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Real Madrid have been forced to improvise after defensive injuries, but this has allowed Aurelien Tchouameni to take his conversations with Claude Makelele to heart
Claude Makelele has revealed he told Aurelien Tchouameni he needed to get minutes for Real Madrid no matter what, and the £80m man has shown his versatility against Manchester City in this season’s Champions League.
Tchouameni has been one of a number of Madrid stars forced to fill in at the back both this season and last, with Los Blancos losing the likes of David Alaba, Eder Militao and Dani Carvajal to long-term injuries. Fellow midfielder Edouardo Camavinga has had minutes at left-back, while Fede Valverde occupied the right-back spot as Carlo Ancelotti’s side claimed a last-gasp victory at the Etihad Stadium in the first leg of their Champions League play-off.
During his first season at the Bernabeu, Tchouameni was a substitute in both legs of the semi-final against City in the same competition. He didn’t start any of Los Blancos’ knockout matches during that campaign, but received reinforcement from his compatriot.
Makelele himself won the Champions League with Madrid in 2002 and also reached the final with Chelsea six years later. Having played for the club in their Galacticos era, he recognises the importance of getting a foot in the door, and relayed that message to former Monaco man Tchouameni.
“I had a conversation with him because he worried a little bit, and I told him ‘make sure you play all the time, anywhere, defender, midfielder, attack’,” Makelele tells Mirror Football courtesy of Frame the Game. “I think it will help him in the future be one of the best players on this platform, being a midfielder, and he will get more confidence and more leadership because i think he needs to build leadership. I think he will in the future be captain for Real Madrid, I hope so.
“When you’re at Real Madrid you have 25 big players, internationals. when there’s a position in the team, even if it’s goalkeeper you go goalkeeper because you need to play,” he adds with a laugh. “You don’t want to stay on the bench all the time.
“In my time there were a lot of players, we had 28 players, big names, big leadership, and then they’re not playing. All of a sudden they’re on the bench and then they’re in trouble. When you go to Madrid you need to realise, just get the time when you have the opportunity and make sure you never get back again on the bench, and it’s even more difficult now.”
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The first leg against City was a close-run thing, with Madrid trailing just five minutes from time but ending up snatching a late winner. Kylian Mbappe and Brahim Diaz cancelled out goals from Erling Haaland, before Jude Bellingham slid home the winner in time added on.
Bellingham is another who has needed to adapt this term. He finished last season as the club’s top league scorer with 19 goals, but the summer arrival of Mbappe means his role within the team has changed.
“This [need to adapt] happened for every player,” Makelele adds. “It happened for [Zinedine] Zidane, it happened for [David] Beckham also.
“It’s not just now with Bellingham. he’s also adapted in this team, he’s demonstrated he can be one of the best players also in this team, and this is good for the English national team also.”
After winning in Manchester, Ancelotti’s side can progress with just a draw in front of their own fans. It wouldn’t be the first time they have found a way to overcome a top European opponent even as results in the league aren’t going entirely to plan, and Makelele says some of the credit for that must lie with the manager.
“Ancelotti is very clever for this,” Makelele says of the Italian, who has incorporated Kylian Mbappe into his attack this term. “I know the knowledge he has, the capacity he has for demonstrating to the players [what they need to do].
“If a player has a lot of capacity, he can help more the team, and Madrid has a lot of injuries now and all the time he gets a good solution for the team winning. We need this kind of manager because he’s educated. Many managers now are not educated, he’s educated, he’s still winning trophies but he’s educating players or helping develop the talent covering.”
Claude Makelele has partnered with Frame the Game to release a limited number of framed shirts which celebrate his incredible legacy in football. You can own one today by visiting the following page HERE.
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