Tchouaméni Heavily Criticized After World Cup Semifinal Loss to Spain

France lost 0-2 to Spain in the World Cup semifinal, and Real Madrid midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni is one of the players most targeted by observers in the aftermath of the match.

Returning from injury after missing France’s previous two matches, Tchouaméni was started by Didier Deschamps. His performance failed to convince: the French international regularly dropped deep in defense, leaving Adrien Rabiot alone to handle the workload in midfield against Spain.

Former pundit Pierre Ménès gave him a rating of 3 out of 10 on his YouTube channel, in particularly harsh terms. “Tchouaméni, three. Look, I’m going to be very clear, he drives me crazy. He drives me crazy because of his positioning. When you’re already playing with two midfielders against a team at Spain’s level, you can’t afford to have one of your two midfielders playing at the level of your central defense so often.”

Ménès did, however, nuance his judgment on the second half. “It was glaring, especially in the first half. In the second, he tried to push forward a bit more, certainly encouraged by Deschamps. But he brought absolutely nothing to the ball. He would do well to take inspiration from what Rodri did.”

The pundit concluded by comparing the former Gironde player to Manchester City’s midfielder, who delivered a controlled performance on the Spanish side. “It’s clear he doesn’t have the same technical arsenal as the Manchester City player, but it’s really a very poor match for the Madrid player.”

The defeat eliminates France from the competition and reignites questions about France’s midfield organization, already weakened by Tchouaméni’s repeated absences leading up to the tournament.