Xabi Alonso’s Real Madrid crashed out of the FIFA Club World Cup in embarrassing fashion at the hands of Luis Enrique’s Paris Saint-Germain.
The 4-0 thrashing by current Champions League winner PSG showed that Los Blancos have a long way to go to regain their status as one of Europe’s elite clubs.
Alonso himself has a challenging task at hand, taking a Real Madrid squad that didn’t have a set tactical identity under Carlo Ancelotti and turning them into what his Bayer Leverkusen teams were.
One player at Die Werkself who transformed Alonso’s system and allowed it to flourish was Florian Wirtz — a do-everything number 10 who could roam and play any position on the pitch but also lead and supply the attack himself.
Liverpool snatched up Florian Wirtz this summer for a record £116 million fee.
While Xabi Alonso would have loved to have Wirtz follow him to Real Madrid to join ex-Liverpoolian Trent Alexander-Arnold, he may already have his version of Florian Wirtz in the squad with Arda Güler.
While the young Turkish attacking midfielder was not a regular starter under Ancelotti, throughout the Club World Cup, he has proven his value to the squad and Alonso himself.
This player analysis and scout report will analyse Arda Güler style of play, his skill set, and potential role in Xabi Alonso tactics at Real Madrid in 2025/2026 La Liga season and beyond.
We will also examine how similar Arda Güler’s profile is to Florian Wirtz and, more importantly, how Xabi Alonso may use Güler in a similar role to how he used Wirtz at Bayer Leverkusen.
Xabi Alonso Use Of Florian Wirtz
At Bayer Leverkusen, Xabi Alonso primarily used Florian Wirtz as a left-sided attacking midfielder.
As you can see from Florian Wirtz heat map, that is where he operated and did most of his damage.
Wirtz operated in between the lines to find space and create opportunities for his teammates.
He’s fantastic with both feet and can make incredible passes to carve open defences.
He can send in crosses with fantastic accuracy, like this one versus Borussia Dortmund.
Or he can carry the ball, take on defenders, and open up space for his teammates to get in behind, as in this situation against Holstein Kiel.
He can also drop deep from his number 10 position to aid in build-up, which allowed Leverkusen to maintain overloads through the first few phases.
He also used his pace and quick bursts to beat the defenders he dragged with him deep, blowing by them and getting in behind.
As you can see, Florian Wirtz was one of the best players in Europe’s top five leagues last season in almost every category for a number 10.
Florian Wirtz Radar Chart
It’s rare to see a player rank almost in the 99th percentile for both pass received and attempted passes—that shows how much Florian Wirtz did for Bayer Leverkusen.
It’s probably not shocking to you if I told you he led Europe’s top-five leagues last season in the number of touches per 90 minutes for attacking midfielders.
He is simply someone who can completely take over a match and hurt the opposition in a number of different ways.
Real Madrid boasts a talented team, but players like Vinícius Júnior, Jude Bellingham, and Federico Valverde don’t quite fit the profile.
If there is one guy who I think Xabi Alonso is going to use similarly to Florian Wirtz, it is Arda Güler.
Has Xabi Alonso Found That In Arda Güler?
Arda Güler is young, but he has loads of talent.
That is why, at 18 years old, when he made his move from Fenerbahçe, he was being courted by all of Europe’s elite clubs.
The reason is that he’s one of the most technically gifted midfielders for his age.
However, he found it difficult last season to break into the first team with Real Madrid because they are simply one of the most talented teams in the world.
Throughout the Club World Cup, Xabi Alonso has deployed him in a couple of different roles.
When they faced Juventus, he used him as an inverted winger in a 3-4-3, but against BVB, he used him in a double pivot alongside Aurélien Tchouaméni.
His role in the Dortmund match really stood out because he dominated the match consistently, dropping deep in the build-up to help Real Madrid play out against Dortmund’s high press.
