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Month: August 2022

ASM preview: Clement expecting difficult match against Troyes

by: Luke Entwistle
30/08/2022

Speaking ahead of Wednesday’s match ESTAC Troyes, AS Monaco manager Philippe Clement told the media during a press conference on Tuesday that he was expecting a tough match.

Monaco bounced back from their heavy defeat to Lens with a draw at the Parc des Princes on Sunday, and Clement told reporters that he was happy with the character shown by his players. “I noted two things in particular from the last match: the team’s reaction after the last match and the system put in place. But the most important thing that I asked from my players was that they showed personality, and they did that so I’m very happy. They weren’t scared to reproduce in the match what we worked on in training, and that’s encouraging.”

Particularly effective in that match was Monaco’s back three, which as well as providing a solid base, also allowed them to be more aggressive in the press, which was a key facet of the side’s success in Paris.

However, despite defender Benoît Badiashile revealing to Monaco Life that he personally felt more “at ease” in a three-man defence, Clement didn’t commit to once again deploying the system against Troyes on Wednesday.

Clement did, however, reveal that having the flexibility to switch between systems will be an important asset to Monaco going forward. “We can play in the two systems. We played both during the pre-season. I am very happy with the player’s adaptation. We need the two systems to be competitive in all competitions, and we have players, who can play both,” said the Belgian.

Regardless of the system that Clement decides to deploy, the club’s aim is simple: to back up their draw against PSG. No other French team has a better record against the reigning French champions, but in order to mount a credible title challenge, they will have to produce the same level that they showed against PSG, on a more regular basis.

“When you are coming off the back of a performance like the one we put in against PSG, you need to back it up in a game against a team, who on paper, are inferior,” said Badiashile.

Despite Troyes struggling at the beginning of the season, Bruno Irles side picked up their first points of the season last weekend with a win over 10-man Angers. Last season, Monaco had to work hard for their narrow 2-1 victory over Wednesday’s opponents.

“It’s a team that frustrated us for long periods in the return match last season. They are well organised and strong in the transitions. In addition, Irles is a coach who knows Monaco well having spent numerous years here. It is always a difficult match against Troyes, and we’ll have to be on top of our game to win,” said Clement.

Monaco will be without Kevin Volland for the tie, who picked up an ankle injury whilst scoring against PSG. His prognosis isn’t as bad as first feared and the club hope to see him back in four weeks. Myron Boadu is also still absent with a foot injury, although Monaco Life attended Tuesday morning’s training session in La Turbie and can confirm that the Dutch striker was present and taking part in an individualised training session.

Monaco currently languish in 12th, although at this point of the season, it is merely about getting points on the board. Having already played Lens, Rennes, PSG and Strasbourg in the league, all of whom had impressive campaigns last time out, Monaco will be hoping to secure the three points against a so-called “inferior side” at the Stade Louis II on Wednesday. Confidence, a by-product of wins, will also be needed heading into a tough week of football, which will see them begin their Europa League campaign against Red Star Belgrade in Serbia, as well as face high-fliers Lyon and local rivals Nice.

 

 

 

 

‘Son of Monaco’ celebrates 50 years on the stage

by: Stephanie Horsman
30/08/2022

Monaco-born Richard Lord is marking 50 years of music-making, as well as his 75th birthday, with a live concert at the Opéra Garnier in September.

Richard Cavassuto, born in Monaco in 1947, was destined to become a musician. At the age of 12, for the children’s Christmas gift-giving at the Palace in 1959, the young Cavassuto was given a guitar by Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace, a present that would shape his future.

He was a fixture in several rock bands in the early 1960s, including as drummer for The Vampires, Bassist for The Yankees and The Ombres, as well as leader vocalist and bass player for The Outlaws.

In 1971, after recording sessions at the world-famous Abbey Road Studios in London, Richard Cavassuto became Richard Lord and made his debut as a solo artist, releasing the single ‘Everybody Loves a First Time’.

Abbey Road, the studios made famous by the Beatles, was clearly an inspiration for Lord, who returned to Monaco in 1983 to perform a show comprised of 15 Beatles songs, called Abbey Road Sixties, which he performed in front of Prince Rainier III. The music of the sixties has been the backbone of his career, with tribute concerts being regular occurrences.

