Real Madrid will be gunning for their second UEFA Champions League win of the season when they take on LOSC Lille at Stade Pierre-Mauroy in France on Wednesday night.
Having secured a hard-fought victory on the opening matchday against VfB Stuttgart, the current holders of the Champions League will be eager to grab another win in their bid to finish in the top-eight of the league standings.
On the eve of the game, midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni, back in his homeland, appeared in front of the media for the press conference.
Kicking things off, the 24-year-old midfield enforcer shed light on what makes Lille a difficult challenge for Real Madrid, saying:
“I’ve played a lot of games against Lille. They play very well and have a good squad. We have to give our all and fight as hard as possible because it’s sure to be a difficult game.”
“Lille have a great coach, they are in Europe. They have great players, a great striker, a great goalkeeper…. They are a solid team and we know they will cause us a lot of problems,” he later added.
Tchouameni has had to take up greater responsibility in the Real Madrid midfield following the retirement of Toni Kroos at the end of the last season.
Discussing his role and responsibilities since, the French international remarked: “Toni was very important, especially in bringing the ball out, but we have more players.
“The midfielders are improving in bringing the ball out, we have to do it to play better games. We are going to do it.”
On what importance manager Carlo Ancelotti holds for him as a player, the midfielder replied:
“He is an important person. We talk all the time about what I have to do on the pitch. It’s a pleasure to work with someone like him, he helps me a lot with and without the ball. We are working.”
Real Madrid made a surprise inclusion in the squad list for tomorrow’s game as Kylian Mbappe was named on the roster despite having been sidelined with an injury.
There is hope that the Frenchman has recovered sufficiently and can play some part against Lille tomorrow. When asked for an update on his compatriot, Tchouameni said:
“Kylian has come with us, he’s fine… what we want is for him to recover. We would like him to play, but I have no idea. We are going to wait.”
Tchouameni also commented on the recent announcement of Antoine Griezmann retiring from international football, claiming that it came as a shock to him.
“On Griezmann’s retirement… surprised. It’s a shame that he’s going to leave us, it affects us, but if he’s made this decision it’s because it’s the best thing for him,” he said.
Meanwhile, the midfielder backed his teammate Vinicius Jr. to win the Ballon d’Or, saying: “Of course! He has a great chance of winning it and he deserves it.”
Tchouameni returned from a brief injury layoff last month and insisted that he is feeling better and better with each passing day, saying:
“I feel, little by little, better. Last year, I had discomfort in my left foot, but the doctors did a spectacular job with me and they helped me a lot. Now I have no pain. And I want to help my team as much as possible.”
Regarding his own game, Tchouameni was asked about the areas he has improved upon and any aspects that he still needs to work on, to which he replied:
“We have to understand that we can’t do everything in the team. There are players with many qualities, but we have to understand our responsibility and do what is best for the team.
“Maybe it is not the best for me. But I have to do it that way. As I said, in a team like Madrid, if you play, it’s because you have quality. There are no gifts here.”
On what it means for him to play for Real Madrid against Lille tomorrow, Tchouameni said:
“It’s an honour to play against Lille and I love wearing the shirt of the best team in the world. It’s an important match for everyone.”
Reflecting on what went down during the Madrid derby at the Civitas Metropolitano this past weekend, Tchouameni remarked:
“It’s not a good image, not in France, not in Spain, not anywhere. People just want to enjoy the show. We have to put an end to this.”
Tchouameni changed his shirt number this season, shifting from #18 to #14. When asked about the shift, he explained:
“And about the number, there was Toni’s number 8, but it was for Fede and for me, number 14 means a lot. It was my first number with France. That’s why I took it.”
On how he deals with any criticism directed towards him, Tchouameni said: “I am very calm. As a sportsman, whether you do things well or badly, the most important thing is to help my team win. Do what the coach asks me to do.
“As a player, if you listen to the press too much, you go crazy. I’m calm.”
Voicing his concerns over the football calendar and the number of matches, the Real Madrid mainstay said:
“Yes, there are a lot of them. But the problem is not the matches, we can rotate. I think that the highest bodies need to get together and work out a better schedule, one that favours all of us.
“There needs to be a union to talk about it. There are a lot of games and that leads to injuries. If people watch football without important players, it’s no longer interesting.”
Source: AS