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AS Monaco goes stateside with New York fan group

by: Luke Entwistle
18/10/2022

The creation of the latest AS Monaco fan group in New York pushes the boundaries of the club’s slogan, ‘Everywhere, Always’. Monaco Life spoke with its founder, Damien Malatino, to learn more. 

Damien Malatino may no longer be living in the Principality, but he isn’t forgetting his Monégasuqe roots – quite the opposite. Now living in New York, where he works as a project manager, Malatino is the founder of the AS Monaco Fans NYC, the Principality’s latest antenne. 

Partout, Toujours

Of the 16 fan groups officially registered by the AS Monaco Supporters’ Club, the New York City group is the second most distant from the Principality, after ‘Dom Tom,’ based in Martinique. They are also only the second group outside of France, the other being Liguria Biancorossa, based in Ventimiglia.

Following a meeting with the Supporters’ Club in the Principality during a trip back to the Principality in August, ASM NYC officially became a group in September. The officialisation was announced by the club itself on all its media channels, which according to Malatino, “really helped for visibility.”

“Since the article, we’ve had people contacting us directly saying that they’d seen the article, and asking how they can meet up. Since then, we’ve recruited members and now we can’t wait for the next event,” added Malatino. 

The aim of the group is to allow Monaco fans to meet up and share their passion for the Principality club. Prior to the creation of ASM NYC, Malatino frequented the famous ‘Football Factory’ bar located in Manhattan to watch his childhood club in action. Seeing fans of other Ligue 1 gather there to watch the matches, inspired him.

Photo by Damien Malatino

“At the start, I watched matches on my own at a bar where they show all the matches, called The Football Factory. It is well known in New York amongst football fans. There might not be many from Monaco, but there is also a French community and there are fan clubs of other Ligue 1 clubs that I have seen when going to watch Monaco matches. I saw a couple of Monaco-PSG matches for example and I saw that there was a group of Parisian supporters with scarves. I told myself, ‘why not create something to bring together people like me, who are supporters of AS Monaco?” he said. 

The recruited becomes the recruiter

The idea is not only to facilitate gatherings but also to recruit fans on American soil. “We can meet up to watch the matches and eventually recruit members that like football, but don’t necessarily have a favourite European team. So creating fans and finding sympathisers, that’s how it’s done, and also by bringing together ex-pats,” Malatino told Monaco Life. 

Malatino himself was drawn into the game by his father from an early age. Growing up not far from the famous arches of the Stade Louis II in La Condamine, his passion was imparted by his match-going father, whose support for the club pre-dates the creation of the new Louis II.

“The passion came from my family and especially from my dad. He has been a season ticket holder at the Louis II before the new stadium had opened. He is a huge fan of the club, so even when I was young, I remember him taking me to the matches. We watched the matches on the TV as well. My dad did all of the away trips. He took me to watch a few matches when the season ticket holders could bring guests and it was there that my passion started to grow. I went to see matches in Ligue 1. I also watched them play in Ligue 2, where there were some good moments,” he said. 

Maintaining a direct link to the Principality

From the 8-3 Champions League victory against Deportivo de la Coruña, Malatino’s first footballing memory, to relegation to Ligue 2, the Monégasque has truly experienced the highs and lows of being a football fan. Having watched Radamel Falcao (his favorite Monaco player alongside Fernando Morientes) in the flesh, the two-time season ticket holder he is now getting used to following his side from distance.

“Thanks to the antenne I maintain a direct link to Monaco. The fact of just being able to share my passion, go to watch the matches, and meet up is something that allows me to keep a link to Monaco. Everyone keeps a bit of a link to their country of origin. We are all there to maintain a link to our country, through football,” he said. 

But following European football from the United States is no easy task. The time difference makes watching some games, especially the Europa League ties, which take place mid-afternoon on Thursdays, near-on impossible. Regardless, the goal is to gather twice a month, the next one being this Sunday for the match against Lille.

Malatino admits that the antenne will take years to blossom, he is hoping to slowly build the fanbase in ‘The Big Apple,’ picking up supporters throughout the season as Philippe Clement’s men hunt after another podium finish in Ligue 1.