Over the years, he has played several times in Monaco, and organised events such as the 1999 concert bringing together six bands from the 1960s who performed at the Sporting, and a 2005 concert where newly coronated Prince Albert II joined the band playing the drums. Additionally, he sang a ballad called Jacques and Gabriella at the baptism of the twins in 2015 in front of 400 assembled guests.

Now he is back on stage in the Principality for a concert celebrating his 75th birthday on 10th September at the Opéra Garnier with a new album called Best of 75. For more info on how to get tickets and on the event, email livre75@abbeyroadmc.com

 

 

“Hysterically funny” cabaret show Delirious

by: Luke Entwistle
29/08/2022

The Grimaldi Forum is playing host to a raucous circus cabaret that promises to be a “thrilling night” and is getting rave reviews from critics and audiences alike.

Monaco is getting Delirious!

The hit circus cabaret team has returned to Monaco from 26th August to 4th September with nine new performances, and two special nights dedicated to the sexually-charged comedy show Never Sleep Alone.

Delirious is the brainchild of the 8 Stars team, who in the midst of the pandemic brought a little light to the Principality in January 2021 with its cabaret, circus and artistic show Bohemia. It was a huge success and it spurred the creation of their latest endeavour, Delirious.

The new show combines dance, music, humour, acrobatics and special acts by an eclectic mix of performers such as the wonderfully monikered Kitty Bang Bang, a burlesque queen from England, Jarrod Bates, an American clown who worked for Cirque du Soleil, Maria Moncheva, a former Bulgarian classical dancer who excels in aerial disciplines, Daniel Sullivan, Irish dance expert, Soen Geirnaert, Belgian gymnast, the Venezuelan singer and dancer Michie Aranguren, and Sebastian Plester, a Colombian circus artist.

Delirious, the show, by 8 Stars is currently on show at the Grimaldi Forum. Photo source: 8 Stars

The show, designed by Artistic Director of 8 Stars Nicolas Jelmoni, has seen the artists preparing in Sainte-Maxime over the past several weeks to ensure flawless execution and if what audiences are saying is true, it was worth every second spent.

The last two nights of Delirious will have an additional performance by straight-talking sexual evangelist and best-selling author Dr Alex Schiller. His show, Never Sleep Alone, has been touted as “sexy live entertainmentwhere the audience experience laughs, learns and literally hooks up with each other!”

With that kind of a build-up, the night is bound to be something out of this world.

 

Click on the images below. Photos credits: 8 Stars Monaco

 

 

Fuel price discounts increased and extended

by: Stephanie Horsman
29/08/2022

The French government has announced a €0.30 per litre discount on petrol, up from the current €0.18, starting in September to give consumers a bit of relief at the pumps.

In the midst of all the doom and gloom with rising energy and food prices, out of control inflation and war, a bit of good news is always welcome.

This ray of sunshine is coming in September and October in the form of fuel price discounts, which have been extended to the end of the year and will be increased to €0.30 per litre, reduced to €0.10 per litre from November, lasting until year’s end.

This reduction applies to all fuels, including diesel fuels, gasoline SP95/98-E5, and super-ethanol E85.

The advantages are certainly welcome by consumers, who are starting to chafe under the weight of price hikes in many areas of the economy, but it is also good for businesses who are equally affected. Those companies that use road, rail, river and maritime vehicles, as well as agricultural and forestry machinery, construction, public works, extraction, and business stationary engines will also reap the benefits.

The discount is applied by wholesalers distributing the fuel at service stations. The State then pays them a subsidy corresponding to the volumes delivered. At the stations, the discounted prices are displayed both on the totems and on the prices at the pump. The amount of the reduction is specified on the receipts.

Small service stations can apply for aid of between €3,000 to €6,000, depending on the volume of fuel sold, to deal with the gap between the price of stored fuel and the cost of acquiring the fuel remaining in their tanks.

 

RAMOGE launches third deep sea exploration campaign

by: Stephanie Horsman
29/08/2022

Scientists from France, Monaco and Italy – the three signatory nations of the RAMOGE Agreement – are about to embark on deep sea exploratory work after two years of postponements due to the pandemic.

RAMOGE, the international cooperation agreement for the preservation of the coast and the marine environment between the countries of France, Monaco and Italy for the area between Marseille and La Spezia, will be boarding the ISPRA2 oceanographic vessel L’Astrea next month to carry out their latest campaign.

