Arda Guler joins Real Madrid’s elite as Vinicius Junior faces pressure under Jose Mourinho

Real Madrid’s hierarchy has shifted rapidly under Jose Mourinho, with performances now carrying more weight than reputation. Arda Guler has moved into the club’s elite group, while Vinicius Junior has been told he must improve after a difficult start to the season.

The Athletic outlined a new assessment of Real Madrid’s squad on Thursday, following a run of eight consecutive victories that included a 2-1 win against Barcelona in El Clasico.

Real Madrid are second in La Liga, three points behind Barcelona. They also trail Paris Saint-Germain on goal difference at the top of the league phase of the UEFA Champions League, with both sides having won all four of their opening matches.

Guler earns elite status

A month ago, the elite category contained only Thibaut Courtois, Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe. Guler has now joined them after making a major impression under Mourinho and becoming an important part of Real Madrid’s new style.

The 21-year-old Turkey international has scored four goals and provided six assists in 14 appearances, playing 853 minutes.

Marc Cucurella has praised Guler’s ability, saying the midfielder remains underappreciated despite his considerable potential. His presence, Cucurella believes, changes the way Real Madrid play.

Bellingham has retained his place among the elite after recovering his form. He also scored with a backheel against AEK Athens.

Vinicius under scrutiny

Vinicius has instead been placed among the players expected to raise their performances. The Brazil forward has produced one goal and three assists in 12 matches, a decline compared with previous seasons.

His problems have not been limited to a four-match suspension. He has also struggled to influence games and has appeared short of confidence in his last two starts in the UEFA Champions League.

Pressure on Vinicius has increased because of the form of 19-year-old new arrival Yan Diomande, who has scored four goals and created three more since the most recent international break.

Diomande has emerged as a serious contender for the left-wing position, scoring two impressive long-range goals against Sevilla and Racing.

The Athletic said restoring Vinicius to his previous level is currently Mourinho’s biggest challenge, despite the manager having overseen a significant improvement in Real Madrid’s performances in recent weeks.

Competition across the squad

Federico Valverde, Dean Huijsen, Ibrahima Konate, Marc Cucurella, Aurelien Tchouameni, Bernardo Silva and Diomande were included in the high-performing group.

Valverde’s move to right-back after the 4-3 victory over Roma has also helped provide greater defensive stability.

The players judged to be performing at an acceptable level are Endrick, Eder Militao, Antonio Rudiger, Eduardo Camavinga, Brahim Diaz and Carlos Espe.

Alongside Vinicius in the group requiring improvement are Trent Alexander-Arnold, Denzel Dumfries and Alvaro Carreras.