Turkish midfielder Arda Guler is reported to have grown ‘frustrated’ with Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti over his limited minutes this season.
Madrid beat Barcelona to Guler’s signature during the summer but were made to wait for their first glimpse of the 19-year-old after he suffered a serious knee injury which required surgery.
Guler only made his debut in January but has seen just 92 minutes across five appearances since making his return from injury. He threw his bib to the ground in anger when Ancelotti overlooked him against Almeria in January and was also denied the chance to appear against Sevilla last weekend, after which the boss insisted it “did not matter” whether Guler understood his actions.
According to AS, Guler is upset with his role and does not understand why he has seen fewer minutes than Castilla midfielder Nico Paz.
Madrid are said to have grown concerned about Guler’s attitude and public displays of frustration, as well as his insistence that he would not entertain a loan move during his presentation as a new signing last summer.
Asked about Guler’s frustrations on Friday, Ancelotti told a press conference: “I think that a young player like him, to progress, needs to play to show his quality, but that clashes with the demands of the team and the club.
“We have to be patient for that. I understand that we have to get minutes, but that does not correspond to the demands of the team. I would like the fans to see the talent.”
Ancelotti is famed for his man-management but several reports suggest there are a handful of players in the Madrid dressing room who are not currently seeing eye-to-eye with the Italian boss.
Luka Modric, who has openly admitted his disappointment towards no longer being a regular starter, is expected to leave this summer, while The Athletic state that Ancelotti’s decisions have also upset goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga and defender Nacho Fernandez.
Kepa joined Madrid on loan from Chelsea following the injury to Thibaut Courtois and is said to have expected his move to be made permanent this summer, only to have tumbled down the pecking order after Ancelotti put his faith in Andriy Lunin instead. A “lack of clarity” from the boss has left Kepa feeling “extremely disappointed”.
As for Nacho, the club captain has played plenty of minutes this season but is believed to be annoyed by Ancelotti’s decision to substitute him when things start to go wrong.
Nacho fears Ancelotti does not truly have faith in him and the pair are claimed to have a “strained” relationship.