In the lair of Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, Lucas Hernandez or even Randal Kolo Muani, the France team did not force their talent to get rid of (2-0) Ireland, this Thursday evening, at the On the occasion of the 5th day of qualifying for Euro 2024. Aligned in 4-2-3-1 with Olivier Giroud established at the forefront and the trio Aurélien Tchouaméni, Adrien Rabiot and Antoine Griezmann in the midfield, the Blues of Didier Deschamps , who were playing the 900th match in their history, thus consolidated their leading position in Group B (5 wins in as many matches). Faced with the men of Stephen Kenny, orphans of their star scorer Evan Ferguson, the Habs once again showed impressive defensive solidity (no goals conceded during this elimination phase). Less inspired offensively, the France team, on the other hand, relied on a Aurélien Tchouaméni of the big nights.
A world-class service!
Criticized at the end of last season and often supported by his national coach, the former AS Monaco and Girondins de Bordeaux midfielder seems, this time, determined to achieve a high-flying 2023-2024 season. . Indisputable holder under the colors of Real Madrid and great craftsman of the perfect start to the Merengues (4 wins in as many games), the native of Rouen shines with his physical impact and his volume of play in midfield. On the strength of his performances against Bilbao (5/7 in duels, 1 ball recovered), Almeria (8/13, 6 balls recovered), Celta (4/5, 4 balls recovered) and Getafe (10/12 , 8 balls recovered), the 23-year-old French international (26 caps, 3 goals) has (again) made an impression.
Present in the duel from the first minutes of this meeting, Tchouaméni constantly gained the upper hand over his direct opponents. Solid on his support, perfect in the air and author of a few devastating tackles but within the rules, the Madrid player completed his good start to the match with a luminous curling strike, allowing the Blues to take the advantage (19th). Still just as valuable in the game of the Habs, the 1m88 right-hander did not stop there and continued his consequent slaughter in the midfield. Result ? 10 balls recovered, the highest total among the 22 players lined up on Thursday evening. Author of a new missile at the entrance to the surface (66th), Tchouaméni could even have offered himself a double on the return from the locker room, without a great Gavin Bazunu, the last Irish rampart currently in the colors of Southampton. A boss-sized performance, logically welcomed by his coach at the final whistle.
The end of a period of doubt…
“He has this ability, so much the better, of hitting the ball and scoring. But where he has been successful is in recovery. He must have that, and he doesn’t always have it, but the France team needs a Tchouameni as much as possible in this area. He’s not alone, but he must have this. Perfect evening for him and for us”notably assured Didier Deschamps at the microphone of TF1. Present in the mixed zone, the person concerned was also satisfied. “Mission accomplished just for today because we still have matches coming up but we’re sure we’re happy because we wanted to continue our momentum and it’s done today so we can be satisfied. . I felt good, I have been gaining momentum since the start of the season, the coach trusts me, he gave me instructions today which I followed and there is this goal so I am happy. The staff analyzed the opposing team, we knew it was going to be a very tight block so obviously we had to try some shots, mine came in, it’s great. I work a lot on my shots at Real Madrid, at the end of training, coach Ancelotti often rooms me with Camavinga because he says we don’t score enough goals so I try to work on a shot technique and that evening it paid off, we must continue”first entrusted the number 8 of the Blues before returning to his delicate passage last season.
“Very honestly if you look at the content of my matches last season, they were good. Afterwards there are dynamics, I was criticized a lot in the second half of last season, I was injured, I was sick, the dynamic was less positive for me but I kept my confidence, I I continued to work, with the same mentality and today I am well so I am happy but it is the career of a footballer and of life in general”. To conclude, Tchouameni also returned to his status as an executive within this tricolor team. The opportunity for him to underline his good understanding with Didier Deschamps. “I think that each player is a relay, he gave me instructions, he gave instructions to others. With the coach, we have this mutual trust, which allows him to tell me things and I can relay it to the field, so it’s cool.. Logically elected man of the match by our editorial team, Aurelien Tchouaméni confirms, whatever the case, his excellent start to the season and chases away, a little more, the emerging doubts at the end of last year. A very nice response from one of the greatest talents of his generation. The next is expected, on Tuesday, during a prestigious friendly match against Germany.
