Real Madrid just won against weak team Deportiva Minera, thereby winning a ticket to the round of 16 of Copa Del Rey. Los Blancos' starting lineup only had 2 players of the starting type, Eduardo Camavinga and Federico Valverde, the rest were all reserve or youth academy stars.
Among the stars who have been benched in recent times, Arda Guler and Endrick have received more attention because they are very young and eager to prove themselves. However, Guler's performance has been somewhat superior and doubts have begun to turn towards Endrick.
During the 90 minutes, the Turkish striker had 6 shots and 95 touches, made 5 key passes and created 3 big chances. In addition, despite his small stature, Guler won 7 duels and even had 2 successful tackles.
In this match, Guler scored a double in the 22nd and 88th minutes. The first goal that helped the 19-year-old star win the MVP title was a decisive shot from outside the penalty area after passing many opposing defenders.
Over the past few months, the Real Madrid coaching staff has made many assessments of Guler's performance and the numbers gradually prove that everything is going well. This season, Guler has 3 goals and 3 assists in 766 minutes. In particular, the young striker is no longer plagued by injuries, which is the most positive sign.
Guler once said he wanted to start more often, but he completely respected Carlo Ancelotti's decision. The 19-year-old star understood that the decisions from his coach were completely well-intentioned, wanting him to gain more experience. If he continues to play well like he did in the match against Deportiva Minera, there will be opportunities.
While Guler shone, Endrick was somewhat less impressive. This was the first time the young Brazilian had played in 3 months, since the UEFA Champions League defeat to Lille on October 2, 2024.
Despite playing as a centre forward, Endrick failed to score a single goal after five shots in the entire match. Minera's goalkeeper Fran Gonzalez was excellent, but that was only part of the reason.
During the recent vacation, Endrick did not choose to return to his home country Brazil to rest. He stayed at Real Madrid to practice because he knew that the match against Minera was a good opportunity to prove his ability. However, unfortunately for this young star, everything did not go as planned. However, witnessing his student's efforts, although he did not score, Ancelotti still had the necessary words of comfort for Endrick.
"He played well throughout the match even though he didn't score any goals. I'm sure Endrick will shine when Real Madrid needs him" - Ancelotti shared, opening the door for Endrick to appear in the near future.
