Aurelien Tchouameni

L

Laplacian

Senior Member
Wonderfully technical player. France is quite simply the new Brazil, almost every player coming out of that fucking country is just great on technical ability.
 
khaled_a_d

khaled_a_d

Senior Member
Watched 2nd half of yesterday game between Monaco and Marseille, mainly because it is a game that has 2 players that could be a potential Busquets heir, the position we are most desperate to improve IMHO (and very difficult to replace).

It is very small sample size, so this is more of a 1st impression, not a scouting or even an opinion :lol:

There is an elite talent there for sure, he can pass under pressure and defend very well, physically passes the eye test immediately and has wide range of skills in his Arsenal, but he is a still a big project IMO.
My biggest concern with him is he simply doesn't make himself available to his defense, Marseille pressed the midfield and Tchou was just their whenever his CB had the ball, didn't bother to move to make himself available to defenders at all, at moments it felt like he wanted nothing with the ball.
For me this is a big concern for a team like Barca who wants to play attacking football and dominate the game, your DM should be able to be the link between defense and midfield and he isn't there yet tbh, has the potential to be one though.
Same during defense, he is capable defender but he is a bit passive when he tracks back, Fofana was the workhorse for them.

If those impressions are true, then for a team like Barca he will be more of a project IMO more than someone who will be world class immediately.
If we had the luxury, I would have said we should be looking elsewhere.

PS: I repeat, those are just impressions, I will need to watch him more
 
L

Laplacian

Senior Member
khaled_a_d said:
Watched 2nd half of yesterday game between Monaco and Marseille, mainly because it is a game that has 2 players that could be a potential Busquets heir, the position we are most desperate to improve IMHO (and very difficult to replace).

It is very small sample size, so this is more of a 1st impression, not a scouting or even an opinion :lol:

There is an elite talent there for sure, he can pass under pressure and defend very well, physically passes the eye test immediately and has wide range of skills in his Arsenal, but he is a still a big project IMO.
My biggest concern with him is he simply doesn't make himself available to his defense, Marseille pressed the midfield and Tchou was just their whenever his CB had the ball, didn't bother to move to make himself available to defenders at all, at moments it felt like he wanted nothing with the ball.
For me this is a big concern for a team like Barca who wants to play attacking football and dominate the game, your DM should be able to be the link between defense and midfield and he isn't there yet tbh, has the potential to be one though.
Same during defense, he is capable defender but he is a bit passive when he tracks back, Fofana was the workhorse for them.

If those impressions are true, then for a team like Barca he will be more of a project IMO more than someone who will be world class immediately.
If we had the luxury, I would have said we should be looking elsewhere.

PS: I repeat, those are just impressions, I will need to watch him more
Click to expand...

Based on what I've seen from him, he is not a pure DM you can expect to sit back and hold the line. He is a Pogba-like player, with the mobility and defensive ability of a midfield destroyer. He is very much like Camavinga, and I feel like his best position would be a center-midfielder playing alongside a pure defensive midfielder like the Casemiros and Ndidis.

And yes I agree, he's an elite talent. France has been producing way too many players of his type lately (technically brilliant defensive players). It seems like every year we're getting a new one.
 
Messi983

Messi983

Senior Member
I think a problem with trying to scout his abilities to play as a lone DM is he's not actually used as one in Monaco who are mostly playing with a 4-4-2. Tchouameni and Fofana are both basically playing as box to box midfielders (Kovac has changed his system for the OM game to 3-5-2 - probably to counter Sampaoli's 3-3-3-1 - but Tchouameni's role has stayed similar) so him not dropping back between the CBs as much as we're used to from Busi here might have more to do with tactical instructions than his actual abilities. But even if he wouldn't become elite at that we have Frenkie who is very used to being involved in building from the back eventhough he's better as a box to box midfielder than a pure DM imo. I just don't think in modern football we should be looking for a Busi clone (a static deep lying playmaker - still solid against low/mid teams that don't press him but useless against the top pressing teams - which he basically is at this point of his career with his defensive contribution diminishing year after year due to his physcial decline) but rather have 2-3 versatile mobile midfield workhorses who can play both ways.

I think Tchouameni would fit great here but just don't believe he's in our price range so his future is in EPL (maybe PSG will try to get him too now that they've missed out on Camavinga) and we'll be looking for cheaper alternatives. Kessie and B. Kamara are both on expiring contracts and would be excellent additions and both would be available for probably less than a half of Tchouameni's price and potentially even on a free. Kessie especially as it seems he doesn't want to renew with Milan and we could negotiate to sign him in good 3,5 months while there were reports Kamara will renew with OM on a shorter term contract so they'll sell him next summer. I'd obviously prefer if we could get him for free but I can also understand and respect his decision to earn his hometown club some money with his departure.
 
khaled_a_d

khaled_a_d

Senior Member
Messi983 said:
I think a problem with trying to scout his abilities to play as a lone DM is he's not actually used as one in Monaco who are mostly playing with a 4-4-2. Tchouameni and Fofana are both basically playing as box to box midfielders (Kovac has changed his system for the OM game to 3-5-2 - probably to counter Sampaoli's 3-3-3-1 - but Tchouameni's role has stayed similar) so him not dropping back between the CBs as much as we're used to from Busi here might have more to do with tactical instructions than his actual abilities. But even if he wouldn't become elite at that we have Frenkie who is very used to being involved in building from the back eventhough he's better as a box to box midfielder than a pure DM imo.
Click to expand...

The thing is, no one showed to the defenders, they had to make some long passes to other midfielders tbh.
I don't think that would have been much different if they used him as sole DM, he doesn't have it " yet"

Messi983 said:
I just don't think in modern football we should be looking for a Busi clone (a static deep lying playmaker - still solid against low/mid teams that don't press him but useless against the top pressing teams - which he basically is at this point of his career with his defensive contribution diminishing year after year due to his physcial decline) but rather have 2-3 versatile mobile midfield workhorses who can play both ways.
Click to expand...

I think the job of a DM is simple, yet very hard to have:
-Protect your defense and support it
-Connect defense to midfield.
The hardest part of those 2 skills is positioning, plenty of midfielders can defend well but not very disciplined to be DM, while not trying to move and make themselves available for defense.


I am not expecting a new Busquets, because frankly I think he was a very unique player in his prime and will be difficult to have someone like him.
But someone who do those 2 things I mentioned is essential especially for a sole DM, otherwise Koeman was visionary when he decided it is better to use 4231 as it will be really difficult to get one who does both of those, in such case Tchouameni will be ideal fit beside FDJ most likely.
 
L

Laplacian

Senior Member
They're both hybrid defensive midfielders. The only way I see it working is there's some kind of fluid rotation between Fdj and Tchouameni, both constantly interchanging and taking turns as the "sole dm" within games. Because really they just love to bomb forward and I think it's a shame to restrict either of them into pure defensive midfield positions when their ability to attack is so high.
 
El Gato

El Gato

Villarato!
Think his agent said RM was most interested of all the clubs they reached out to. Before RM signed Camavinga that is, but don't think they're mutually exclusive.
Wouldn't be surprised if somehow ends up in Madrid if Pogba continues to give reasons not to sign on a free.
 
M

mc_lovin

Senior Member
I can understand you guys being interested in Pogba, but another CM/DM like Tchouameni doesn't make sense for me.
 
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