Photo by Damien Malatino

“We are really making up for our difficult start to the season, which was due to the calendar. Clement has done good work and we are getting back to where we should be in the standings,” said Malatino on Monaco’s start to the season.  “I am very confident that we’ll reach the podium by the end of the season, and I’m hoping that we qualify directly for the Champions League,” he continued. 

Whatever the outcome of the current campaign, Clement’s men can count on the support of its newest fan group in New York City, where a Munegu scarf hangs on the wall of the Football Factory symbolising not only the ubiquity of the club but its importance, both at home and abroad.

 

Photos by AS Monaco

 

 

 

Turkish delight in Trabzon

by: luke@monacolife.net
13/10/2022

AS Monaco were comprehensively beaten by Trabzonspor (4-0) in Eastern Turkey on Thursday, in a result that throws their Europa League group wide open. 

Philippe Clement said pre-match that he believed that his side had shown themselves capable of playing in intense, heated atmospheres after their showing in Belgrade earlier in the competition.

A similar atmosphere awaited them at the Medical Park Stadyumu. Every moment of possession for Monaco was met with deafening whistles that reverberated around the stadium.

Monaco were imperiously dominant, at least statistically, in the opening moments. As Trabzonspor manager Abdullah Avci said post-match, “For the first 25 minutes, Monaco dominated the game.” However, despite multiple corners, and half-chances, the Principality side couldn’t convert their performance into a concrete advantage. And they were made to pay for that.

On the stroke of half-time, Clement’s men fell behind in a moment of folie. There was no danger evident when the ball was played back to Alexander Nübel. Looking to find Malang Sarr, in for Benoît Badiashile who felt discomfort in the warm-up, his pass caught the former unawares. The ball ricocheted off the Frenchman and into the back of the net, sending the almost 30,000 home fans into raptures.

With their tails up, Trabzonspor pushed in the final minutes of the second half against a Monaco side that had lost all rhythm and were grateful for the half-time whistle.

The break didn’t interrupt Trabznspor’s intensity or their rhythm. Vitor Hugo, a half-time substitute got on the scoreboard within three minutes of being on the pitch, rising highest at a corner to double the lead.

Things would get worse, and considerably so for AS Monaco. A sublime Enis Bardhi free-kick, slid under the monégasuqe wall made it three, before former Aston Villa man Trézéguet made it four.

The result ensured both times allowed the game to drift toward its inevitable conclusion. In victory, Trabzonspor have thrown their Europa League group wide open. For now, Monaco drop to third in Group H, behind Thursday night’s opponents only on goal difference with two games remaining.

Man of the match – Youssouf Fofana

On a difficult night for Monaco, Fofana showed his burgeoning experience. In the circumstances, he put in a calm performance. He displayed a range of passing in the first half, whilst also finding space in dangerous positions.

As his side struggled for control in the second half, his influence in possession waned, but he remained positionally aware in the defensive phases, despite the team conceding four goals. With injuries to N’Golo Kanté and Paul Pogba, his form could very realistically earn him a place in the France squad for the World Cup, especially following his positive performances for Didier Deschamps’ side in the most recent international break.

Clement’s comments

Post-match, Clement rued how his team let Trabzonspor take the upper hand in the tie after a positive start. “We started the match well. We mustn’t forget that. We were dominant and did the right things. We attacked well, we defended well, and created chances but weren’t efficient in taking those chances. We concede a goal that shouldn’t concede. Everyone knows that, including Alex.”

He was also disappointed by the manner of their second-half capitulation. “One by one, we tried to force things and stopped playing how we like playing. We had enough shots on targets, but without enough quality. After 2-0, we tried to force things, to play with emotions, and not play together. Playing together has been our strength. That’s been our strength in the past weeks and months. When we do things together, we do things well. Today was a big lesson. When we play as individuals and force things, we don’t play well,” he said.

He added, telling Monaco Life, “In the past weeks, we have won together and now we lose together; that’s how it is.”

