Tchouaméni Is the Quiet Engine Keeping Real Madrid Castilla Ticking
Aurélien Tchouaméni continues to be the unsung hero of Arbeloa's Real Madrid Castilla side, pulling the strings when chaos breaks out.
Amid all the noise around who’s stepping up in Real Madrid Castilla’s midfield, one bloke keeps quietly doing the business — and it’s the same bloke it’s always been.
The Rock in the Middle
Since Bellingham picked up his injury, Arbeloa has had to reshuffle his pack in the centre of the park. Valverde has dropped back into a more traditional midfield role, Camavinga’s been flying as a box-to-box option, and Güler is getting more involved closer to goal. All interesting developments, no doubt.
But through all of that reshuffling, Tchouaméni hasn’t moved an inch — and that tells you everything.
Against Osasuna at El Sadar, the Frenchman was once again the bloke putting out fires when Madrid were getting pressed and couldn’t keep hold of the ball. It’s become a bit of a pattern, hasn’t it? When things get hairy, Tchouaméni sorts it.
The Numbers Back It Up
Here’s why you can’t ignore him:
- He was named best player in the Champions League first leg against Benfica — his first such award in European competition
- He’s the fifth most-used outfield player under Arbeloa this season
- Among midfielders specifically, only Valverde has clocked more minutes — and a chunk of Valverde’s time has been spent at right-back, so Tchouaméni is arguably the most-used central midfielder in the squad
- The only game he’s missed? A suspension against Villarreal. Arbeloa has started him every single time he’s been available
Filling the Kroos-Shaped Hole
One of the big questions hanging over Madrid since Kroos and Modric moved on has been: who organises the team? Who’s the conductor?
It’s not a role that’s been handed to one player outright — it’s shared around the midfield — but Tchouaméni has genuinely grown into that responsibility under Arbeloa. The fact that he’s getting more involved in build-up play, thanks to Arbeloa’s preference for a packed midfield, has helped him express that side of his game more.
He’s never going to be Kroos. No one is. But he’s carving out his own version of that role, and right now he looks like the most important player in this Madrid side.
Bottom Line
While everyone’s debating the exciting bits — Güler’s creativity, Camavinga’s energy, Valverde doing Valverde things — Tchouaméni is the one keeping the whole thing from falling apart. Proper bread and butter footballer. The sort you only really appreciate when he’s not there.
Arbeloa clearly gets it. The rest of us should too.