Ligue 1 football returned on Friday night as AS Monaco were held to a 0-0 draw at home to Lille, with the visitors unable to profit from Jordan Teze’s rash red card.
“We provided a real snoozefest for the fans tonight,” was Lille manager Bruno Genesio’s brutal assessment of the scoreless draw. He wasn’t completely wrong, and with his side failing to get the best of the 10-men Monégasques, he certainly cut the more frustrated figure post-match.
Monaco started well, were fierce in the press, and were sprightly. “I’m really happy with the performance, particularly the first 20 minutes were amazing,” reacted Adi Hütter. But that period failed to yield a goal with just two tame efforts from Aleksandr Golovin to show for it.
Genesio rips into his players
LOSC could withstand the pressure, but couldn’t break out, failing to assert any pressure of their own, much to the frustration of Genesio, who blasted his players for not following the pre-match tactical instructions.
“We did nothing today. We didn’t do what we planned to do and that is what angers me the most,” began the Lille manager.
He added, “When you know that Monaco press massively when they lose the ball, when [I ask my team] to play on the wings, quicker, switch the play but instead we play the ball in the middle with little 20cm passes, sideways passes, and we are countered on once, then twice, either I don’t speak the right language, or we’re stupid.”
Already on a yellow, Teze thoughtlessly clattered into Gabriel Gudmundsson, the flying Dutchman making contact knee-first with the Lille defender’s neck. The referee had no choice but to brandish a straight red card. That ought to have been a turning point. It wasn’t.
Hütter bemoans two points lost for Monaco
“[After the red card], I saw no difference between Lille and us, in fact, thought we were more dangerous,” stated Hütter. Lille, seemingly happy to take just a point away from the Principality, showed little ambition to get the winner, registering just three shots all night, and just one on target.
Krépin Diatta and Denis Zakaria went closest to netting the opener. The latter’s shot in injury time was well saved by France youth international Lucas Chevalier. Les Monégasques therefore had to settle for a point, and even despite playing a third of the match with one man fewer, it felt like two points lost for Hütter.
“It was two points lost today. When I speak about the performance, I am really happy with it, really satisfied. We were the better team on the pitch and we deserved to win,” he told Monaco Life.
Focus turns to “demanding” week
Content with the performance, if not the result, Hütter’s focus is already on the upcoming week. Monaco have already played one of three “demanding” games. Clashes against Red Star Belgrade in the Champions League on Tuesday, and then the Côte d’Azur derby, against local rivals OGC Nice on Sunday, await Monaco, who remain unbeaten and now three points clear at the top of Ligue 1.
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Photo source: AS Monaco