However, looking forward, Clement knows that there is still everything to play for in their group. “There are still two matches and we still have our destiny in our own hands,” said Clement. Monaco must now use that agency to good effect in order to reach the knockout stages, as they did last year.

 

Photo by Monaco Life

AS Monaco’s European campaign back on-track

by: luke@monacolife.net
06/10/2022

AS Monaco came out comfortable victors against Turkish champions Trabzonspor (3-1) at the Stade Louis II on Thursday to get their Europa League campaign back on-track. 

The match, as a spectacle was quickly concluded for the second consecutive match at the Louis II. An early double ended Nantes’ hopes of taking any points from the Principality. This time it was a rush of blood to the head that cost Monaco’s opponents on the night.

Just 11 minutes into the match, Maxi Gómez, whilst falling to the ground, extended his boot into the face of Mohamed Camara and was rightly shown red, much to the surprise of the Uruguayan, who claimed his innocence but to no avail.

Only minutes later, Wissam Ben Yedder punished a Trabzonspor, who had to play the game with a numerical disadvantage for over 80 minutes. Philippe Clement’s side could have easily been out of sight by the half-hour mark, but the away side kept in the game due to some profligate Monégasque finishing.

Breel Embolo (24′) struck the bar from just six yards out when he had the entire goal to aim at, Krépin Diatta’s close range effort (25′) was well smothered by the keeper and a second close-range Embolo effort was also gathered by the grateful Ugurcan Çakir.

Monaco did get their second just before half-time when Vanderson was clumsily felled in the box. When Ben Yedder stepped up, there was little doubt about the outcome. The Frenchman sent the goalkeeper the wrong way to double the lead and give Clement’s men some breathing room.

Monaco continued to push early in the second half and were rewarded with a third when Axel Disasi was on the end of a Benoît Badiashile flick-on from a corner.

From thereon, Monaco took their foot off the gas. The team lost momentum as a number of key players, including Ben Yedder and Embolo, were brought off with Sunday’s game against Montpellier almost certainly looming in the back of Clement’s mind.

As the game drifted, Trabzonspor gave themselves a glimmer of hope as an unmarked Anastasios Bakasetas curled past Alexander Nübel from outside the box. However, having been given a minor scare, Monaco held firm to prevent Trabzonspor from further reducing the deficit.

Monaco ran out deserved 3-1 winners, and for consecutive fixtures, the result was ensured from the very early stages. The three points lift the club to second in their Europa League group ahead of their return trip to Northern Turkey next Thursday, where a hostile atmosphere likely awaits them.

Clement’s comments

“We started the match with a good tempo, with a lot of energy and the desire to score early as we did against Nantes. Of course, it’s an advantage to play against 10 men, but it is difficult to manage games like that. There are lots of teams that lose points in those situations. My players were serious and mature to manage that situation well,” he said.

On the return leg in Turkey and the remaining Europa League group stage matches, he said, “There isn’t a big difference between the four teams. That has been proven in these first three gameweeks. Every team has dropped points. Our challenge is to qualify from this group. There are three finals remaining and every match is very, very important.”

Man of the match – Wissam Ben Yedder

Another decisive performance for the French international. Since he was overlooked by Didier Deschamps, he has shown the France manager what he is missing. He now has six goals in his last three games. Just as they were against Nantes at the weekend, his chances were taken in clinical fashion. The first was finished smartly at the front post, and the second converted emphatically from the spot. His turnaround in form has been dramatic and is bearing fruit for the entire team.

 

Photo by Monaco Life

Maripán “delighted to continue his adventure with AS Monaco”

by: Luke Entwistle
06/10/2022

AS Monaco defender Guillermo Maripán last week extended his contract with the Principality club until 2025, telling Monaco Life he is “delighted to continue his adventure” with the club.

In a youthful back line, Maripán brings a level of experience. At 28 years-old, he has now passed the 100-game mark for Monaco, whilst he also has 37 caps for the Chilean national team. This season, he is a frequent starter when manager Philippe Clement deploys a 3-4-3, starting in the middle of the less experienced Benoît Badiashile and Axel Disasi.

