Indignation following Monaco’s defeat to Troyes

ESTAC Troyes defeated AS Monaco 4-2 at the Stade Louis II on Wednesday, in a match that was overshadowed by refereeing controversy and which solicited Paul Mitchell’s intervention post-match.

All eyes were on Monaco to see if they could “back-up” their draw against PSG with a win against a team that Benoît Badiashile stated “on paper, are inferior”. However, it was referee Ruddy Buquet who stole the show and proved the most decisive actor in a match that quickly turned sour for Monaco.

Prior to Buquet’s questionable interventions, Monaco looked to be cruising. Having largely dominated in the early stages, they took the lead through a Guillermo Maripán header, and although they took their foot off the pedal having opened the scoring, Philippe Clement’s men still looked untroubled, and were seemingly cruising.

Bruno Irles’ men were then handed a very generous life-line. The goalscorer, Maripán, was adjudged to have fouled within the box when he tripped over an opposition foot in the box at a corner and fell into an opposition player. Florien Tardieu then stepped up to level the scores, whilst Maripán also received a yellow card for the incident.

“If that is a penalty, there will be at least five matches I think,” said Clement post-match. The Belgian coach would be handed many more reasons to feel aggrieved before the end of the match.

On a yellow, Maripán, shielding the ball, was adjudged to have elbowed the opposition in the face. The Chilean international was subsequently shown a second yellow, and a red. The Principality club have already seen red on three occasions in Ligue 1 this season in just five matches.

“The second yellow card. I don’t understand it either. I saw other actions like that on Mo Camara last week, and no yellow was given. But here, where Maripán is protecting himself and very lightly touches a Troyes player, who said after the match that he exaggerated a bit because he knew he had a yellow. At that moment, it’s a red card and that really determines the match. They are two decisions that are very decisive in the course of the match and it isn’t the first time for us at the start of the championship that they’ve gone against us,” said Clement.

Just prior to that red card, Troyes were lucky not to have gone down to 10-men themselves when Yoann Salmier momentarily forgot what sport he was playing and brought down Breel Embolo with a perfectly executed rugby tackle when the Swiss international was running through on goal. No foul was given, leading Mitchell to bemoan the lack of consistency in Ligue 1 refereeing.

“The bar seems quite low for decisions against us, but high when we’re looking for similar types of decisions. It’s the inconsistency of it all. That’s the most frustrating thing,” Mitchell told Monaco Life.

Things got even worse for Monaco before the half-time whistle. Working their numerical advantage, young French winger Wilson Odobert’s smart finish gave Troyes the lead heading into the break.

The second-half did not bring about a change in fortunes. Monaco looked to have been dealt the hammerblow when Mama Baldé rifled home a volley past Alexander Nübel just after the break, but thereafter, Monaco rallied.

They could, and perhaps should have had a penalty when Embolo was cynically felled inside the box, but the referee waved play on and the side weren’t to be rescued by a VAR intervention. Troyes were then grateful for a string of Gauthier Gallon saves to keep Troyes’ two goal advantage.

However, he could do little about Youssouf Fofana’s close-range effort, which reduced the deficit and instilled Clement’s men with hope of a comeback. Those hopes were short lived. Salmier, who could easily have been sent off in the first-half, tapped in from close-range to restore the two-goal advantage and give Troyes breathing room.

Neither side managed to find another goal and the game finished 4-2. A game that had started so serenely, perhaps predictably for Monaco, had been turned on its head, and the side now head into a difficult double-header against Nice and Lyon in grave need of points.

However, going into those clashes, doubt is starting to creep into Monaco’s game, as Clement revealed: “I’m frustrated today because as a coach it is important to explain things to your players. In recent weeks, I can’t explain things to my players. I say to be intense, to be strong in the duels, which is normal in football. That for me is the big problem. I can’t explain to my players what I want from them…In the four matches we have played, when you look at all the cards and penalties, that’s starting to get into the players’ heads. My players are scared to challenge for the ball at the minute.”

Photo by Monaco Life

A letter sent to the LFP

The refereeing performance also elicited an appearance from “an angry and frustrated” Mitchell. The English sporting director very rarely speaks after matches, but he addressed reporters in the mixed zone to voice his grievances and concerns.

“I’m upset with many things this evening to be totally honest. One of the outstanding thoughts is definitely some of the refereeing decisions. It is becoming too consistent. It feels like it’s always us on the wrong side of every decision. Once again, two red cards in the last four games. Both very debatable, big penalty decision and all we’re asking for is consistency. If the consistent decision is that you send someone off because they raise their arm and there’s a slight contact and then Neymar goes with an elbow into our player in Paris at the weekend, then there is no consistency,” said Mitchell.

