Arda Güler vs Vitor Roque: How two young talents perfectly sum up the Clásico gap | OneFootball

The latest developments surrounding prodigious young talents at Real Madrid and Barcelona serve as an almost perfect metaphor for the sizable gap between Spanish football’s two biggest clubs at this moment in time.

The pair in question, of course, come in the form of Arda Güler, and Vitor Roque.

The former is for his part fresh off another evening to remember on Tuesday, which saw the Turk round out the scoring in Real Madrid’s victory over Alavés.

Frontman Roque, on the other hand, continues to wade through the murky waters of uncertainty when it comes to his future in Barcelona.

Two players, both 19, at critical points in their respective developments.

Yet their contrasting trajectories say everything that needs to be said when it comes to the projects currently under construction on the two halves of the Clásico divide.

In the case of Güler, the midfield sensation is being afforded the chance to flourish at the most opportune moment.

With the pressure now off, and the La Liga title in the bag, the former Fenerbahçe talent is integrating himself perfectly into the first-team setup at the Santiago Bernabéu.

Goals in both of his last two appearances, and four in six, have seen the smile return to Güler’s face, with the midfielder now looking increasingly ready to contribute on a consistent basis beginning next season.

Boss Carlo Ancelotti bided his time, pleading for patience, before unleashing Güler when he felt the time was right.

Many of a Real Madrid persuasion complained along the way, desperate to catch an early glimpse of the latest prodigious addition to their side’s ranks.

But Ancelotti, and the club, as has proven the case time and time again, knew best.

Contrast this with the current situation of Vitor Roque at Barcelona…

Brazilian international Roque has of course endured a tumultuous time of things in Catalunya, as the season draws to its upcoming close.

Glued to the bench, and looking legitimately hurt with the manner in which his Blaugrana stint has played out to date, the talented striker is now looking increasingly likely to be moved on in the summer.

His agent only added to the problems behind the scenes at Barca last week, in throwing Xavi under the bus, whilst essentially demanding an immediate uptick in playing time for his client.

Herein lies the problem, however… And not only when it comes to the Roque situation, but the current running of Barcelona as a whole.

It has become increasingly obvious as the weeks and months have passed that Xavi was not a leading figure in his side’s decision to move for Roque in the first place.

The Spaniard pleaded for a new pivot to man the base of his midfield, with sporting director Deco having instead made use of the Catalans’ limited funds to bring in an inexperienced attacker, with no prior knowledge of the European game.

Roque, through no fault of his own, was in turn thrown into an unenviable position, under the watch of a manager who, if media reports are to be believed, does not consider him in any way ready to play for a club of Barcelona’s magnitude.

Poor communication, worse decision-making, and dismal planning from both a sporting and financial standpoint – Barca’s current woes all perfectly summed up in one transfer.

Up against arguably the best run club in world football in Real Madrid, it should in turn have come as little surprise to see the balance of Spanish football tip firmly back in the favour of the latter this season.

And, should things continue along their current path, as much looks unlikely to change any time soon…

Conor Laird | GSFN