Real Madrid are entering a crucial stage of the season, with little room for error. Now eight points beyond Barcelona, facing the Catalans in the Copa del Rey and facing Liverpool in the Champions League, Los Blancos will need to be at their best during February and March.
The concern is that Aurelien Tchouameni is a long way off his best. As per Relevo, there are furrowed brows at Real Madrid over both his form and his behaviour of late. While Tchouameni has missed six games through injury, the French midfielder was overcome in against Villarreal before his injury and his performance against Real Mallorca last weekend did little to allay those fears.
Equally, there appears to be a change in attitude from Tchouameni since he returned from the World Cup in Qatar. During his recovery, Tchouameni was spotted at an NBA game in Paris while Real Madrid were playing Villarreal in the Copa del Rey. He has also been seen at several other social events while he was supposed to be working hard to recover as best he could.
While it is impossible to comment on his attitude, what Tchouameni does in his spare time would not be a cause for a concern were he in good form. His performance is likely to improve with fitness too. Tchouameni had a small break between the World Cup and returning to Madrid. It is understandable that his sharpness has suffered since, although it is true that Los Blancos can ill-afford a major dip from one of their key players.
