Photo by Ahmad Mora/Getty Images
The light always shines brightest on the biggest star in the team when things do not go to plan, and Arda Guler is experiencing that prominence early in his career with the Turkish national team.
The 19-year-old phenom, after all, is seen as one of the most important players for Vincenzo Montella’s side despite his struggle for minutes at Real Madrid and fingers are being pointed at him after Turkey’s inability to defeat Wales last night.
Journalists blame Guler
As revealed in a recent report by SPORT, former player and current commentator Mustafa Denizli lashed out at the Real Madrid youngster and called his performance last night ‘immature.’
“Arda has shown immaturity in his performance. It’s normal because he’s not in the same conditions as when he went to Real Madrid. He doesn’t look happy there.”
He also pointed the finger directly at Real Madrid for not giving him the minutes he requires.
“We know that he has enjoyed few minutes and opportunities, but his rivals in the locker room have increased their performance.”
Montella does not agree
Despite criticism over Guler in the media, however, the Turkish NT manager himself was happy with the Real Madrid star’s performance as revealed in his words after the game.
“It’s a really tough job to take Arda Guler out of the game, you never want to take him off. He’s a great footballer, fast,” he said.
“He hasn’t played consistently for a long time, so I concluded that he physically can’t continue,” he added.
After all, Guler’s performance against Wales was far from disappointing as he recorded two shots on target, had one shot blocked, completed three out of three attempted dribbles and made three key passes on the night.
