Tchouameni talks Alonso, Ancelotti, Mbappe, referees ahead of Real Madrid vs Marseille | OneFootball

Real Madrid will kick off their European campaign on Tuesday when they host Olympique de Marseille at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The Merengues have been in fine fettle in La Liga, picking up four wins in four matches, and will be aiming to carry that momentum forward in the UEFA Champions League.

On the eve of the match, in-form midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni accompanied Xabi Alonso to the press conference, and spoke about facing the Ligue 1 club and several other topics.

On Marseille and the UCL

Kicking things off, the French midfielder stated what Real Madrid will need to do to secure all three points against Marseille tomorrow, saying:

“Commitment and playing with confidence. We know it will be challenging and that we’ll have to give our all to win this match.”

Real Madrid failed to finish within the top eight of the league table in the UCL last season and had to go through a playoff fixture to enter the knockout stages. But the aim is to avoid a repeat of that this time around.

“If we win every game, we’ll be there. We’ll see what happens. The most important thing is tomorrow’s game. I hope to start off in the best possible way,” insisted Tchouameni.

On whether Real Madrid are under greater pressure to do well in the Champions League this season, the midfielder remarked:

“When you play for Madrid, we’re under constant pressure. There’s no need for anything else. Every season we have to win every title. We’re going to give it our all, for sure, and try to win titles. We didn’t win much last year, and I hope to win more this year.”

Regarding their tomorrow’s opponents, Marseille, Tchouameni said: “Marseille is a Ligue 1 giant. I expect a tough Champions League match, with some great teams.

“I don’t know if all Spaniards know Olympique Lyonnais, but they’re a team they follow a lot in France. Many people have asked me for tickets to come and watch the game. As a Frenchman and a Real Madrid fan, I’m really looking forward to this competition.

There has been a lot of talk about Real Madrid and their war against refereeing in La Liga, with the latest controversy happening on Saturday when Dean Huijsen was wrongly sent off against Real Sociedad.

Commenting on that, Tchouameni noted: “They try to do their best every game, but they make mistakes like we did. The most important thing is to win, and we did. Nothing to say about the referees. Everyone has seen what happened. We have to look forward.”

On Ancelotti and Alonso

Xabi Alonso has changed some things at Real Madrid. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

The chat then moved to how Real Madrid have evolved under Xabi Alonso, compared to Carlo Ancelotti, and whether there was more of a ‘collective effort’ from the team this season.

“We won a lot with Carlo. He’s one of the best in history. Xabi asks us to do different things; he has a different methodology. We’re improving every game, trying to do what he wants. We have to keep going like this to win games,” he said.

Regarding what has changed between Ancelotti and Alonso, the French international noted: “I can’t argue with the fact that we train facing our opponents, but there are changes, different methodologies.

“Some players have changed positions. I know Marseille. They will cause us problems; they are very talented players. We have to show that we are a strong team.”

On whether he feels that Alonso is getting the best out of him, Tchouameni replied: “With coach Xabi, we’ve won matches from the start, and I think we’ve improved as a team and as individuals. I think everyone feels good.

“I try to play at my level and help my team as much as possible. We want to win everything this season, and if we play at our level, we have a good chance of doing so.”

Tchouameni played his 150th appearance for Real Madrid against Real Sociedad this past weekend.

“It’s a dream. I try to enjoy everything as a Real Madrid fan. I hope to play many more games, win titles, and enjoy every season here,” he said, on reaching the milestone.

On Mbappe

Kylian Mbappe is in red-hot form. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

Kylian Mbappe has started the new season on fire, scoring goals for fun for Real Madrid and the French national team. When asked what had changed with the forward, Tchouameni noted:

“I don’t know… The truth is that Kylian already scored a ton of goals last year and he’s continuing to do so this season. As a team, we’ve improved and we can win games.

“Kylian plays at an incredible level, as he does every season. With him, we have a better chance of winning.”

On whether he thinks Mbappe is obsessed with winning the UEFA Champions League, especially after seeing PSG win it last season, he noted:

“We know he hasn’t been able to win the Champions League yet, and that’s a club goal. Kylian always wants to win, and we’re going to try to do it together. First, tomorrow’s game. We have to be ready physically and mentally.”

Source: AS