Mourinho fielded the Güler question at his post-match press conference at El Sardinero on Sunday, after a first-half performance that produced the assist of the night.
“Arda Güler does this in every match; it is nothing new. People question why I play him on the right wing, yet they fail to understand that he is a versatile player,” Mourinho told reporters, according to Turkish-Football.
Kylian Mbappé opened the scoring from the penalty spot after 11 minutes. Bellingham doubled the lead on 22 after a weighted through-ball from Güler, and Yan Diomande finished the first half off with a right-footed strike from outside the box after a corner on 36. It was Madrid’s sixth win in a row across all competitions.
Güler was replaced by Brahim Díaz on 67 minutes and left the pitch to applause. The assist was his fifth of the season in all competitions, and his appearance also triggered a €2m clause owed to boyhood club Fenerbahçe, taking the Turkish side’s total earnings from his 2023 move to €30m.
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Mourinho hails the Bellingham link-up
“His partnership with Jude Bellingham can be considered perfect. His vision, his passes, his assist to Jude… this kid is special,” Mourinho said.
Mourinho’s wider post-match comments included praise for Trent Alexander-Arnold, who was given a rare start at right-back in place of the injured Federico Valverde and whom the manager, in comments reported by Get Football News Spain, described as having “dropped a masterclass”.
A selection debate Mourinho keeps answering
The right-wing question Mourinho was pressed on is a real one at Madrid this season. Güler leads La Liga in key passes with 39 and in accurate crosses with 21, according to Opta data cited by Yahoo Sports, and he sits second in the division for expected assists on 4.32. The three registered assists in La Liga undersell him; his teammates have not finished at the rate his chance creation warrants.
The crowded picture around him is the reason the debate keeps running. Mbappé has 12 La Liga goals this season, Bellingham is a fixture, summer signing Diomande has six goal involvements in his last five appearances, and Vinícius Júnior is still serving a four-match suspension while Rodrygo recovers from a knee injury expected to keep him out until January.
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That competition is also why Güler rarely finishes a match. Mourinho brushed off that line of questioning too, saying the midfielder’s importance to the side is clear regardless of whether he plays 90 minutes every week.
The win moved Madrid to 27 points, within three of leaders Barcelona and one of second-placed Atlético Madrid at the top of La Liga.
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