Tchouaméni shines in an unpopular position. Does coach Ancelotti even have a choice?

Aurélien Tchouaméni is having a great season, especially with the whole of Real Madrid building on his performances. He also plays as a central defender in case of emergency. What’s the problem? Tchouaméni doesn’t like to play in this position.

Tchouaméni last season

When Aurélien Tchouaméni arrived at Real Madrid in the summer of 2022, he was supposed to be the replacement for the departing Casemiro. In the transfer market, teams like PSG and Chelsea were vying for the Frenchman. However, the Frenchman chose a completely different path, leaving his native France for one of the biggest clubs in the world, Real Madrid. The Spanish big club pulled in 80 million euros.

Tchouqméni alternated performances like a seesaw, once he played fantastically, the second time it was not so glorious. Especially after the Winter World Cup in Qatar, his form dropped. It was probably the result of a missed penalty in the shootout in the final against Argentina. Ancelotti chose Toni Kroos as a substitute for the sixth position. Above all in terms of speed and, in tense moments, positionally, the German striker was lagging behind.

Towards the end of the season, the Frenchman regained his place in the starting line-up. Unfortunately, he did not score a goal in his first season in the white colours, scoring only 4 assists. Ancelotti mentioned several times in press conferences that he should push much more in the final third of the pitch and be more dangerous.

This season

Since the first game of the new season, the French midfielder has been directing the play of the White Ballet. He has fully occupied the position of number six. When Tchouaméni comes on, as a rule, Real do not lose. The proof? When Ancelotti left the Frenchman out of the starting line-up in the derby against Atlético, it was the only loss of the season so far (in normal time), 1: 3.

Real Madrid have been hamstrung by injuries since the start of the season, it’s a constantly mentioned topic. So far, Ancelotti has had to contend with 28 injuries that have narrowed his squad over the course of the season. Because of this, he has had to opt for a backup option at centre-back. Tchouaméni formed a defensive duo with Nacho. He played 4 matches in the position and kept a clean sheet in all of them for Real. In the game against Girona, the opponent didn’t even have a shot on target.

However, the midfielder himself has mentioned several times that he doesn’t like playing in the position. Ancelotti even said in the post-match press conference after the Leipzig game that he cited the number of injured stoppers as the reason for putting the Frenchman at stopper, but he will have to think of something else for the next game.

Tchouaméni himself has been the target of questions about the stopper position in the national team. “Playing stopper for France? No, please no,” was the reply from the Frenchman. His Real Madrid teammates themselves have been making fun of their friend on Instagram, writing comments like “central defender” under his post from the Leipzig game.

Whether Tchouaméni continues to play as a stopper is not entirely up to Ancelotti, as Nacho is still the only available central defender. However, the Italian coach has already heard complaints about deploying players in unpopular positions from Rodrygo or Camavinga, another such case might not go down well.

Source: Twitter, Real Madrid