Real Madrid star positive over Xabi Alonso impact – ‘He has new ideas for me’

Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso was given a reality check after his side collapsed to Paris Saint-Germain 4-0 in the Club World Cup semi-final. However the Basque coach could hardly have asked for a better response thereafter, and his players seem to be responding to his methods.

Star forward Kylian Mbappe spoke positively of Alonso this week while on international duty, and Dani Carvajal was optimistic about Real Madrid’s progress under Alonso last week. Now Aurelien Tchouameni has been the latest to sew seeds of optimism, particularly with regard to his own development.

At the turn of the year, Tchouameni was being discussed as a potential sale for Real Madrid this past summer, and was being whistled by the Santiago Bernabeu. While he began to turn things around under Carlo Ancelotti, he was content with the impact of Alonso, who of course knows his position well.

“The reality is that there were times last season when I played in defence. It allowed me to gain experience and see things differently. The coach, Xabi Alonso, has new ideas for me. He contributes a lot to my game,” he told Diario AS.

Tchouameni is now into his fourth season at Real Madrid, and has had the opportunity to learn first under Casemiro, but also Luka Modric and Toni Kroos. With both gone, Tchouameni must now take on more responsibility, but he was asked what impact they had had on his passing game.

“I have quality. And sometimes I show it more, like against Ukraine. It depends on many factors. These are passes I have the ability to make, depending on the situation. I learned from Kroos and Modric.”

Real Madrid have thus far been playing with two sitting central midfielders, but four in the middle of the pitch. Tchouameni has been more positionally responsible, and been tasked with hunting down the opposition in transition. He also discussed how his role has changed with France.

“It depends on a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-3-3, it depends on where I position myself. I have more freedom in a system. If I play in front of the defence, I have to protect the defense. In a double pivot, I have more ability to get deep into the opponent’s half. And there are opponents who demand more defense. Others will demand more ball control. It depends on the opponent.”