What Güler provides for Real Madrid is that Florian Wirtz’s previous role.
He is an attacking midfielder who can both receive and pass at a high rate while also creating chances for his teammates in a number of different ways when they reach the final third.
Arda Güler Radar Chart
The profiles of players Real Madrid has in Jude Bellingham, Federico Valverde, and Aurélien Tchouaméni don’t really fit the type of role required for Xabi Alonso’s system to flourish.
We’ve already seen glimpses of Alonso’s implementation of overloads to isolate one side of the pitch at the Club World Cup.
Still, they really need to improve in build-up before truly applying final third concepts at the level he wants.
PSG’s first two goals came off errors at the back, which are growing pains of switching to a build-up system rather than what they did under Ancelotti, which was to play direct anytime they faced an elite pressing team.
Güler’s ability to play in a double pivot or as a left or right side can really help Real Madrid when they face strong pressing teams, and it also helps with positional rotations.
If we look at the strengths of players like Jude Bellingham and Federico Valverde, they are best suited to crashing the box.
Two seasons ago, Ancelotti deployed Bellingham as a box-crashing striker, and he scored 23 goals.
During the 2022/2023 season, Federico Valverde scored nine goals primarily from right outside the 18-yard box.
If Güler can operate in a double pivot and become one of the main key midfielders in build-up, he can give Bellingham and Valverde the freedom to play a more advanced role, which really fits their skill set and only benefits Real Madrid.
Arda Güler Passing Range
Arda Güler has an incredible passing range not only from these deep positions but also in the final third.
Xabi Alonso’s system is not built on sending in many crosses, but with Trent Alexander-Arnold now in the squad and Güler, we will see them attempt a lot more of them.
Güler provided two assists via crosses against Dortmund, and his first one was eerily similar to the position of Florian Wirtz’s first one against Dortmund, which was shown above.
When he plays from a deep-lying position, like he did for most of the Club World Cup, he is very good at targeting the full-backs who are in space, like here against Dortmund.
Because of Alonso’s system of overload to isolate, players who can make these types of switch passes to target their teammates in space are so valuable.
You can see an example here where Güler finds Alexander-Arnold out wide.
This is particularly important because of Alexander-Arnold’s elite crossing ability.
It gives him space to swing the ball into the box while the defence is in motion, rotating to the other side.
All of this is the main reason why Gonzalo Garcia has come out of relative obscurity during this Club World Cup to score five goals, several of them coming from crosses despite his only being 5’10”.
Conclusion
Real Madrid may have missed out on the Florian Wirtz sweepstakes, but it may end up being a blessing in disguise given the extraordinary price that Liverpool paid for his services.
Is Arda Güler going to become as good as Florian Wirtz all of a sudden?
No, but he has the profile and the potential to do so.
Two things are going to be crucial for Real Madrid in possession this season: building out against good high-pressing teams and breaking down low blocks.
Every time they faced Barcelona, they were forced to play direct, and they suffered greatly.
This is a big reason why they lost all four El Clásicos last season.
Having a player like Güler, who is gifted at finding space, receiving the ball, and having almost unlimited passing range, will help Real Madrid immensely.
As I mentioned earlier, Bellingham and Valverde are most effective in roles that involve crashing the box, rather than supplying teammates.
Having Güler in the lineup allows them to crash the box, knowing they have someone in and around the 18-yard box to provide almost perfect service every time.
It also helps someone like Vinícius Júnior, who often gets 1v1 against the opposing full-back, to have a cutback option around the top of the box when the opposing defensive line gets too low trying to cover all of the Real Madrid players crashing around the six-yard box.
In addition to this, Güler is an elite free-kick and corner taker who allows all of the big bodies to get into the box from set-piece situations.
Breaking into the Real Madrid team as a 20-year-old is undoubtedly difficult.
Still, Arda Güler provides Xabi Alonso with a lot of tactical flexibility that can take Real Madrid to the next level.
