Ismael Garcia, the assistant coach at Galatasaray, spoke to MARCA regarding Arda Guler’s adaptation to Real Madrid and the hype placed on th young player. Garcia feels Arda is in the perfect environment to mature and grow as a player:
“Turkey is a very emotional country. It has a passionate football climate. This situation is a ‘double-edged sword’ for young players. When they play well in two matches it’s, “Turkish Messi” and when they play two bad matches, “this can’t happen”. Arda Guler’s situation is different. Because he started playing in one of the big teams of the country at a very young age. He played very good matches. In addition to his quality, he also has an attractive playing style. When you watch him he immediately catches your attention. Moreover, he was transferred to the biggest club in the world.” Ismael Garcia explained.
The coach was then asked about Arda’s injuries when he first joined Madrid and whether those injuries we are product of elite level training at Real Madrid. “I do not think that Arda’s physical difficulties are related to Real Madrid’s training level. Real Madrid is a team that plays a lot of matches. That is why the number of heavy training sessions is very high. Arda is a young boy who came to a new country. A new culture, a new language… the only thing you can do is go to the green field and play against 11 other people. These changes can create stress. Maybe stress can trigger such problems, I don’t know. What I do know is; Arda is a young footballer who needs to continue to work hard. He has everything needed for a long and successful career. Real Madrid is a club that knows how to treat young footballers. Being patient with Arda and giving him the time he needs to mature, would be wise.”
Garcia went on to further explain his belief in Real Madrid as the best environment for Arda: “The expectations with him are very high since young players are quickly seen as idols and the maturation phase is complicated . I think it can help a lot to leave the environment of Turkey and arrive at Real Madrid, where they treat players very intelligently. Players like Vinicius and Rodrygo were put through the appropriate phases.”
“Real Madrid is showing that it knows how to treat young people very well and that it does not put unnecessary pressure on them beyond what they have for being in Madrid. They need to burn through stages and not let the rest, or the outside pressure, burn them down . The filter to get to Madrid is so big that they have to have all the conditions and more prepared inside the Madrid bubble, at other clubs many can fall by the wayside. Being patient and giving Arda Güler the necessary time to continue maturing is a very intelligent way to do it,” the coach explained.
