Stats: Real Madrid playmaker dominates La Liga creative charts as influence grows under Mourinho

Stats: Real Madrid playmaker dominates La Liga creative charts as influence grows under MourinhoReal Madrid have seen a massive turnaround in their fortunes in the last few weeks, making it six wins in a row with victory over Racing Santander.Los Blancos came flying out of the blocks at El Sardinero and scored three goals in the first half, which was enough for them to secure the three points.Among the many players who had a great game was Arda Guler, who continued his impressive start to the season.While Kylian Mbappe continues to dominate the goalscoring headlines, the Turkish international is quietly establishing himself as the creative spark of the team.Guler leads La Liga in two creative statisticsGuler has registered 39 key passes and 21 accurate crosses this season, leading La Liga in both metrics.His numbers underline just how important and undroppable he has become for Jose Mourinho, making that right-wing position his own.The 21-year-old has also accumulated 4.32 expected assists (xA), the second-highest tally in the competition.His tally of 12 big chances created also places him second among La Liga players this season.Despite these numbers, the Turkish international has only three assists to his name, including one in the 3-0 victory over Racing.Against Racing, Guler provided a perfectly weighted through ball for Jude Bellingham’s well-taken goal.Three assists don’t paint the whole pictureGuler’s underlying numbers suggest his influence and assist tally should have been much greater than just three.Expected assists is a measure of the quality of chances he has created, and the fact that his actual assists fall short of that figure suggests his teammates have not been clinical enough.Most leading assist providers in football tend to register more assists than their xA suggests, but Guler is an exception.Arda Guler has been Real Madrid’s creative force this season. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)However, if the finishing falls into place, it is encouraging that Guler’s underlying numbers are so promising.Mourinho trusts him a lot, and his ability to drift inside, identify passing lanes and deliver inch-perfect crosses provides the perfect balance for Madrid’s transitional attackers.Guler is also an exceptional set-piece taker, always posing a threat from both free kicks and corners.The 21-year-old is slowly evolving from a talented youngster into one of the first names on Mourinho’s team sheet, and it remains to be seen how he fares over the course of the season.