how it was 'exactly what he was looking for'. Guler went on to say:
"I had a great relationship with Xabi Alonso.
I felt that he handed me the keys, which was exactly what I was looking for.
Now he’s going to Chelsea, I hope everything goes well for him."
Arda Guler
The Arda Guler-Xabi Alonso duo was special
Xabi Alonso handing Arda Guler the keys was evident from the start of his tenure and it is evident why he did that. Guler grabbed three goals and eight assists during his time under Xabi Alonso and is exactly the kind of play maker Alonso had in his Leverkusen sides with Florian Wirtz where he found much success and he was replicating that success at Real Madrid with the Turkish international.
Guler was one of the first names on the team sheet during Xabi Alonso's time in charge and managed to keep up his strong form even after Alonso was sacked, grabbing a further three goals and six assists before an untimely injury cut his season short. Real Madrid struggled for creativity in his absence at the end of the season, showing exactly why Alonso viewed the 21-year-old so highly.
His best performance of the season actually came after Xabi Alonso was sacked when he grabbed two incredible goals in the Champions League quarter-finals second leg against Bayern Munich, a performance Xabi Alonso was proud of even from afar, as Guler went on to explain:
"Xabi Alonso sent me a message after Bayern’s match and told me he was very proud of me.
I felt so happy reading the message."
Arda Guler
While Xabi Alonso wasn't for everyone at Real Madrid (Vinicius), he did manage to leave a positive mark on some players, and whether you're a Xabi Alonso fan or not, you can't deny that what he did for Arda Guler could be one of the most important player developments we've seen in the recent history of Real Madrid.
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