He continued, “We’ve reached out to the football association (LFP) by written letter this week, we reached out via the press conference to say that we’re open to discuss. Some of us are ex-players, some of us have been in the game for a long time. I’m sure we can bring value and it feels like it isn’t wanted. Then when you get decisions like we had against us this evening, then of course we’re disappointed and we’re angry and we’re upset.”

Questioned specifically on the red cards, Mitchell responded, “The referees need to give themselves time to make game-changing decisions. This is what we ask, and this is what I said in the press conferences. You’re coming to a critical decision, a contact, a penalty, so give yourself time. Why do we need to make such emotional decisions as referees? It’s not demanded by the association in any league in the world, so they need to give themselves time to make better decisions.”

He then criticised the overall level of refereeing in Ligue 1, referencing the 11 yellow cards seen in gameweek three, a record in the division. “I wouldn’t say I’m upset, I’d say I’m pretty angry to be totally honest. The officiating, as we’ve talked about, isn’t good enough for this level of football, it isn’t good enough for the product that French football needs to be and needs to become in order to keep us at the top of European football. I think we have got to demand consistency for the league, for Monaco and for all of the team because we saw 11 red cards last week. That was superficially the highest in the big five leagues. If that isn’t evidence that something needs to be reviewed, that processes need to be assessed, that responsibility needs to be taken, then I don’t know what is, because it does ruin the game,” he said.

Questioned by Monaco Life as to whether the bar for a red card has been set too low, he replied, “It depends which side of the fence you’re on. The bar seems quite low for decisions against us, but high when we’re looking for similar types of decisions. It’s the inconsistency of it all. That’s the most frustrating thing.”

Regardless of the context of their predicament, Monaco find themselves with ground to make up, and in facing potential rivals for the European places twice within a week, a quick turnaround is essential in order to get their league campaign back on-track.

 

 

 

Photo above source: AS Monaco 

 

 

 

 

Monaco go toe-to-toe with reigning champions

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 

 

 

 

Monaco trim squad

As the end of the transfer window approaches, AS Monaco are fine-tuning their squad for the season, which includes the outgoings of Chrislain Matsima and Harrison Marcelin on loan.

Philippe Clement had previously stated a desire to reduce the size of his squad. Although he highlighted that the need to sell and loan players isn’t as pressing as it is for many Ligue 1 rivals, such as PSG, he nonetheless stated a desire to work with a less bloated squad.

Matsima loaned to Lorient

Having brought in Takumi Minamino, Breel Embolo, Thomas Didillon, Malang Sarr and Mohamed Camara, the focus, for now at least, is on balancing out those arrivals with some outgoings.

Chrislain Matsima last week moved on loan to Ligue 1 rivals Lorient. The deal includes a purchase option reported to be €10m, according to L’Équipe. The 20-year-old French centre-back has three-years remaining on his current deal at the Principality club.

Last season, he featured 13 times for the Monégasques having come through the ranks at the club. Overall for the club, he has made 24 appearances, whilst he is also a regular feature in the France U20 side.

Marcelin returns for second stint in Belgium

Another young centre-back has also departed, which currently leaves Benoît Badiashile, Axel Disasi, Guillermo Máripan, Malang Sarr and Yllan Okou as Clement’s centre-back options. Harisson Marcelin has struggled with injuries at Monaco. He will be given the chance to work his way back to fitness, whilst earning game time at satellite club Cercle Brugge.

It will be the France U19 international’s second stint at the Belgian club, after he spent the 2020/21 at the club. During that spell, he made 20 appearances in the Jupiler Pro League, before a torn muscle fibre put an abrupt end to the loan spell.

There is no purchase option in the loan, so the hope for Monaco is that he accrues experience, builds back his fitness and returns to the Principality next summer. He joins fellow Monégasuqe Radoslaw Majecki, who also joined the Belgian top division side on loan this summer.

Vanderson extends

One player who isn’t making a move this summer is Vanderson. Despite only arriving in January, he has earned himself a one-year contract extension, due reward for his impressive start to life in the Principality.

The 21-year-old Brazilian’s contract now runs until June 2027. Last season, he made five goal contributions having arrived from Gremio in January for a reported €11m fee.

Speaking in a press release, Vanderson said, “It’s with great satisfaction that I extend my contract with AS Monaco for another season. At this club, I am very happy to have found an ambitious sporting project that offers me the possibility to continue my progression. I would like to thank AS Monaco for placing their trust in me and now it is up to me to continue to work hard in order to help the team in this season’s challenges.”

It remains to be season whether Monaco will dip back into the transfer window in order to further strengthen their squad. They have just under a week to do so with the window slamming shut on 1st September.

