"We must thank him": Ancelotti praises Tchouaméni for playing out of position

Real Madrid has recently faced significant challenges in central defense. Alongside David Alaba, Éder Militão joined the injury list in November, sidelined for an extended period. This forced head coach Carlo Ancelotti to experiment with his lineup, an experiment the Italian deemed successful.

Details: In recent matches, Aurélien Tchouaméni has partnered Antonio Rüdiger in central defense—a position unfamiliar to the French midfielder. Ancelotti acknowledged that Tchouaméni has handled the role admirably.

Quote: "We must thank Tchouaméni because he’s playing in an unnatural position for him. He shows great selflessness, doesn’t complain, and gives his all. He performed very well in the matches against Atalanta and Girona, and we won both games with him. He is a key figure.

We’re in an emergency situation, and sometimes he has to play at center-back. We also have a very talented young player, such as Asensio," said Ancelotti.

Reminder: Earlier, the Italian coach confirmed that one of the team’s leaders, Kylian Mbappé, would miss the match against Rayo Vallecano due to injury.