Fede Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni have apparently been at odds in the Real Madrid dressing room for months, but things came to a head at training on Thursday, with the two star midfielders getting into a verbal and physical altercation that ended up with the Uruguayan in the hospital with a concussion.
Though Tchou was the one who injured Fede, many Madridistas view the Frenchman more favorably and the once beloved Fede less so. Valverde, based on media reports, seems to have been the aggressor, and after the role he played in Xabi Alonso getting fired, Madridistas are not surprised to see Valverde's name back in a bad light.
Both men will be punished with hefty fines for their roles in further disgracing Real Madrid, but it could have been worse. Initially, it seemed like Real Madrid would suspend Tchouameni for the Clasico against Barcelona this Sunday, which is a do or die if Real are to avoid mathematical elimination from La Liga title contention.
Aurelien Tchouameni will be playing vs. Barcelona
But instead of missing Fede Valverde with injury and Aurelien Tchouameni due to suspension, the latter will actually be available for Barcelona. According to a report from El Pais, Real Madrid will not suspend either Tchouameni or Valverde (less relevant, he is out for a couple of weeks anyway) for what happened and will instead focus on financial punishments for both midfielders.
It could have, therefore, been so much worse for Tchouameni, but it appears Florentino Perez and Real Madrid understand that while Tchou ended up getting Valverde hurt in the dust up, he wasn't the one chiefly responsible for what transpired in the Real Madrid locker room this week.
And Real Madrid do need Tchouameni out there in the defensive midfield. Even with him, Real struggle to control games and have that stability in midfield. Without him, Real Madrid are in serious trouble, and while Thiago Pitarch is loved by Alvaro Arbeloa and already a decent player, he showed against Bayern Munich that he isn't quite ready for the big time - and Barcelona are absolutely the big time.
Tchouameni will be going up against a star studded Barcelona midfield that has gotten even more dangerous this season with the breakout of young Fermin Lopez to true stardom. Sunday's game means everything to Real Madrid, and Tchouameni will have a huge point to prove after his name was soaked in the press's mud after the fight.
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