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Groundhog Day for AS Monaco

by: Luke Entwistle
10/08/2022

AS Monaco couldn’t escape their recurring Champions League heartbreak as fine margins once again consigned the Principality side to an early exit from the top tier of European competition on Tuesday.

To avoid Groundhog Day, the task was simple: repeat last season’s Europa League victory over PSV at the Philips Stadion. But just like in the film, breaking the cycle is no easy task, and Philippe Clement’s men found that out the hard way.

But unlike in Groundhog Day, there is no need for Monaco to undergo a radical transformation of the self; small changes will allow the club to fall on the right side of those ultra-fine margins, and avoid this “cruel” fate once again next year.

This treacherous route could have been avoided all together. Ignatius Ganago’s last-ditch injury time equaliser for RC Lens in the final game of the Ligue 1 season stole second place from Monaco’s grasp, and forced them to retrace last season’s steps by going through the play-offs.

Learning from last year’s heartbreak against Shakhtar Donetsk, where Monaco were dumped out of the Champions League due to a Ruben Aguilar own-goal in extra-time, the club returned early for pre-season this time around. However, possessing a fitter, more physical team wasn’t enough to see them over the line.

In a mirror image of the first leg, Monaco fell behind from a smart Joey Veerman finish in the first-half. Despite possessional and territorial dominance, Monaco lacked a cutting edge; Ruud Van Nistelrooy’s well-organised PSV side restricted Monaco to drawn-out, sterile phases of play before hitting on the break.

Clement saw the need to tweak his attacking unit at half-time and on came Breel Embolo for the largely ineffective Kevin Volland. The Swiss was a handful against Strasbourg at the weekend, and he was once again pivotal here.

His direct running and high-energy pressing reaped immediate rewards. His arrival seemed to ignite the rest of the side into action and Monaco soon found themselves level. Guillermo Maripán first struck the bar from a Caio Henrique free-kick. That narrow miss was followed by a flurry of corners in quick succession, and the pressure finally told. In a goalmouth scramble at a corner, Embolo managed to feed the ball through to Maripán, who this time made no mistake with the finish.

At 1-1, Monaco were clearly in the ascendency, and just over 10 minutes later they took the lead for the first time. Youssouf Fofana won the ball back in the midfield, and in a dynamic, direct transition à-la-Clement, Gelson Martins surged forward, feeding a sumptuous cross into the path of Wissam Ben Yedder, who finished first-time from just six yards out.

Having taken the lead, the siege on PSV’s goal abated and the Dutch side grew back into the game. The roles reversed as Monaco now reverted to playing on the break, and they could have landed a knock-out blow if not for a last-ditch Armando Obispo challenge on Embolo. Whether or not he got the ball was another matter, but VAR didn’t overturn the referee’s on-field decision.

Just seconds later and with just two minutes of regular time remaining, PSV equalised through a close-range Erick Gutiérrez header. VAR’s intervention saved Monaco late-on against Strasbourg on Saturday, but this tight offside call didn’t fall the way of the Monégasques.

The game therefore went in extra time, just as it did against Shakhtar last season. For the third time in the two-legged tie, Monaco struck the bar with an Embolo header in the opening minutes of extra-time, before history repeated itself.

Luuk de Jong landed the hammer blow with a back-post header to give PSV the lead in the second-half of extra-time. Monaco chucked players forward in a desperate attempt to save the tie, but to no avail. Monaco will once again have to settle for Europa League football this season.

The match was described as “cruel” by Axel Disasi, and as “annoying” by his manager, Clement. The Belgian added, “This match turned on details that gave the opponent the opportunity to score, but despite everything, I saw good things. We were better than PSV in both legs… we pushed until the last second to score but luck wasn’t with us in the end.”

Prior to the first leg, Clement said that he believed that Monaco were “too disappointed” by their elimination in the Champions League play-off last season, and that that negative energy spilled over into their league form. Clement said, “we can’t make that mistake a second time”. Avoiding making those same mistakes this season will give Monaco a path out of their nightmarish Groundhog Day scenario and finally give them the Champions League adventure that everyone around the club so craves. For this season, the Europa League must suffice.

Photo source: AS Monaco football club

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ASM season preview: Are Clement’s men in the title fight?

by: Luke Entwistle
04/08/2022

The curtain will rise on AS Monaco’s Ligue 1 season with a trip to Strasbourg on Saturday. Can Philippe Clement’s men challenge PSG, who reigned supreme last year?

