Aurélien Tchouaméni, midfielder of the France team: « I took advice from the executives »

“We have the impression that your integration has been dazzling with the Blues. Beyond your good performances, how did you create the link with this group?
We are lucky to have a top group. It’s easy to fit in, to blend in. We see it with the new ones today. For me it was the same. My calm and serenity are part of my personality. I am not someone who will create problems. When you arrive in a world champion group, you can’t afford to make too much noise. I am only focused on the work and my progress. I took advice from the executives. This is what allows me to be good in this team.

Especially with Paul Pogba, whom you are close to?
Paul gave me lots of advice. He guided me and I thank him because he is one of the people thanks to whom I feel good in this group. In the field, our complementarity happened naturally. He’s the player I’ve been most associated with, I think. Paul is naturally carried forward, we know his passing quality. We manage to delegate tasks and talk to each other to sometimes tighten the lines.

Was it important for you to score against Ivory Coast?
In my position, it’s not the same as for a striker. But this goal is also important for me obviously.

To pass a course, shouldn’t you be leaving Monaco next summer, abroad for example?
I do not know. Maybe that’s a discussion I need to have with the coach. From what I see, you don’t necessarily have to play for City or Real to be regularly in selection. We see it with Wissam Ben Yedder who is in Monaco with me. It’s not a hindrance to play ASM. I’m fine there. In any case, this is not a question that I asked myself.

What do you think of PSG?
It’s a top club, with very great players. They have made quite a lot of investments since the Qatari era. They won a lot of titles even if unfortunately they couldn’t reach their goal in the Champions League. I consider PSG to be a great team.

What kind of support do you expect in Lille against South Africa?
In the provinces or at the Stade de France, we always feel a craze for this team. We had a great welcome in Marseille. I am sure that we will also have a great welcome in Lille. I just hope they don’t whistle  »Jo » (Clauss, the Lensois defender) but no, I don’t think so. »