Real Madrid News
Real Madrid see 23-year-old’s dip in form as ‘normal’, player working hard to return to his best
According to reports from AS, Aurelien Tchouameni is working hard towards his goal of turning a new page with Real Madrid. The French midfielder has been working relentlessly with a personal trainer even through his summer vacation and aims to return to training soon in top condition.
The youngster made a strong start to the 2022-23 campaign, which was also his first with the club. It did not take long before he was a regular starter in Carlo Ancelotti’s setup, but it all went haywire after the World Cup.
Tchouameni saw a steep decline in the second half of the season. With his consistency and quality no longer at par with the manager’s expectations, he found it difficult to see regular minutes.
The Spanish publication add that the management see his dip to be normal. Real Madrid are calm over his situation and trust him to recover his best version in the coming weeks.
Heading into the 2023-24 campaign, Ancelotti has the French prodigy as a regular starter in his plans. After all, he sees Eduardo Camavinga as a regular presence in the advanced midfield, leaving the weight of the pivot position on Tchouameni’s shoulders.
On that front, the youngster will have a lot of adaptation to face next season. Ancelotti contemplates a major change in formation, and the 23-year-old would be the heart of the setup in either case.
If the manager gives the green light to the 4-4-2 diamond setup, he would have to carry the defensive midfield single-handedly for the entire season. A 4-2-3-1, however, would grant him more freedom as it would see the use of a double pivot.
Tchouameni is expected to join the team in the United States of America later this week. The upcoming pre-season fixtures will be critical for him to win his spot back.
Real Madrid News
Mourinho sticks to his Champions League tradition ahead of Real Madrid’s clash vs AS Roma
Real Madrid are set to take on AS Roma in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday in Italy.
Having returned from the international break with a 1-0 win over Villarreal, Los Blancos will be eager to build on it and record their second win in Europe, after beating Inter Milan last month.
Mourinho continues his tradition
And, as reported by Diario AS, the Real Madrid squad trained at Valdebebas before travelling for their Champions League fixture, just as they did during Jose Mourinho’s first spell in charge between 2010 and 2013.
The approach breaks with the usual Champions League routine of training at the opposition’s stadium on the eve of a match.
Real Madrid had largely remained an exception to this trend. Mourinho was the first to change the club’s established procedure, but after his departure in 2013, the routine had returned.
Now, the club are going back to the approach he introduced. Following the training session, the squad will fly to Rome in the afternoon.
Xabi Alonso and Arbeloa followed the same approach
Xabi Alonso revived the practice last season in order to avoid giving direct access to his team’s preparations to the opposition. After Alonso’s dismissal, Alvaro Arbeloa continued the practice.
The team travel to the opposition’s stadium for the press conference, but otherwise complete their preparations at Valdebebas before flying out a few hours later.
Exceptions are made when the journey is too long to make the routine practical, as was the case with Almaty. Rome, however, is a relatively short trip, allowing Mourinho to maintain his preferred schedule.
Real Madrid’s flight is expected to depart at around 15:00, with the pre-match press conference scheduled for 18:00 at the Stadio Olimpico.
Four expected absentees
There were no new injury concerns, with Real Madrid set to travel without four players, all of whom were already expected to miss the match.
Eder Militao has returned to group training but still needs time to regain match fitness. Meanwhile, Raul Asencio remains unavailable after undergoing surgery for a fracture in his right tibia.
Ferland Mendy is also back training with his teammates but is expected to need slightly longer than Militao before returning to action. Rodrygo remains a long-term absentee.