Speaking at a press conference, which inaugurated the beginning of pre-season back in June, sporting director Paul Mitchell said that the objective was to “improve” on last season. Given that Monaco finished on the Ligue 1 podium last season, “improvement”, at least on a domestic level, can reasonably be interpreted as mounting a title push.

PSG will once again begin the season as hot favourites, and few would bet against them winning consecutive Ligue 1 titles, and their eighth in the last 10 seasons. The club have invested smartly during the transfer window. Vitinha, Hugo Ekitike and Nordi Mukiele bolster a team that is already primed to compete for the top honours in European football. Should the arrivals of Milan Skriniar and Renato Sanches also be confirmed, they would represent a truly terrifying outfit.

There are, however, uncertainties going into the upcoming campaign. New manager Christophe Galtier has never handled a team full of international stars. Undoubtedly a shrewd technician, a different kind of challenge awaits the Frenchman at the Parc des Princes. Time will tell how he rises to it.

Should that appointment not work out, it is hard to argue that anyone other than Monaco are best place to profit from any slip-up. Despite losing their talisman in Aurélien Tchouaméni, few, if any of their rivals, have invested as smartly as Monaco, although gaps do admittedly remain.

A forward line consisting of Kylian Mbappé, Neymar and Lionel Messi cannot be rivalled, but on paper, it is hard to see anyone other than the current French champions scoring more than Monaco this season. The fourth highest scorers during last season’s campaign, Monaco have strengthened further in the forward department.

Both Takumi Minamino and Breel Embolo arrive with elite international and European-level experience as well as with a point to prove. They are both arriving in the prime of their career and looking to take on a more prominent role. That applies particularly to Minamino, who after dazzling at Red Bull Salzburg and whilst at Southampton on loan, saw his game time heavily constrained at Liverpool.

Whilst Monaco have a wealth of attacking options, including the returning Krépin Diatta, who Mitchell said would feel like a “new signing,” their midfield, and potentially defensive options still need enhancing.

Tchouaméni has yet to be replaced, although the club are heavily linked with a move for Leicester’s Boubakary Soumaré. Regardless of his arrival, there is an expectation that others will have to step up to bridge that deficit. Chief amongst them is Youssouf Fofana, who will be looking to pick up where he left off after hitting a purple patch at the end of last season. Youngsters Eliot Matazo and Félix Lemarechal can also expect to feature more prominently. Replacing Tchouaméni won’t be the role of an individual, but of the entire team.

Whilst Monaco have great depth in both full-back positions, the same cannot necessarily be said about centre-back. Given that Monaco will compete in some level of European competition next season, the trio of Axel Disasi, Guillermo Maripán and Benoît Badiashile, may not give them the required depth to compete on all fronts. The future of the latter also remains unclear, and given many top club’s need for a quality centre-back, those rumours will likely drag on until the end of the transfer window. Whether he goes or stays, Monaco may still be a player short in that department.

However, overall, Monaco fare better than most. Closest rivals Marseille, Rennes and Nice have not had transfer windows as plentiful as the Monégasques. The latter in particular have struggled to recruit, and given that they will compete in the Europa Conference League next season, they currently don’t have the depth to compete on all fronts.

“Improvement” as Mitchell puts it, is very much within this squad’s capabilities, especially now that Clement has a full pre-season under his belt as Monaco manager. The Belgian technician certainly showed enough promise last season to suggest that Monaco fans should be excited.

That bubble of excitement could, however, be easily burst, with Monaco facing an incredibly tough start to the season. As well as facing six of last season’s top eight in the first seven Ligue 1 fixtures, Monaco must also try and succeed where they failed last campaign, by qualifying for the Champions League. Their route into the group stages will be tough. Having drawn PSV in the third round, they must first beat their Dutch opponents before also advancing in the fourth round, where they will face either Rangers or Union Saint Gilloise.

The club’s relentless start to the campaign does abate after the September international break. The hope will be that Monaco are still alive and kicking on all fronts when that (slight) respite arrives.

The title may be a step too far for Monaco. PSG, on their day, are a tough match for every elite side in Europe. The key for Monaco will be keeping within striking distance so that should they slip-up, should the Galtier appointment prove to be a failed gamble, they will be the ones to profit. As is the case every season, there is a feeling of opportunity and optimism going into the opening weekend, it is now up to Clement’s men to keep that feeling alive as they head into “the sprint within a marathon.”

