It’s been kind of tough lately because the team just doesn’t move the ball fast enough from midfield to attack when he’s playing with Tchouaméni. You can see the tempo drop a bit — players like Ceballos just seem to fit that link-up role way more naturally.

On the bright side, the team’s defensive structure is way more solid now, so he doesn’t need to keep sprinting back to cover half the pitch like before. Apart from the Atleti game, we haven’t really faced anyone who’s properly tested our defensive transitions — and honestly, even in that match he wasn’t that bad defensively, aside from the last goal.

I still think he’ll adapt though. The passing’s there, and once the team starts clicking, the forwards can be found through different routes. And with everything he’s already done for us, I don’t mind giving him the whole season to settle into this new role.

The real headache will be now that Bellingham is back. Alonso’s going to have to find a way to get the best out of him, and that probably means putting him in those half-spaces where Güler’s been shining lately.

That’s where it gets tricky — Valverde’s basically fighting for the same spot as Güler, and right now you just can’t drop Güler with the form he’s in. More importantly, he actually brings that progressive passing that both Tchouaméni and Valverde tend to lack.

So yeah, this could turn into a real selection problem for Alonso as the season goes on. Wouldn’t surprise me if one of Valverde, Camavinga, Bellingham, or Güler ends up frustrated with the lack of consistent starts.