Tag: Aurelien Tchouameni

Five Real Madrid players who must step up the most in order to beat Sevilla
20Dec By Kevin ParviziNo Comments
Features, LaLiga

Five Real Madrid players who must step up the most in order to beat Sevilla

After dominating Pachuca 3-0 in Qatar to capture the Intercontinental Cup, Real Madrid are back in the Spanish capital to take on Sevilla in LaLiga this weekend after dropping more points in the league last Saturday to Rayo Vallecano. Real Madrid are the clear favorites on Matchday 18, and nothing less than a win will suffice against a Sevilla side that continues to linger in the bottom half of the table, though they are improving during the course of the current campaign. In order for the Merengues to avoid yet another disappointing result in the league, here are five players on the team who must step up the most this weekend. LW Kylian Mbappe Left winger Kylian Mbappe has usually been utilized as a center forward since Real Madrid have quite literally the best pure, out-and-out w...
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The 5 best midfield transfer targets for Liverpool in summer 2025
26Nov By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Features

The 5 best midfield transfer targets for Liverpool in summer 2025

Liverpool have become the best team in the Premier League again in 2024/25 under the leadership of new manager Arne Slot, but a lot of the groundwork for this great season was already put in place by Jurgen Klopp and the preceding regime at Anfield. Much of the improvements were done in the middle of the park, with Liverpool bouncing back from a Europa League finish to legitimate Premier League title contention in 2023/24 after the signings of Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, Wataru Endo, and Ryan Granveberch - though Gravenberch wouldn't break out until this season under Slot. Despite a bevy of midfield upgrades, Liverpool are still in the market for another star or two to further boost their personnel in midfield as they look to capture the near impossible under Slot - a tr...
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A struggling Real Madrid star might be the best case for hiring Xabi Alonso
17Nov By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Features, LaLiga

A struggling Real Madrid star might be the best case for hiring Xabi Alonso

Following the 4-0 loss to Barcelona and the 3-1 defeat to his former club AC Milan, Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti received a great deal of pressure both internally and externally. It's familiar territory for the two-time Champions League winning coach at Real Madrid, and he'll readily recall being fired for no apparent reason - other than the nebulous, "a cycle has ended" reasoning from Florentino Perez - after his first successful stint at the club. But even though Real Madrid bounced back with a 4-0 win over Osasuna and have much bigger squad issues defensively than anything that has to do with Ancelotti, this time, the pressure feels different. Even when things were going swimmingly for Ancelotti last season, there was a constant backdrop of noise that 2025 would be the y...
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Liverpool’s pursuit of Aurelien Tchouameni just got a lot more interesting
7Nov By Joe SorianoNo Comments
LaLiga

Liverpool’s pursuit of Aurelien Tchouameni just got a lot more interesting

Liverpool have been looking for a tempo-setter in the midfield for years, and, at points, they had one of the two best in the world at this job after acquiring Thiago Alcantara for free in 2020. Thiago was fresh off winning the treble for Bayern Munich and was as good as any footballer in the world at the time, even if his efforts were very much unsung by virtue of the nature of his position. When healthy, Thiago was every bit the maestro conductor that Jurgen Klopp envisioned, but, unfortunately, those healthy moments were few and far between. Thiago retired from the game at the end of the season. By then, though, Liverpool had overhauled their midfield and returned to their status as Premier League title contenders after landing Wataru Endo, Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allist...
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A Real Madrid starter has to lose his job after AC Milan debacle
6Nov By Joe SorianoNo Comments
LaLiga

A Real Madrid starter has to lose his job after AC Milan debacle

Real Madrid are in a state of crisis after losing 3-1 to AC Milan, compounding their 4-0 defeat to Barcelona even further. There are calls for Carlo Ancelotti to lose his job, cries for a new center back and right back in January, and a general sense of disbelief at how much this team has unraveled in 2024/25. It was only six months ago that Real Madrid were on top of European football as Champions League and La Liga winners. They won both titles convincingly, and then they went ahead and added Kylian Mbappe and Endrick to their attack in the summer. Well, the Real Madrid attack has been, if anything, significantly worse with Mbappe as the centerpiece player alongside Vinicius Junior, with Jude Bellingham left to chase shadows in a defensive role and the club's biggest gem Arda Guler...
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Ranking the 10 best LaLiga midfielders in 2024
5Oct By Kevin ParviziNo Comments
Features, LaLiga

