Real Madrid star declares he does not enjoy playing in makeshift role – ‘No, not at all’ | OneFootball

With Antonio Rudiger, Eder Militao and David Alaba all unavailable at the same time, Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti was forced to deploy Aurelien Tchouameni alongside Raul Asencio in central defence last night against Manchester City.

While Pep Gauardiola’s side did indeed have their struggles defensively, they did not hold back in attack and put tremendous pressure on the makeshift duo.

Credit where it is due, both Asencio and the Frenchman were very reliable at the back and exceeded all expectations with their central partnership.

Tchouameni does not like his position

Speaking to Canal+ Foot yesterday after the game against Manchester City, Real Madrid star Aurelien Tchouameni was asked a very interesting question about his position on the field.

“Are you starting to like this central defender position?” he was asked, in light of him regularly playing in the defensive department in recent months.

The Frenchman, however, did not mince his words and openly stated that he does not like playing at centre-back.

“No, not at all,” he said.

Tchouameni did well at centre-back vs Man City. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

While it may not be Tchouameni’s preferred position on the field, Ancelotti sees him to be one player who can fit in well in the department given the dire lack of natural centre-backs in the squad.

Moreover, Tchouameni himself has done rather well in recent weeks and has shown signs of improvement from the errors he made in his initial days at centre-back.

What is clear from the interview, however, is that the player is itching to get back to his position in the defensive midfield and that he enjoys playing in the middle of the park and controlling the game more than the deep defensive role.

With Antonio Rudiger and David Alaba set to return in the short term, the player can be reassured that he will be back in his niche very soon.