Spanish football fans either love him or hate him. For some he is a temperamental, fly-by-night midfielder, a jack of all trades and master of none, a player who has paid as 
much attention to his hair style as David Beckham but has failed to become a media hit.
For others he is Spain’s nearest equivalent to Zinedine Zidane, a visionary playmaker who is capable of unlocking the best defences with an almost limitless repertoire of passes, a midfielder who has been consistently undervalued by both club and country, a product of the Real Madrid youth teams who paid the price for the club’s Galactico transfer policy.
Last year Real president Ramon Calderon even described him as “an eternal promise who has never really counted and remains a promise at the age of 31,” when he let slip his opinions about the player in a speech to a group of university students.
But whatever your opinion there is little doubt that Jose Maria Gutierrez, or “Guti” as he is universally known, is in the form of his life at Real this season. He scored two and had a hand in five more during the 7-0 demolition of Valladolid on Sunday.
Guti has flourished under the expert guidance of Real boss Bernd Schuster, another cultured and controversial blond-haired midfielder whose international career was inexplicably short-lived.
In Guti, Schuster seems to have identified a kindred spirit and his handling of him has brought the best out of the local-born midfielder. Adjusting his role depending on the opposition, the German has alternated between playing him in the starting line-up and using him as a second-half substitute to exploit the spaces when their rivals begin to tire.
Although the indiscipline that plagued his early career has occasionally flared this season, Guti is a far more focused and determined than before and finally looks to have gained the sort of confidence he needs to perform at his best.
So far Luis Aragones has resisted the pressure to recall Guti to the national side, but with Spain still struggling to break down opposition defences surely there is space for the Real Madrid midfielder in the squad for Euro 2008?
Simon Basket, Madrid
PHOTO: Real Madrid´s Guti celebrates a goal in the 7-0 win over Valladolid Feb. 10 REUTERS/Susana Vera
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6 comments so far
it’s weird that there are not that many players of his ilk around anymore. Now Zidane has rtired and Riquelme went back to Argentina, there seems to be a dearth of ‘playmakers’. Pirlo, Fabregas and Gerrard maybe sit too deep to really compare with Guti.
- Posted by Mark MeadowsI asked a few months back where all the boxbursters had gone. it’s a similar point.
Should Aragonés, as seems most likely, retain his job going into the European Championships, it is almost certain that Guti won’t feature in his plans. Nearly as certain, although he has more of a chance, is Raúl’s inclusion.
Whatever the personality clashes between these men, Aragonés is nothing if not stubborn. He continues, in the face of all the evidence, to maintain that his reasons are simply that there are better players.
However, Guti’s inconsistency, his lack of commitment, is just as evident this season as past. Year after year he has infuriated managers enough to bench him and then delighted his critics with wonderful performances when he was re-selected through necessity. Yesterday’s performance, though nearly flawless, needs to be compared with what he did seven days previously at Almería. It is in function of how much room and time he is allowed by the oppositions, and, for that reason, while he should feature in Spain’s 23 for the European Championships for his ability alone, he is no shoo-in for the starting eleven.
http://allinwhite.blogspot.com
- Posted by GonzaloBased on one or two sporadic great performances is difficult for Aragonés to decide. Guti is a useful player to have in the squad though not necessarily of a first XI calibre.
John
- Posted by JohnSTSoccerNet Live
[...] The Guti for Spain recall question. (Reuters Blog) [...]
- Posted by Daily Dose.: 2.11.08 - World Football - The Offside - Soccer News and Opinion from leagues around the worldThe problem is Guti has a very big mouth and has blown his bridges ten times over. Aragones is a very stubborn man and once you cross the line, nunca mas.
- Posted by elisaGuti is an odd case. He is like the invisible star. He’s survived a long time in Madrid and should, by rights, be a household name: but he isn’t and I doubt he ever will be. His best bet would be to leave for the Premiership and really test out the theory the pro-Guti camp expound.
My feeling he would be a success and would prove to Aragones that he deserves his place.
- Posted by nextsoccerstar.com