 

 

Photo source: AS Monaco

 

 

 

‘Munegu Family’ return en masse

Following two years of absence, the ‘Munegu Family’ has made its long-awaited return, filling their allocation during the first two home games of the season.

First during last week’s premier leg against PSV Eindhoven, and then during last weekend’s draw against Rennes, nearly 1,000 fans packed the Seconde B to support Philippe Clement’s men.

What is the ‘Munegu Family?’

The ‘Munegu Family’ allows an adult and a child to attend all of AS Monaco’s Ligue 1 home matches for just €450.

In a specially dedicated stand, the Seconde B, fans of the Principality club are treated to a range of activities, supplementing the on-pitch excitement. From a magic show to make-up stands and the chance to meet the club mascot, Bouba, there is something for everyone.

For Monaco’s previous two encounters, the stand has been full, welcoming almost 1,000 fans and places for this Saturday’s encounter against RC Lens are still available.

The return of the ‘Munegu Family’ after two years of absence due to the Coronavirus pandemic is welcome, and is now supplemented by a range of other campaigns made to encourage matchday attendance.

As well as providing a family-friendly way in which to watch the matches, other campaigns such as the ‘MuneGo’ car-sharing app also facilitate travel to both home and away games. Combined, the campaigns allow fans to get closer to the team that they love.

For Olga Dementeva, assistant Director General, the aim of the scheme is clear. “The will of the President is to reinforce the links between the club and its local supporters, by allowing children access to the stadium. The objective of the ‘Munegu Family’ is to offer a privileged environment to families, in order to give them the desire to come as often as possible to encourage the team at the stadium.”

The success of the scheme thus far is undeniable, and the hope is that fans continue to benefit from this memorable, unique experience throughout the entire Ligue 1 season.

 

 

Photo source: AS Monaco

 

 

 

 

ASM preview: “I don’t live in the past”

Speaking to the media ahead of Saturday’s match against RC Lens, manager Philippe Clement said that he isn’t thinking about revenge after last year’s agonising draw at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis.

Second place was snatched from Monaco’s grasp in the dying seconds of Monaco’s previous campaign. A late equaliser from Lens relegated Clement’s side to third, meaning they missed out on automatic qualification to the Champions League. Having been forced to take the play-off route again this season, Monaco fell short once again, losing on aggregate to PSV Eindhoven.

However, revenge isn’t Clement’s great motivator ahead of the tie. The Belgian coach said, “I don’t live in the past, because you can also say that we beat them in the cup at their home ground. It’s a difficult match. The two clubs have the longest unbeaten runs. Lens have 10 matches, we have 12, so it’s a team with a lot of quality.”

For the encounter, Monaco have an almost clean bill of health. They are still without Myron Boadu, who is still struggling with a foot injury. Asked by Monaco Life about the injury, Clement said that having trained twice last week, he was feeling pain once again, causing the setback.

The Belgian coach also told Monaco Life that new signing Mohamed Camara, who was unveiled on Thursday, will likely not be ready for the encounter. He said, “He didn’t play a single minute of pre-season. We have to see in the coming weeks in order to give time, but it’s clear he can’t play 90 minutes.” Clement added that there could be internal matches or friendlies in order to expedite the process of ré-athlétisation.

Unfortunately for Monaco, they will also be without Youssouf Fofana after he received a red card during last weekend’s draw against Rennes. It is therefore likely that Monaco will start with Eliot Matazo and Jean Lucas in the midfield after the former recovered from a minor niggle picked up during the warm-up to their last match.

Both sides will be looking to maintain their unbeaten league runs, which are the longest in the French championship. For Monaco, who currently sit in fifth position, they will be hoping to earn the win that would – temporarily – put them top of Ligue 1 and keep up the pressure on PSG ahead of their crunch tie at the Parc des Princes next weekend.

 

Photo of Philippe Clement by Monaco Life

 

 

 

 

 

Paul Mitchell: “We have to push and be better this year”

AS Monaco will once again compete in the Europa League this season, and speaking during a recent press conference, sporting director Paul Mitchell outlined the club’s objectives heading into the campaign. 

Since Thursday’s conference, Monaco have signed Mohamed Camara from Red Bull Salzburg on a five-year deal. Whilst it is unclear whether Monaco will continue to add to their squad before the beginning of their Europa League campaign on 8th September, sporting director Mitchell did nevertheless tell Monaco Life that the club are always active in the market:

“We’re always active until the last moment. Like I say, my job is to bring together the best collective group we can have. We’re in three competitions; we know that rotation will be as important as ever. We need to bring an arsenal of quality to the coach’s fingertips for when he makes his selection. I think we’re in a very, very good way already, but as always, we’ll be on the market,” he said.