 

 

Photo source: AS Monaco football club

 

 

 

No decisive blow landed in hotly-contested Champions League qualifier

by: Luke Entwistle
03/08/2022

AS Monaco drew 1-1 against PSV Eindhoven at the Stade Louis II on Tuesday as the Principality club kept their Champions League hopes alive with a late Axel Disasi equaliser.

Monaco will therefore head to the Netherlands next week with everything to play for. On the balance of play, Philippe Clement will be disappointed to not be going into the second-leg with a lead, as he alluded to in his post-match press conference: “If a team were to win tonight, it was us,” said the Belgian coach.

It could have been worse, however. PSV had initially taken the lead in the first-half thanks to a thunderous Joey Veerman strike from the edge of the box, after Monaco’s new-look midfield pivot of Youssouf Fofana and Eliot Matazo were dragged out of position.

Prior to that, Monaco were left bemoaning a refereeing decision, or lack of one, which could have significantly altered the course of the match. A fierce Fofana strike hit Ibrahim Sangaré’s arm, warranting a VAR check, but nothing further. “For me, as the Monaco manager, it’s a penalty,’ said Clement. ‘The arm isn’t by the side of the body. We’ll see how UEFA standardise that,” he continued.

In the second-half, Monaco continued to look the more threatening of the two sides, but lacked the cutting edge to create clear-cut chances. That changed after a highly influential double substitution going into the final 15 minutes of the match. Sofiane Diop and new signing Breel Embolo both made their presence felt off the bench and turned the tide of the fixture.

Nimble, progressive and direct running from the pair drew free-kicks across the pitch, one of which was crucially converted. Ismail Jakobs, in the starting line-up in place of Caio Henrique, whipped the ball in for Axel Disasi to scramble home. The centre-back doesn’t score many, but on Monday, Clement had revealed how he expects him to score more in matches. “In training he scores goals,” said Clement pre-match.

Having scored a crucial equaliser, Monaco pushed for the winner, and they almost got it. Disasi was once again the danger man in the box. His shot was blocked and on the follow up, Fofana struck the post. A late barrage ensued;  Monaco’s fitness advantage was clear for all to see.

However, neither side could find the winner and both sides will head to Eindhoven next week with everything to play for, but also everything to lose.

To prevail, Monaco will need to once again show the “exemplary mentality” that they displayed in the first-leg in order to get the win.

Should they get the victory at the Philips Stadium, just as they did in the Europa League group stages last season (2-1), they will face either Rangers or Union Saint-Gilloise in the final qualification round.

 

 

Photo source: AS Monaco football club

 

 

 

 

 

AS Monaco maintains partnership with principal sponsor eToro

by: Luke Entwistle
02/08/2022

EToro has renewed as the main sponsor of AS Monaco, while Triangle Intérim Solutions RH is also continuing its partnership with the Principality club.

The investment network eToro will be part of the Monaco family for the third consecutive season. Last season, eToro featured for the first time on the front of the club’s jersey and they will do so again for the 2022/23 season.

The logo will now accompany Monaco on their European adventure this season, and they will feature on the club’s jersey during the two-legged tie between Monaco and PSV Eindhoven as the former look to qualify for the Champions League group stages.

As well as featuring on the matchday shirts, eToro has also featured on the club’s training jersey since the beginning of pre-season.

Speaking in a press release, AS Monaco CEO Jean-Emmanuel de Witt said, “We are delighted to continue to deepen our relationship with eToro, an innovative and audacious company, which, like AS Monaco, is constantly venturing into new territory. By intensifying this partnership, eToro is more than ever our main partner and confirms the growing attractiveness of AS Monaco…This new step in the partnership between the two entities perfectly illustrates the platform’s European sports strategy of surrounding itself, in the long term, with partners who share the same values of perseverance, excellence and innovation.”

EToro are a former shirt sleeve sponsor, and the club’s current shirt sleeve sponsor, Triangle Intérim Solutions RH, have extended their partnership with Monaco until 2024. The temporary employment agency represents one of Monaco’s most long-standing partnerships having featured on the club’s jersey since 2013.

In a press release, de Witt said, “We are delighted to be able to further anchor our partnership with Triangle Intérim RH Solutions. The longevity of our collaboration bears witness to the quality of our relationship.”

 

 

Interview: Massimo Ceccaroni on the real Breel

by: Luke Entwistle
31/07/2022

AS Monaco’s new recruit Breel Embolo has come a long way since his days in the Basel academy. As his former youth coach told Monaco Life, the Swiss international is ready to make the step up.