“I am delighted to have extended and to continue my adventure with AS Monaco,” Maripán told Monaco Life during last week’s pre-match press conference. “I have progressed a lot since arriving in the Principality, and I have to say that I was very emotional when they offered me an extension. I am very happy to continue my path with the club,” he continued.

Having arrived for a reported €18m from Alavés in 2019, he endured a slightly difficult start in red and white, before finding his form and his consistency. He has now become one of the more experienced players in what is a young group. As a result, he told Monaco Life that he assumes an extra level of responsibility.

“It’s true that I have more responsibility in this young group now. I still feel young myself, even if I do have more experience. I try to share that experience. I have to say that the young players listen to my advice and I don’t hesitate to speak to them and push them so that they give the maximum,” said Maripán.

The Chilean centre-back’s initial deal ran until 2024, and sporting director Paul Mitchell is delighted to have extended his contract for a further year. Speaking in a press release, he said, “Guillermo is a player who, since joining the Club, has gone from strength to strength. He is a fighter, a player with character who has an important role in our defence. Seeing him re-sign for the long term with us is a sign of his ambition and will to continue on this path. We are happy to be able to count on him for the long term.”

 

Photo of Guillermo Maripán by Monaco Life

 

 

 

 

Interview Alexander Nübel: “I now have my rhythm back”

by: luke@monacolife.net
29/09/2022

Heavily criticised upon his arrival at AS Monaco, German goalkeeper Alexander Nübel told Monaco Life that he is rediscovering his best form following a difficult spell at Bayern Munich.

Nübel felt the weight of expectation upon his arrival in the Principality last summer. Signing on a two-year loan deal from Bayern Munich, his adaptation to life in red and white perhaps wasn’t as smooth as expected. Whilst Nübel is the first to admit that he wasn’t playing at his highest level during the opening weeks of his spell in Monaco, he also believes that the unshakable comparisons to Bayern Munich teammate and German great Manuel Neuer played a part in shaping those negative perceptions.

“I think the comparisons [to Neuer] was part [of the criticism.] Luckily I couldn’t read the newspapers here,” he joked. “The criticism was very hard, too hard in the beginning. I wasn’t playing at my top level, but nor was I playing as badly as what was being reported. You have to handle it. For me, the most important thing is the criticism from my goalkeeping coach, and from the manager. These guys tell me the truth every day.”

In what was a period of adaptation, Nübel was grateful for the fellow German players within the squad, with whom he could converse and take his mind off what was happening on the pitch. “Kevin [Volland] and Ismail [Jakobs] were very important to me, especially Kevin, who arrived one year earlier than me. It’s much easier because I can speak German with them…it’s important because you can also talk about something else after training, after the games. We could just drink coffee and talk about other topics,” said Nübel.

However, despite his difficult start to life in France, he retained the support of then head coach Niko Kovac. “It always helps when you have the confidence of the coaches and the manager. With Niko it was helpful. At the start, I knew it wouldn’t be easy,” he said.

Under Kovac and then under Philippe Clement, with whom Nübel says he shares a “good connection”, Nübel has remained an undisputed starter in league games and European competitions. Radsolaw Majecki struggled to challenge Nübel’s supremacy and has headed out on loan to satellite club Cercle Brugge, whilst Thomas Didillon has made the opposite journey to take the place of no.2 at Monaco. “It’s always good to have a coach who sees your potential, and so you try to give everything back during the games,” said Nübel.

He quickly began repaying that faith. Last season, only OGC Nice’s Walter Benítez (7.1) prevented more goals in Ligue 1 than Nübel (4.8), whilst his confidence with the ball at his feet allowed Monaco to construct attacks from that back.

Having acclimatised somewhat over the summer, Nübel believes that his connection with his defenders has improved further, which shows in his pass completion rate (85% before matchday eight in Ligue 1). “Although I have to learn the language more, on the pitch it’s okay,” he began. “I can communicate with the guys in front of me, in English or in French, so that’s a lot better than before. I think you can see the connection between myself and the guys in front of me is a lot better than last year.”

