Aurélien Tchouaméni would probably have preferred to start the Zinédine Zidane era in a completely different way. After a particularly average 2026 World Cup, marked in particular by a highly criticized performance against Spain during the elimination of the Blues, the Real Madrid midfielder was not selected for the new coach’s first list. A decision which, however, had nothing to do with a sporting sanction. Coming out of an injury and absent for almost two months, Tchouaméni especially needed to gradually find his rhythm again. Since the start of the season, he has only played four matches with Real Madrid, for only two starts under the orders of José Mourinho. Zidane therefore preferred not to take any risks. “He was gone for two months. It was better for him to stay in Madrid for his recovery”explained the coach at a press conference.
José Mourinho also confirmed that this decision did not come from him. “I had no influence on the decision for him not to go. Zidane and I didn’t speak, it took me by surprise. However, they discussed and concluded that the best thing for him is to have time to complete the pre-season preparation that he missed. The coach told him that it is part of his plans for the future, and they agreed on it.”explained the Portuguese technician. On paper, the absence of Tchouaméni was therefore perfectly understandable. In reality, however, it could cost him much more than expected. Because while he continued his fitness in Madrid, his competitors took advantage of his absence to show off.
Lucas Da Cunha, the bad surprise for Tchouaméni
This is obviously the case of Lucas Da Cunha, called up to compensate for the absence of the Madrilenian and who was still completely unknown to the general French public a few days ago. The Como environment, however, had a very different profile from that of Tchouaméni. Aligned as a sentinel in front of the defense, in a role usually occupied by the Real Madrid player, he immediately won over with his technical quality, his left paw and his ability to break the lines with long, precise passes. For his international debut against Belgium, he touched 97 balls, recovered the ball six times and won four duels, showing himself to be particularly clean in his choices.
His match against Italy was more mixed, in particular because of his error on the Italian equalizer. On a pass from Adrien Rabiot, his missed control allowed Alessandro Bastoni to tie the two teams. But here again, Zidane immediately refused to place the responsibility solely on the neo-international. “I’m not going to get into the what’s whose fault thing. When there’s a mistake, it’s everyone’s fault.”explained the coach. Above all, this error did not erase the first impression left by Da Cunha. In his interview given to Téléfootthe Como player summed up his career perfectly: “it’s true that I’ve come a bit from afar. So obviously, I thought of my family. They told me not to give up, to continue. And today, for me, it is a great reward. I never have any pressure. I only have fun. »
And Da Cunha knows that this first summons must not remain a simple stunt. His profile could even particularly correspond to Zidane’s first ideas. “I think my game is not to go for impact. I’m not a player who will recover a lot of balls. Behind, it has to make the difference with the foot, by taking risks, by trying to play”he explained. A description that fits precisely what the new coach is currently looking for, who wants an environment capable of participating in conservation and speeding up the game through passing. Zidane was not mistaken: “what do I expect from a midfielder? What he has done, what he is doing and what he is doing. (…) He is not afraid to play. He filters passes. Everything I like, he knows how to do 40-meter crosses… He’s a pretty interesting player. » This can be very scary for the Madrilenian…
Zidane changes the scene in midfield
This is probably where the main threat to Tchouaméni lies. Under Didier Deschamps, the French midfielder had gradually acquired an important status, to the point of becoming vice-captain and one of the strong men in the midfield. The double pivot system made it possible to highlight its defensive qualities, its volume and its ability to secure the team. But Zidane chose to reshuffle the cards. From his first gathering, the technician installed a 4-3-3, with a midfield three and a low point, rather than a double pivot. Above all, Zidane assumes a philosophy which gives particular importance to technical profiles.
Asked by Téléfoothe detailed his project as follows: “Our idea, by playing like that, is to recover the ball very quickly and not make all these races which are sometimes complicated. In general, if we recover the ball very low, we have 80 meters to go with the ball. So there you have it, it’s our idea to get the ball back as quickly as possible. And for that, we try to put things in place. I think the players were great. The most important thing is that my players feel what they are doing on the pitch. I feel this desire to recover the ball. We can improve, but I am very satisfied with what I saw. Obviously, these are players that I wanted to see. It confirms what they are doing on the ground. Yes, having the ball is something. That always motivated me, keeping the ball. I prefer to run with the ball than behind the ball for my team. Afterwards, we know that we have to do better, especially in the last meters. We have a small efficiency problem. We need to step up our game.”
Camavinga, Koné and Rabiot also scored points
Eduardo Camavinga is probably the other big surprise of this gathering. Left out of the 2026 World Cup after a complicated season at Real Madrid, the Frenchman first started on the bench against Turkey, before coming on in the 78th minute. But it was especially against Belgium that he hit hard, starting in the midfield three on the left in place of Adrien Rabiot. Very active, capable of projecting himself, recovering balls and playing forward, he has found a freedom reminiscent of his best periods in Madrid. With 95% successful passes and five balls recovered, Camavinga delivered a particularly complete performance and inevitably attracted the attention of Zidane. Really good news for him after missing the World Cup, but also an additional competitor for Tchouaméni.
At the same time, Manu Koné and Adrien Rabiot confirmed their status. Starting against Turkey, the two midfielders brought a certain continuity to the French midfield. Rabiot once again stood out for his activity, while Koné impressed with his volume and impact, despite a lower position than usual. The professional player number 8 perfectly assumed this low point role in Zidane’s 4-3-3. The coach certainly repeats that he does not have a fixed eleven, but these performances have necessarily established a first hierarchy. And this could further evolve with the return of Warren Zaire-Emery, initially summoned, but forfeited for this gathering. The Parisian represents a much more direct competitor to Tchouaméni than Maghnes Akliouche, who is more inclined towards the offensive.
Meanwhile, Tchouaméni took advantage of this truce to work in Madrid. According to A.S.the French midfielder would have worked extra hard in training in order to catch up physically after his long injury. He even played in the Madrid derby without being fully 100% yet and is now continuing his rise in power, while Real could also need him in central defense against Villarreal due to absences. It is now up to him to respond on the pitch: his status and his experience remain important arguments, but Da Cunha burst the screen, Camavinga scored points, Koné and Rabiot confirmed, while Zaire-Emery has yet to return. For Tchouaméni, the next gathering will therefore have particular importance.