Massimo Ceccaroni coached Embolo at U16, U18 and U21 level at Basel, and recalls the unmistakable potential that Monaco’s new forward showed. “He spent just one year with the U16s, then one year at the U18s, and then just one year after that he joined the U21s. Once there, he quickly made the last step to the first team because he was physically so strong,’ began Ceccaroni. “He was the player, you saw it in the U16, that had more potential than any other player,” he continued.

From Cameroon to the Swiss academy

Embolo’s route just to that point was far from conventional or simple. “He came from nothing,” said Ceccaroni. Born in Yaoundé, Cameroon, he moved to France with his mother at an early age. Soon after he moved to Switzerland, where he could take his passion for football from the street to the academy, firstly with FC Nordstern Basel Jugend, then with the Old Boys Youth, before eventually joining Basel.

There, his eagerness and passion for the game immediately shone through. Ceccaroni evokes a memory of a young Embolo, who was willing to take to the pitch at – almost – any cost. “You saw at the beginning he had to play as a striker – no.9, no.11, no.7… he doesn’t care. He said to the coaches, ‘Listen, I know perhaps I wasn’t so good in the training session, but I don’t care if you let me play as a no.9, I just want to play. Maybe not as a goalkeeper, but even as a central defender.’ It means a lot in terms of his attitude. He loves football; he loves to be in the team.  Breel is, from top to bottom, a football player,” said Ceccaroni.

Pedagogy of a footballer

He also loves to learn. An “open-minded” player, Ceccaroni believes that in moving to Monaco, Embolo is making a forward step in his career, which inherently implies an evolutionary, pedagogical process. Whilst his former youth coach waxes lyrical about certain aspects of his game, he believes he can improve a number of facets in order to become a more complete player.

“He’s doing a lot with his mentality and with his physique, but in terms of technique I think he’ll learn something in Monaco. That’s the same for the tactical side as well, he will be open to learning more. In Germany, these elements aren’t necessarily the focus in the training sessions. They are very athletic and want to play very offensive football. I think in France, he can learn a lot tactically. It’s the right moment to make the next step,” said Ceccaroni.

A system of support

He will need help in doing so. As an expressive, confident player on the pitch, Ceccaroni reveals that off the pitch, he can be a “sensitive” character – someone who needs a hand on the shoulder.

Philippe Clement has been praised for his man management by members of Monaco’s current crop. That, and of course the confidence shown him by the recruitment department, will certainly help him to bed in quicker and to express himself on the pitch. “I have the confidence of the club’s hierarchy, who have shown me what is a very fine sporting project,” said Embolo during his unveiling as a Monaco player.

“Breel is also a little bit sensitive,” says Ceccaroni. “If Clement can be close to Breel, he will get more out of him. He needs the right environment, he needs to be comfortable,” he continued. In Clement, Embolo may have the right manager, at the right moment. At 25, the Swiss international is reaching the peak of his powers, and Clement could extract the best out of him.

Inopportune injuries

Thus far, despite netting 32 times in 136 Bundesliga performances, there is a lingering feeling that he has not yet fulfilled the potential that he first showed when he burst onto the scene with the Switzerland team at Euro 2016 at the age of 19.

Those performances earned him a €26.5m move to Schalke, at which point inopportune injuries began to slow down his progression. A fibula fracture ruled him out of the majority of his debut season in the Bundesliga. Since, injuries have arrived at regular intervals. An ankle fracture in 2017 kept him on the treatment table for over five months and a fractured foot saw him miss four months of the 2018/19 season.

He then moved on from Schalke and joined Borussia Mönchengladbach, which didn’t entail a change in fortunes. Although the severity of the injuries sustained decreased, the regularity of them increased. Last season, he missed 90 days due to two separate hamstring injuries.

Ceccaroni speculated about the causes of his injury record: “If you look at his career, he picks up injuries at the worst moments. As he’s very strong and plays very physically, he does pick up injuries and then that has knocked him back.”

As well as endowing Embolo with confidence, Clement’s expertise, as well as those of James Bunce and his performance department, will help in this regard. Constructing the perfect training regime, tailored to Embolo’s needs and capacities will play an essential part in keeping him injury free and, by extension, maximising his potential.

