“It’s the best midfielder in France” : Coach Niko Kovac is full of praise when he mentions Aurélien Tchouameni, who will lead AS Monaco against Paris SG at the Parc des Princes, Sunday evening (8:45 p.m.), a gala opposition where the Blues player has the opportunity to measure its progress.
He is not yet 22 years old, and yet he will be the real cornerstone of his team at the end of the 18th day of Ligue 1. Aurélien Tchouameni (seven selections with the Blues), whose odds continue to climb and on which the biggest European clubs are starting to position themselves, knows that the spotlight will be on its performance. He will have to be able to offer a high-end score to allow Monaco to clinch a ninth consecutive unbeaten game, against the best team in France.
“I try to progress”, assures the Monegasque. “I work every day for this. I’m happy with my situation. Of course, my new status forces me to be even more a leader, on and off the pitch. But that doesn’t change my nature. I remain the same with my teammates and staff, listening to advice. “
Jefe @atchouameni pic.twitter.com/S7Cb9fhWd3
– AS Monaco (@AS_Monaco) December 7, 2021
It is “his humility and his capacity for work” that Niko Kovac continues to appreciate in his player. “We talked a lot about him”, assures the coach. “His development is good. He has worked a lot for it, with humility. He wants to continue learning with each training. But also off the field, he wants to understand with videos what works and what he needs to do to improve. . It is important that he does not change. “
Since the arrival of Kovac, Aurélien Tchouameni has always put himself at the level required to cross the thresholds. When he was called up to the France A team, the Croatian coach, former captain of his selection, had described to him what was going to happen. Tchouameni knew how to impose himself without distorting his personality.
Didier Deschamps appreciates this maturity. He sees in the former Bordelais a player capable of being part of the group for the next World Cup, alongside Paul Pogba, N’Golo Kanté and Adrien Rabiot, three base men in the middle. An excessively competitive sector in France. But for this, Tchouameni cannot rest on his laurels.
“He must not be scattered”, explains Kovac. “He must maintain his level, be aggressive, leader in the field. He is the best midfielder in France and internationally. But he knows he must progress further. The spotlight is on him. If he changes, it will be more complicated.”
QATAR 2022 @French team pic.twitter.com/TTEhNaiZnw
– Tchouameni Aurélien (@atchouameni) November 13, 2021
The most used Monegasque field player in L1 (1,281 minutes), he is also the one who played the most balls (1,139) and made the most passes (901) for the team. He is also the Red and White who strikes the most (27 times since the start of the season, or 1.69 attempts per game). However, he scored only one goal and gave no decisive pass in the top flight. This is an important step to take.
But it is especially in the register of the fight that Kovac will wait for him on Sunday. “We will have to respond present in offensive or defensive duels”, warns the player. “We will have a lot of desire, determination to win. We will have to be very focused for 90 minutes.”
Tchouameni knows that Monaco has the capacity to win. Last season, ASM had done so twice in the Championship (3-2 in the Principality, 2-0 in Paris). “We keep very good memories”, remembers the middle. “I talked about it with Kylian (Mbappé) during the game at the Parc against Kazakhstan (8-0). We laughed together. We had a good performance. We had evolved a little lower than usual. this season, the teams are different. We have a new story to write. “