L’Astrea is fully equipped with a multi-beam sonar and an ROV that can descend to a depth of a thousand metres. The vessel will make it possible to explore five specific deep coastal sites.

Amongst the sites it will visit between 7th and 11th September are the coral reefs of Bergeggi off Savona and the Bordighera Canyon in Italy, followed by a stop in the Principality to study the deep rocks of Larvotto where they will observe the various gorgonians and sponges living there. This step in the journey is important as a follow up to take inventory seven years after the first group of RAMOGE scientists visited the area to gauge the evolution of the species harboured there. The mission will then move onto France where they will explore canyons off the coast of St Jean-Cap Ferrat and the Iles de Lérins.

The RAMOGE exploration campaigns aim to record the conservation efforts and outcomes of the deep-sea environments and to identify the pressure being placed on these sites. The processing of data collected during these campaigns contributes significantly to increasing knowledge of these deep water environments, still largely unknown, in order to create unified management plans to ensure their protection.

The RAMOGE exploration programme is part of the Convention for Biological Diversity, which defined areas of ecological or biological importance (EBSA) in 2014. The RAMOGE Agreement area is particularly notable as since scientists were able to identify 66 sites of specific interest in the region.

The first RAMOGE campaign involved studying the coastal areas in 2015, followed by a 2018 mission into the deep-water zones. This study, the third, which was postponedtwice due to the health crisis, will see the evolution of the sites four years after the last exploratory delegation’s visit.

 

 

Monaco go toe-to-toe with reigning champions

by: Luke Entwistle
29/08/2022

AS Monaco clinched a deserved draw against PSG on Sunday in an entertaining game that will boost the side ahead of a difficult run of fixtures.

The two clubs couldn’t have been heading into the fixture in more contrasting form. PSG come into the game on the back of three consecutive wins during which they have scored 17 goals, including seven against Lille last weekend.

Monaco, meanwhile, are yet to find their rhythm. After an opening day win, they then drew with Rennes, before being comprehensively beaten by Lens 4-1 at the Stade Louis II last Saturday. However, Philippe Clement’s side didn’t show any scars from that defeat, and from the first whistle they took the game to PSG, employing an intense and brave high press.

The intelligent pressing traps and determination in one-on-one duels allowed them to control the game in the opening minutes. Employing a back three for the first time in the league this season, Monaco looked to be working from a solid base, whilst Mohamed Camara, making his first start for the club, was dogged in his work to disrupt PSG’s world-class attacking line.

Monaco’s strong start was rewarded with a goal mid-way through the first-half. Camara’s challenge on Lionel Messi allowed Kevin Volland and Aleksandr Golovin to exchange passes. The former then ran in on goal and sent a shot low to Gianluigi Donnarumma’s left.

With a lead to protect, Monaco didn’t let up and the side continued to deploy a high-block. However, they were lucky to go into the break ahead. Messi’s long-range effort hit the post, deflecting the ball into the path of Kylian Mbappé, who had an open goal to aim at, but he could only hit the foot of the opposite post.

Monaco still had their own chances too, the most gilt-edged of which fell to the usually prolific Wissam Ben Yedder, but having rounded the keeper at distance, he couldn’t divert his effort on target.

With their 100% win record on the line, PSG began to lay siege on the Monaco goal and the pressure finally told midway through the second-half. A driving Neymar run provoked a clumsy challenge from Guillermo Maripan in the box. The Brazilian then got up and converted the penalty himself to level the tie.

From there, Monaco were hanging on. Achraf Hakimi saw his effort cannon on the post, and minutes later, the all-too familiar image of Mbappé bearing down on goal alluded to a PSG winner. However, for once, the goal did not bulge, and Alexander Nübel spread himself well to block the shot and keep the scores level.

The game finished 1-1, the point moving Monaco up to 12th, whilst PSG go top of the Ligue 1 table on goal difference. Post-match, Clement said he was “satisfied” with the result, adding, “We showed by taking a point here, you can take points everywhere, and that is important for the future, to have this as a reference match.”

Clement’s men will certainly be expected to earn the three points when they host Troyes on Wednesday, although the following league matches, firstly against Nice and then Lyon, will provide a sterner test. However, a gritty performance on the Champion’s garden means they go into the difficult run with renewed confidence.

 

 

Photo source: AS Monaco