AS Monaco ran riot against Stade Rennais (4-0) as Sébastien Pocogonoli’s side secured all three points in Ligue 1 for the first time since the end of November and a 1-0 win over PSG.
The signs of renewal were already there before Rennes rocked up at the Stade Louis II on Saturday night. Sébastien Pocognoli identified a commonality in Monaco’s last two matches, a “mindset”. But there was a clearer common thread, defensive solidity. Against Le Havre and then against Juventus in midweek, Les Monégasques kept clean sheets. It marked a dramatic departure from previous games, notably the historic defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League (1-6) and the humiliation against Lorient just days earlier (1-3), after which Les Merlus’ manager, Olivier Pantaloni, said that he felt Monaco’s “fear” every time his side got on the ball.
It is in this sense that this Monaco side have become unrecognisable from the one that floundered week after week. Never under Pocognoli have they looked so assured defensively. Against Juventus, it was the decision to revert to a back three and to put captain Denis Zakaria at the heart of it that was key, a tweak with which Pocognoli persisted on Saturday night. But having fixed one problem, against Rennes, another one had to be fixed.
Monaco heed Kohn’s words and then some
Those strong defensive displays came at a cost; Monaco failed to score in both matches. “We kept a clean sheet twice, but we didn’t score. It is the first goal to keep the clean sheet, and the focus is now on maybe scoring the goal to win a game 1-0,” said Philipp Kohn after that draw against Juve. Monaco did much more than that, without sacrificing what made them a more formidable opponent in recent games.
It was with the first clear-cut chance of the game that the Principality club opened the scoring, as Folarin Balogun threaded a ball through the legs of Jérémy Jacquet for Ansu Fati to run onto. The Spaniard finished past Brice Samba. That would be just the start. Balogun’s effort on the stroke of half-time was impressively stopped by Samba, but Monaco wouldn’t be denied for long.
Maghnes Akliouche came on at half-time and needed just five minutes to double Monaco’s lead. He was in the right place after Kassoum Ouattara’s shot cannoned off the inside of the post into the path of Aleksandr Golovin, whose miscontrol fell perfectly for Akliouche to tap into the empty net. A comedic goal, but they count all the same.
The ‘most complete match’ of the season, says Pocognoli
The next goal was always going to be crucial, and Rennes thought they had it when Esteban Lepaul slid home, only for the offside flag to cut celebrations short. And then came the sucker-punch. Seven minutes earlier, the deficit was momentarily reduced to one goal and then it jumped to three, as Mika Biereth played the ball through for Mamadou Coulibaly, who put the ball through Samba’s legs.
The resistance broken, chances were easy to come by. Biereth almost got in on the act, but his shot was met by a strong Samba save, but a fourth would be added, the Dane teeing up Stanis Idumbo for his first goal in a Monaco shirt. “It was our most complete match of the season,” said Pocognoli post-match, who spoke of the game as a “reference point” going forward. These are the performances, he recognised, that would have to be repeated, if the Principality club are to get back into European contention and reach their objectives come the end of the season.
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Photo source: AS Monaco