As a goalkeeper, the connection and communication with the back-line is key, even more so in the modern game, where goalkeepers are no longer expected to be merely shot-stoppers, but also players capable of contributing to build-up play. For Nübel, “rhythm” is also key, and having lost it during his time at Bayern Munich, where he played just four times in the 2020/21 season, he now believes he is rediscovering it.

“I think I now have my rhythm back from my time at Schalke. That was also a factor in my difficult start, as it wasn’t easy without rhythm, without games at Bayern. Now it’s much better,” he said.

He continued, “Rhythm is very important for a goalkeeper. Normally you don’t change ‘keepers during a game, or even during a season. It’s something different compared to training. The rhythm and on-pitch actions are sometimes completely different. Seeing where the space is on the pitch is an important feeling to get back. At Bayern, it was difficult, although I did learn about mentality and passion.”

Having rediscovered his rhythm, he is now displaying some of his finest form in a Monaco jersey. Although the Bayern Munich loanee said he “doesn’t want to be spectacular,” his sprawling, finger-tip saves have certainly caught the eyes of Monaco fans in recent weeks.

Underpinning his recent visually-impressive performances are a set of impressive stats. No goalkeeper has made more saves than Nübel (38) in Ligue 1 this season, he has been awarded man of the match on three occasions, and he has kept three clean sheets in the last five games in all competitions. His performances also earned him AS Monaco’s player of the month award for September.

Rhythm, growing confidence, and improved communication with his back-line have certainly aided his recent fine form, but the impact of the club’s goalkeeper coach, Frederic de Boever, is far from negligible. “He’s a great goalkeeper coach. He helps me a lot and talks about my game: how we keep the ball, what positions I decide to take up, and when to be more offensive or defensive,” said Nübel.

His performances are converting into points; having faced more shots than any other goalkeeper in the league this season, Monaco’s start-of-season report could look very different if not for the German goalkeeper.

In moving from Bayern Munich, he has deviated from the path of fellow German and former teammate Neuer. Prior to that, he had followed in the footsteps of the German international goalkeeper, by playing for Schalke before moving to the Bavarian giants.

Nübel says that reports of a strained relationship between the pair whilst at Bayern Munich were false, adding, “I learnt a lot about his general game and his connection with the guys in front of him… He’s one of the best goalkeepers ever.”

He also credits Neuer for redefining the role of the goalkeeper: “He 100% changed [the way we see goalkeeping.] He is always trying to keep possession… When you see the top teams in Europe, they all have goalkeepers who play well with their feet… At Bayern, we, as goalkeepers, played a lot of possession games with the team and you saw barely any difference between him and the outfield players during those games.”

Despite his clear admiration for Neuer, his mere presence at Bayern Munich throws Nübel’s future into doubt. He is no longer willing to be a no.2, and given that Neuer’s contract runs until 2024, Nübel’s return to the Bundesliga champions is therefore in grave doubt.

“Game time is definitely the most important thing. If Manuel Neuer is still at Bayern, and he does have a contract until 2024, it makes no sense to go back to Bayern… I have a contract at Bayern, but I also think for them it makes no sense to have both me and Manuel,” admitted Nübel.

Asked where he sees himself next season, he replied, “There are good options to play at a good level. Everything is open. [Monaco] are also an option, of course.”

Should he continue to replicate his performances on a weekly basis, he won’t be short of options. At Monaco, he is appreciated, not least by Clement, who following the club’s 2-1 win against Lyon earlier in September, said, “For me, Alex has the quality to become one of the best goalkeepers in Europe, in the top 10.”

Whilst a player clearly in Neuer’s mould, he has deviated from his compatriot’s path and is currently writing his own story at Monaco. Only time will tell how lengthy their shared narrative will last.

 

Photo by AS Monaco

 

 

 

 

Born in France, made in Monaco

by: Luke Entwistle
23/09/2022

France’s starting line-up on Thursday featured two former and two current Monegasques. They are just four of 71, who having played for AS Monaco, have gone on to represent the national team. 