The arrivals of Sarr, and in particular Camara, came after Monaco’s second-leg defeat to PSV Eindhoven, which consigned the club to consecutive campaigns in the second-tier of European competition. However, Mitchell doesn’t perceive the timing of the transfers, more specifically, the signing of a number six, as a factor in their elimination.

“In terms of the number sixes, I would suggest that the performances of Eliot Matazo and Youssouf Fofana would answer that question. Between the two of them, it’s the best I’ve seen them play, especially in Eindhoven. I thought Youssouf was incredible, and that’s the best performance he has delivered for this organisation. I thought the same for Eliot. I thought they were both playing at a high, high level in a big contest. Would a player, or the wrong profile have helped or produced a better performance than those two? I seriously would doubt that,” said Mitchell.

Last season, Monaco’s failure in the Champions League play-offs seeped into their league form, and if Monaco hope to challenge PSG for the title, or secure that elusive second-place, they must avoid a repeat this time around. Mitchell delved into the reaction to that loss in Eindhoven, but stressed the importance of consigning the result to the past:

“I think directly after the game, I think everyone from the President to myself, to the coach, to the players, to the staff, and even Malang who had not yet signed, felt a level of disappointment. I think our performances across both games deserved more, but I’ve been in football a long time and I know sometimes that you need a little bit of luck. I don’t think on this occasion we quite got it. Then the disappointment turns to pride, pride in the performance, pride in the actions, pride in the qualities and the level that the team showed, their application to try to win the games, and when I started two years ago, this is what the fans asked from me. They wanted a team that, even in times of defeat, they could be proud of. I think as the hours passed by, that disappointment turned to pride and pride in the performance that we put in,” he said.

“We have to close the chapter. We had a de-briefing this morning, we analysed as always, all of yesterday, on the flight back in the hotel, and now we have to draw a line, look and think forward and focus on this season’s ambitions,” he continued.

Debatably the low point of last season was the aggregate defeat to Braga in the Europa League group stages in mid-March. This season Mitchell has made progression from the group a clear objective, whilst, by calling on the side to “be better” this season, it can be fairly assumed that his aspiration is for the club to get past the round of 16.

We saw Glasgow Rangers and Frankfurt fight out a great final last year. I think one of my moments of reflection in the whole season was probably the two games against Braga. I think we could have performed better. I think we could have given a better reflection of ourselves over the two games. We have to push and be better this year. With the squad that we have, with the quality and the depth that we have, we have to try and be better and put in the performances across the group stage and then hope that we can then proceed to the knockout stages and then, at that point in time, you’re in the competition. Let’s see where that can take us,” he said.

And Mitchell thinks that the side are prepared to push on this season, citing the team’s enhanced physical conditioning and recruitment as key improvements relative to last year’s campaign.

“I think we lived in the emotion of last year’s game for too long. I think it had a real effect. I think the physical levels of the team weren’t up to the appropriate levels to play three times a week. I think we’ve already seen from the three games we’ve played that our condition and the condition of the team is very high, both physically and mentally. I feel as though the quality and the depth of the squad is in a much, much better place than last year. So, these factors combined can hopefully lead us to have what has already been a good start against Strasbourg into future good games in the coming weeks,” he said.

Monaco will find out their group stage opponents during the draw on Friday 26th August. But it isn’t just their upcoming opponents that for now remain a mystery, but also the dates that they will face them. Europa League matches traditionally take place on Thursday night’s but should local rivals OGC Nice beat Maccabi Tel Aviv and qualify for the Europa Conference League, those timings come into question.

UEFA regulations on two local clubs playing in European competition on the same night read as follows: If more than one club from the same city, or within a radius of 50km (31 miles) of each other, is taking part in any of the UEFA club competitions and/or plays in the same stadium, and if the association and the clubs concerned explicitly declare when entering the clubs that their matches cannot be played on the same day or on consecutive days, the UEFA administration may alter or confirm dates and kick-off times in accordance with the principles set by the Club Competitions Committee.

Asked if they would look to change the timings of their Europa League matches should Nice qualify for the third tier of European competition, Mitchell replied:

“We’re starting to discuss internally since the result on Tuesday night. It’s a conversation for the president, the CEO Jean-Emmanuel (de Witt) and myself to liaise with UEFA to see what the best practical solution could be in that circumstance.”

Whilst uncertainties over the upcoming Europa League adventure remain, the excitement for it is palpable – the need to build on last season’s underwhelming campaign clear.

 

 

Photo of Paul Mitchell and Malang Sarr by Luke Entwistle, Monaco Life