Real Madrid Manager Planning For Next Season With Aurelien Tchouameni As The Defensive Pivot
Aurelien Tchouameni’s first season at Real Madrid was far from the paradise it promised to be. Having just lost the services of Casemiro, Carlo Ancelotti turned to the newly arrived youngster with hope, but his season fell steeply despite a promising start.
After a turbulent term with irregular minutes, Tchouameni’s future became an obvious centre for debate. However, recent reports have confirmed that the manager retains faith in him and that he would stay at the club next season.
According to an update from AS, Ancelotti is building a team for the coming season with the Frenchman as the starting defensive midfielder. This not only guarantees the World Cup finalist regular playing time but also reveals a lot about the manager’s plans for the overcrowded midfield department.
For starters, it implies that Toni Kroos will not play as a regular defensive midfielder in 2023/24, contrary to reports that he saw his future in the deeper role. Moreover, it also confirms that the Italian tactician sees Eduardo Camavinga as an interior midfielder higher up.
The doors for speculation are thus blown further open now. After all, the update places Federico Valverde, Jude Bellingham, Luka Modric, Dani Ceballos, and Kroos in competition for just two spots.
At first glance, it would appear that the veterans would step aside for the younger generation to take over the reins. That theory was also crushed earlier this week when the media revealed that Kroos and Modric were going to see little to no reduction in prominence.
Needless to say, it is a good dilemma for the manager to have, although it will be difficult to manage the playing times of so many stars.
The overbooking in midfield and the shortage of attackers could even spark a change in formation to a 4-3-1-2, with Tchouameni lining up as the holding midfielder and Bellingham as the No. 10, with the remaining two spots being rotated between Camavinga, Kroos, Valverde, Modric, and Ceballos.
Turning the light back onto Tchouameni, whose market value stands at €85 million, the youngster finally appears set to have the opportunity he desired so deeply. With the manager showing his trust, it is now up to the Frenchman to prove his worth and etch his name as a regular.
