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Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has been forced to experiment a little bit when it comes to selecting his players for the defensive unit. This is because Eder Militao, David Alaba, and Antonio Rudiger are all struggling with ailments that have prevented them from playing.
Over the course of this time period, Aurelien Tchouameni has been a player who has really distinguished himself. In recent times, the French midfielder has been playing a defensive position, and he has impressed spectators with his coolness and his ability to read the game.
According to Roberto Moreno, Tchouameni is comparable to Mascherano.
Taking into consideration the remarkable accomplishments of Tchouameni, the former Spanish coach Roberto Moreno has drawn parallels between the Real Madrid star and Javier Mascherano, who was a brilliant player for Barcelona in the past.
“The prerequisites are met by him. Moreno told EFE (via Mundo Deportivo) that Mascherano has the potential to become one of Real Madrid’s top center backs if he works hard enough. “Look at Mascherano at Barca,” Moreno said.
It is important to mention that Moreno had trained Tchouameni during his time as the manager of AS Monaco. Moreno had previously worked as an assistant manager at Barcelona Football Club.
Additionally, throughout the period that they spent together in Barcelona, Moreno had collaborated with Mascherano as well.
Therefore, he is aware of the skills that both of the players possess, and based on Tchouameni’s recent performances, the Spaniard feels that the player have the potential to become a Mascherano for Real Madrid.
It is Moreno’s belief that Tchouameni will soon be a center back.
In addition to drawing parallels between him and Mascherano, Roberto Moreno went on to express his confidence that the Frenchman will develop into an outstanding center defender for Real Madrid.
“Playing further back almost makes things easier for him considering that he sees everything that football has to offer,” Moreno remarked. “For a player of his talent, physical and mental strength, playing further back makes things easier for him.”
“That allowed him to improve his defensive capabilities. Due to the fact that playing as a center defender is not the same as playing as a pivot, he will just need to finish smoothing out rough edges and subtleties. Ignoring them would be a mistake. I believe that he is capable of doing it,” he said.
Moreno went on to emphasize that Ancelotti is a huge fan of having players who can perform several roles in his team. In addition to that, he said that Tchouameni is able to “return to his position” as he has the time.
“I believe that he meets the requirements. It is not enough to have skill in order to play for a team as good as Real Madrid; you also need to have a very well-equipped brain in order to be successful. It is in the possession of Tchouaméni and his entourage. He is ready to participate in the event. It is also important to note that he is a young guy,” Moreno said.
