Real Madrid needed to get the full three points against Real Betis on Sunday night at the Santiago Bernabeu after dropping more points in LaLiga to Las Palmas, who, like Mallorca, are a team the defending champions of the league should be beating.
There were a lot of headlines about the lack of chemistry between Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe in the new-look Real Madrid attack, with much of the discussion centered around the newest face at the Bernabeu.
However, just as concerning for Real Madrid was the slow start to the season from star center midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni, who was already vital to Real’s success in the previous season but had increased further in importance with the loss of main deep playmaker and tempo-setter Toni Kroos.
Tchouameni was particularly disappointing in the draw to Las Palmas, failing to dictate play against inferior opposition while looking quite lost and scrambled positionally – a juxtaposition to both Kroos’ calmness and even Tchouameni’s own work in his first two seasons with Real Madrid,
But just as Mbappe relieved the pressure with a brace in Madrid’s 2-0 win over Betis, so, too, did Tchouameni answer his critics and rise to the occasion with a better performance than Mbappe’s in the win.
At times, Tchouameni was at his vintage best, closing down passing lines, hounding the opposition, and suffocating the Betis midfield while making difficult challenges that even midfield teammate Eduardo Camavinga would be proud of.
The Frenchman finished the night with four tackles and four interceptions, producing the kind of big-game defensive effort in midfield that is vital to Real Madrid against quality technical opponents like Real Betis.
On the ball, Tchouameni created a chance, drew a couple of fouls, and completed 93 percent of his 71 passes in another positive passing display that was more progressive than his subpar outing vs. Las Palmas.
Out of all the positives Real Madrid can take away from the win over Betis into the September international break, Tchouameni’s bounce-back display is the biggest one.
That’s because Tchouameni stands alone as an anchoring point who can block passing lanes, facilitate Real’s own passing game from deep, and be an elite pivot from which the Merengues build from.
Tchouameni has no replacement or equal to Real Madrid, and so, in many ways, Real’s fate this season rests partially upon the 24-year-old ability to take that next step forward as one of the best in the world in his position.
