Antonio Rüdiger and Aurélien Tchouameni got their first taste of action for Real Madrid in the team's maiden outing in the Soccer Champions Tour, against Barcelona at Las Vegas's Allegiant Stadium. The two new Madridistas were both included in Los Blancos' starting line-up by Carlo Ancelotti and played 45 minutes each before being substituted off at half time.
Rudiger: An adaptable leader ready to give everything for the team
Surprisingly, the German defender was deployed at left-back, a position in which Ancelotti tried him out in training on Friday. It is not his main position, even if he played as a left centre-back in a back three at Chelsea. Yet, he managed to adapt and handled the pressure put on him. Rudiger is a player with character and one who will stand by his teammates, as he did during his confrontation with Barcelona centre-back Ronald Araujo after a series of ugly tackles on Vinicius.
What the German defender did show was character, something he is expected to have and which should be one of the strong points of the Madrid defence. Despite facing a lively Raphinha, perhaps Barcelona's most dangerous player this pre-season, Rudiger performed quite well, even though it is not his usual position.
Tchouameni: A player who looked for the ball with maturity and cautiousness
Playing alongside Fede Valverde and Eduardo Camavinga in midfield, the new Real Madrid signing filled in for Casemiro, featuring as a defensive midfielder. The Frenchman seemingly struggled to get into the game. He was less noticeable than Rudiger, which is normal due to his youth, and preferred not to risk mistakes which is however a sign of maturity in important games.
On the other hand, if we look at the stats, Tchouameni won three of his four duels and registered two tackles, two clearances, one interception and two recoveries. In the build-up, he had just three turnovers and a 90.3 percent pass accuracy rate. Eight of these passes were made in the opposition half and these are really good stats.
However, both of these debuts were overshadowed by the result in Barcelona's favour.
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