Ranking the 10 best LaLiga midfielders in 2024

Obviously the superstars of Real Madrid and Barcelona are going to dominate a list of the best midfielders in LaLiga, but the entire top 10 list doesn't belong to the biggest two clubs in Spanish football alone. Here are the top 10 midfielders you need to know in 2024, including some stars from Real Sociedad and Villarreal. 10. Brais Mendez, Real Sociedad Brais Mendez has always been a great player, and he should have received more acclaim at Celta Vigo, where he was an excellent partner in crime for the legendary Iago Aspas. In 2022, Brais got a chance to break out of his shell a little more on a competitive Real Sociedad side that was stacked to the brim with underrated talents and top LaLiga stars in the midfield and the attack. During the first half of the season, Mendez was as...
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The ridiculous pass Aurelien Tchoumaneni hit against Stuttgart to help create Kylian Mbappe’s goal
18Sep By Kevin ParviziNo Comments
Features, LaLiga

The ridiculous pass Aurelien Tchoumaneni hit against Stuttgart to help create Kylian Mbappe’s goal

Defensive midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni is one of the most important players on Real Madrid, even as the superstar attackers, Jude Bellingham, and Fede Valverde soak up most of the praise and Ballon d'Or love for the 2024/25 season. Nobody on Real Madrid can do what Tchouameni does as one of the best No. 6's in the world, screening the defense expertly - he can even star at center back on his own - while pinging beautiful passes with his high football IQ and technical ability. Tchouameni went overlooked in Real's 3-1 win over Stuttgart to open the 2024/25 Champions League season, but there's one ridiculous pass everyone should take a second look at. From his own half, Tchouameni quickly looked over his shoulder and then, with one touch, smashed the ball across his body, skipping ...
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When will Jude Bellingham, Aurelien Tchouameni return from injury?
13Sep By Kevin ParviziNo Comments
Features, LaLiga

When will Jude Bellingham, Aurelien Tchouameni return from injury?

Real Madrid star midfielders Jude Bellingham and Aurelien Tchouameni are both dealing with injuries, and while both are recovered in time to potentially play against Real Sociedad, neither is expected to start in Saturday night's big LaLiga fixture at the Anoeta. Bellingham suffered a muscular injury at the end of August that was expected to cost him about a month of action, so it looks like the Ballon d'Or candidate is making an early return to the pitch for Real Madrid. Meanwhile, Tchouameni went down at the beginning of September with a foot injury just before France's international duty this month, leading many to speculate if he was really injured or just "injured" to keep him out of the useless Nations League fixtures. According to a report from MARCA, Jude Bellingham and Au...
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Real Madrid recover three superstars vs. Real Sociedad but will likely only start one
13Sep By Kevin ParviziNo Comments
Features, LaLiga

Real Madrid recover three superstars vs. Real Sociedad but will likely only start one

Real Madrid will travel to the venerable Anoeta Stadium on Saturday night for a LaLiga battle with perennial Champions League contenders Real Sociedad, coached by one of the best managers in the league in Imanol Alguacil. Although Real Madrid head into the match with a few key injuries after the September slate of international fixtures, even if none of those players were available, the defending champions of Spain and Europe would still be the favorites. However, Diario AS reports good news, as all three of Jude Bellingham, Aurelien Tchouameni, and Eder Militao will be recovered in time for this big LaLiga matchup at Real Sociedad. Earlier, it was reported that defenders Ferland Mendy and Militao would be available, and this appears to be further confirmation that Real's best cen...
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Kylian Mbappe is only Real Madrid’s second-biggest problem right now
29Aug By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Features, LaLiga

Kylian Mbappe is only Real Madrid’s second-biggest problem right now

Real Madrid are having a very rough start to the 2024/25 LaLiga season. Although a ferocious first half helped the Merengue club secure all three points over Real Valladolid, they were unable to defeat Las Palmas or Mallorca. Out of three easy matches, Real Madrid have procured just around half (five) the points, drawing 1-1 to both Mallorca and Las Palmas in matches they honestly deserved to lose. The most recent match was particularly humbling, with Real Madrid performing woefully in the first half, with slow starts almost becoming an early hallmark of this year's Carlo Ancelotti-coached side. After another lethargic, goalless game from Kylian Mbappe, all the headlines are focused on the highly-paid free agent signing, and it is fair to begin to wonder if Real Madrid aren't any ...
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