Cutting his own path

Delivering on that potential is now Embolo’s task. As he said last week, “I’m at the right age to fully develop here.” When it comes to his personal progression, Embolo has always first and foremost taken the decisions that he believes to be in his best interest. Following Euro 2016, Embolo was linked to any and every major club. However, during that period, which would be unsettling for most players, Embolo remained focused on his game. “I think he was very relaxed about that. I think people around him were more interested in the big clubs than him. He wasn’t influenced by other people, who were saying ‘You have to go there or go there.’ No, he focused on football,” said Ceccaroni.

His latest move to AS Monaco has been taken with his personal development in mind, but as Ceccaroni stressed, Embolo is a “team player”. He continued, “If he’s only trying to be the star, he feels lost. I think this is such an important part of him.” A player endowed with natural ability, there is no reason why, at Monaco, Embolo can’t fulfil both his desire to develop and to be part of a cohesive unit, capable of chasing silverware.

 

 

 

Photo credit: Sven Mandel

 

 

 

Countdown to AS Monaco’s curtain-raiser

by: Luke Entwistle
28/07/2022

The end of pre-season fixtures, a contract extension and a new kit release: it has been a busy week at AS Monaco with their season opener against PSV Eindhoven looming.

With under a week until their Champions League tie against PSV, Monaco travelled to the UK to face Premier League side Southampton. In an open, end-to-end and exciting match, Monaco took the lead through a ferocious Aleksandr Golovin strike.

Adam Armstrong levelled the score just after the break after Alexander Nübel could only parry Mohamed Elyounoussi’s initial effort. Stuart Armstrong revered the deficit with a smart finish on the swivel before James Ward-Prowse completed the scoring with a driven finish on the break.

However, despite the 3-1 defeat there were a plethora of positives. Takumi Minamino excited, Golovin looks to have refound his best form at the perfect time and after nine months on the treatment table, Krépin Diatta finally made his long-awaited return. His presence will feel like a new signing, and compliments an already stacked attacking force.

Prior to their trip to St. Mary’s, Monaco drew against Inter Milan before travelling back to Portugal for two games against FC Porto. The Principality side won the first match against Porto’s B team 2-0 thanks to a brace from debutant Breel Embolo. That match was a chance to give minutes to some of the most promising products in Monaco’s academy, with five featuring during the tie.

In the second match on Saturday, Monaco were dealt their first defeat of pre-season. Both sides had chances in the first-half, but two of the best fell to Monaco. Takumi Minamino almost got his first goal in Monégasque colours, but he was denied by a fine stop from the goalkeeper, before Wissam Ben Yedder was also smartly denied.

Porto took the lead from the spot mid-way through the second-half before they doubled their lead just minutes later. Ben Yedder halved the deficit in the dying stages with a well-converted penalty. However, Monaco couldn’t muster an equaliser and the game finished 2-1.

Away kit revealed

In that fixture, Monaco debuted their new away kit for the upcoming season. For their trips away from the Stade Louis II, they will wear a slick, simplistic black and white jersey. As with the home kit, Kappa’s design incorporates the club slogan “Rise, Risk, Repeat” into a modern design. The club’s main partner ‘eToro’ also features on the torso. The club’s crest is fixed in silicone on the heart side, as is the Monégasque crown, which is on the back collar.

Aguilar extends

Ruben Aguilar’s form at the back end of last season has earned the right-back a contract extension. He is now tied down with the Principality side until 2025.

Since his arrival from Montpellier in 2019, Aguilar has made 100 appearances for Monaco, including 39 in all competitions last season. He also featured in nine out of the last ten fixtures of the Ligue 1 campaign: a run of games that propelled them to the podium.

The winter arrival of Vanderson seemingly spelled trouble for Aguilar, but it would be Djibril Sidibé who would see his game time heavily limited. Upon the expiry of his contract this summer, Sidibé left, meaning that Aguilar will contend with Vanderson for a starting spot in Clement’s side next season.

In a press release from the club, sporting director Paul Mitchell said, “In addition to his footballing qualities, Ruben has been an important player who is unanimously appreciated by all the staff and playing squad. His fighting spirit, his ability to put himself at the service of the team and professionalism can be a source of inspiration for the younger players.”

After over two months of waiting, Monaco will finally return to competitive action on Tuesday as they face PSV Eindhoven at the Stade Louis II in the first-leg of their Champions League play-off.

Season ticket holders go free

AS Monaco announced on Wednesday that season ticket holders will be able to access Tuesday’s match against PSV Eindhoven as if it was a regular Ligue 1 match. Ordinarily, season tickets only apply to league matches, but for this season’s curtain-raiser, all season ticket holders will be able to access the Stade Louis II freely. More information on Monaco season tickets can be found here.