Youssouf Fofana and Benoît Badiashile, the latest Monaco players to don the iconic Diagonale of Monaco and the French national team jersey, are in good company. They follow in the footsteps of World Cup winners such as Thierry Henry, Lillian Thuram and Kylian Mbappé. 

Mbappé and former Monégasuqe Aurélien Tchouaméni, who only left the club this summer have become fixed figures in Didier Deschamps’ side, and bar injury, look certain to be on the plane to Qatar in November. Fofana and Badiashile will be hoping to join them, and their debuts against Austria won’t do their chances any harm. 

AS Monaco have now produced 71 players for the French national team. Only Marseille have produced more. A key part of this role as a ‘feeder club’ is the club’s unwavering devotion to youth development. 

As Monaco sporting director Paul Mitchell told Monaco Life, “We openly discuss the importance of player development and young player development and a high percentage of that is French talent. Every day those discussions take place between myself and the shareholder, myself and the coach, the coach and technical team, the coach, myself and the director of performance (James Bunce).”

He continued, “The key has been a real internal alignment between all the key stakeholders that have contact with the talent. I think it is that focus, that under stress, we do not derail or default on the commitment of developing players. I think that is the key fundamental of allowing players to flourish and develop in competitive and performance-driven environments.”

The club’s commitment to promoting youth, which manifests itself most concretely in the amount of game-time they afford academy and youth products, is certainly nothing novel. However, what is new is the infrastructure that they have now built to support it. 

The club’s modern performance centre in La Turbie, a project instigated by owner Dmitry Rybolovlev when he took over at the club just over a decade ago, is a facility that allows for the maximisation of resources. That not only includes getting the best out of players but also out of coaches and the rest of the performance and technical staff, who have all of the most coveted tools at their disposal. 

Complementing that is the new academy building, ‘La Diagonale,’ which AS Monaco CEO Jean-Emmanuel de Witt told Monaco Life “works hand-in-hand” with the new performance centre. In a holistic approach towards facilitating youth progression and integration into the first team, the club also pulled their reserve side out of the National 2 and converted into an ‘Elite Group,’ which creates more flexibility in the youth sides’ schedule. 

“I think we’ve already seen the shoots and seeds of some positivity around the change of the elite development group. Even today, because we’re not fixed into certain programmes, we can manipulate and mould our working week that has maximum contact and influence towards developing these guys for the first team,” said Mitchell. 

He continued, “Today there were seven or eight who were again training with the first-team, in the first-team environment, with the first-team coach, developing those relationships. That’s what ultimately leads to the first-team coach bringing them into the team, giving them the trust and support because of that level of contact. We’re frequently looking at ways to heighten that, day-in, day-out. I think that’s been a massive element of the change. Having the elite development group and already we can see rewards with players like [Soungoutou] Magassa coming from there, like the players training today that haven’t gone away with their national teams.”

The club’s strategy is already paying dividends with Monaco’s academy players well represented in France’s youth sides. Jordan Varela, Magassa and Yann Liénard have all received call-ups to the France U20 squad. Magassa has been involved with the first-team squad directly this season and made an impressive debut off the bench against Rennes. Liénard, meanwhile, now trains with the first team, alongside fellow goalkeepers Alexander Nübel and Thomas Didillon. 

The hope will be that they follow in the footsteps of the 71 AS Monaco players that have already represented the French national team. “Everyone has been working tirelessly over the last couple of years to realign and re-engage a historic strategy. Monaco has always been an organisation that has developed players for the French national team,” said Mitchell. 

“I feel that with the hard work, the processes that have been put in place, and the conscious, daily focus to work with and develop young athletes, we’re seeing again the end product of all of that hard work. So extremely proud for the individuals themselves, and we’re working tirelessly behind the scenes to produce many, many more,” he continued.

Whilst AS Monaco have been and continue to be an irreplaceable provider of elite-level talent to the French national side, the club is also geared towards extending their “historic” partnership. Youth development is engraved in AS Monaco’s DNA, and the benefits of that are felt beyond the borders of the Principality.

 

Photo by AS Monaco