AS Monaco returned to winning ways against Freiburg in the Conference League on Thursday night (3-0) in a match that more than anything marked a welcome return to form.
When Filipe Luís walked into his pre-match press conference on Wednesday, he felt the need to reintroduce himself. “Nice to meet you,” he told the auditorium up in La Turbie. We hadn’t seen this version of Luís, the one that had to front up to the media after a defeat. He was unchanged, as he reassured us. “It is not easy for a coach when you lose, but I’m very normal after this. We looked at what we can do better with the players,” said the Brazilian. Level-headed, calm, but still demanding.
Freiburg fail to turn up in Monaco
Lorient’s win over the Principality club over the weekend ensured that Luís’ unbeaten run would not stretch into double figures. Numerous were his frustrations with Sunday’s performance at the Moustoir, but chief among them was a lack of creativity. Issues pre-existed the trip to Brittany, but they were accentuated by a well-organised and dogged Lorient side.
Returning to winning ways would not be simple. Freiburg, like Monaco, were one of the few sides in Europe’s top five divisions that had been unbeaten going into last weekend. Like Les Monégasques, they slipped up and were looking to quickly wash away the unfamiliar flavour of defeat.
Their 850 fans turned up at the Stade Louis II; the players that they came to support did not. “We weren’t up to it tonight,” admitted Freiburg’s manager Julian Schuster, who nonetheless bemoaned the scoreline, a little too flattering to the hosts in his eyes.
He didn’t deny their superiority, however, and he couldn’t. From the off, it was Monaco who did the probing. After the weekend defeat, Luís sought to instil a fresh energy, and he did so by making five changes. One of those changes, Mamadou Coulibaly, was on the receiving end of a cute chipped ball from Edan Diop. On the volley and on the swivel, he tested Mio Backhaus with his volleyed effort.
Brunner “close to becoming one of the best strikers in the world” – Luís
Paris Brunner, another returnee for this game following his suspension over the weekend, then tested his compatriot with a sharp effort to the near post. Les Monégasques weren’t exactly overrunning the Bundesliga side, but their efforts in the first half were rewarded when Brunner netted his eighth goal in nine games in all competitions.
The Germany U21 international has been a scorer of goals great in quantity and in quality this season. This was from the top drawer. One touch on the chest as he backed into his defender, he used his second to tip it up and around his opponent and bear down on the Freiburg goal before finishing calmly. “It is his moment. He is close to becoming one of the best strikers in the world,” said Luís. Against a German side, Jurgen Klopp is surely now taking note.
Freiburg have been scoring at a rate of three goals a game since August and so a response was expected in the second half. There was one, but it wasn’t so emphatic. There wasn’t a flurry of chances but certainly a flurry of corners. The Germans had 11 of them but could only fashion a chance out of one of them. Lukas Kubler had two shots, both blocked, the second quite miraculously, but there would be no bombardment, no storm to weather.
Freiburg sank meekly as their fans continued to chant long into the night. Monaco, leading, “showed another side” in the second half. It is building on the first 45 minutes that has been Les Monégasques’ Achilles heel. Here, they adopted a more positive mindset, but were still happy to soak up pressure.
When they did get the ball, they immediately looked forward. Breaking through the press didn’t represent a major hurdle but making the most of the room in behind often did. But as Freiburg ramped up the aggression, they left more and more space and it was inevitable that the hosts would finally find the right combination.
“I really felt that the team represented me on the pitch” – Luís
It came late on. Ansu Fati worked his way in behind, stung the palms of Backhaus, who could only divert it to Lamine Camara to finish first time. It was the goal that he deserved. “What. A. Performance. He doesn’t stop surprising me. He is special,” reacted Luís. “What he did tonight, very few players can do.”
Fati then got in on the act himself in stoppage time to add a certain gloss to the scoreline. “Is 3-0 a fair reflection? I’m not sure, but I congratulate Monaco,” reacted Schuster.
His mood was in stark contrast to Luís’. “I am very proud of the performance today. We had control of the match; we found the spaces, we dominated. Today, I’m going home very happy […] I really felt that the team represented me on the pitch tonight. That is why I am so happy.” A happy Luís and normal service resumed in the Principality.
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Photo source: AS Monaco