Monégasque driver Arthur Leclerc has signed on for a second year at F3 team Prema, whilst continuing in the Ferrari Drivers’ Academy in 2022.
Leclerc finished 10th in the drivers’ standings in his debut season in F3, registering two victories in the process as well as a pole position and second place in the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Last year’s team-mate Dennis Hauger ended the season as F3 champion and has subsequently found himself a seat in F2 for next season.
The goal this year for Leclerc will be to reach the heights of his former team-mate, and he says he is excited for the start of the season.
“I am extremely happy to continue the work we started with Prema racing,” said the 21-year-old in a press statement. “I think we did a good job last year, and 2022 will be a good opportunity to put together everything we have learned so far. I cannot wait for the start of the season.”
Prema team principal Rene Rosin expressed his delight at retaining Leclerc’s services, adding, “I am sure that he will carry on the progress we saw in 2021 when he showed he had the potential to be a front runner.”
Arthur will be hoping that a positive season will help him progress along the same trajectory as his brother Charles, the current Ferrari F1 driver.
The season gets under way at the same time and place as the F1 season, on 18th March in Bahrain.
Photo source: Ferrari Scuderia Media Centre
Gal Gadot to step into Grace Kelly role in Hitchcock classic
Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot will reportedly play Grace Kelly’s role in a remake of To Catch a Thief, one of the Princess’ most famous Hollywood films, set in the French Riviera.
According to a report by Deadline, Gadot will also produce the Alfred Hitchcock classic with her partner Jaron Varsano. Eileen Jones is said to be writing the remake of the 1955 romantic thriller, which was based on a 1952 novel of the same name by David Dodge.
A 26-year-old Grace Kelly starred opposite Cary Grant, aged 51, in To Catch a Thief, the only Hitchcock film released by Paramount that is still owned and controlled by the company. The story centres on notorious cat burglar John Robie (Cary Grant) who has retired to the French Riviera and must clear his name after a spate of daring, imitation jewel thefts in Nice and Cannes. Grace Kelly stars as the beautiful heiress Francie, who suspects John of stealing her jewels.
A scene from To Catch a Thief
It was the last of three Hitchcock films with Grace Kelly and drew mixed reviews from critics, with most enjoying the dynamic between Grant and Kelly, but others expressing disappointment at the lack of suspense compared to other Hitchcock films.
During a special USA delegation to the 8th Cannes Film Festival in 1955, Grace Kelly took part in a promotional photoshoot at the Palace of Monaco with one of Europe’s most eligible bachelors, Prince Rainier III, whom she married a year later.
Gal Gadot is an Israeli actress and model who, at age 18, was crowned Miss Israel 2004 and went on to serve two years in the Israel Defense Forces as a soldier. She achieved global stardom for portraying Wonder Woman in the DC Extended Universe series of films. She has placed twice in annual rankings of the world’s highest-paid actresses.
In an exclusive interview with Monaco Life, AS Monaco Sporting Director Paul Mitchell reveals that the club is currently reluctant to delve back into the market following the signing of Vanderson.
According to Mitchell, new manager Philippe Clement’s appraisal of the current group of players is dictating their strategy this month. “I think with the technical team change, and Philippe’s assessment, he is very excited about this current group,” Mitchell tells Monaco Life. “We’re also excited about the potential of this group, so I think we’re going to be patient, and remain in constant dialogue over the coming weeks.”
Given the unpredictability of the market, however, the Englishman didn’t rule anything out, adding, “As you know, we’re always proactive on the market, as making our signing on the first day of the window shows. We’re always open to strengthening. I like competition, I like dynamic groups, so we’ll look at that.”
Mitchell says that the club’s strategy is going to be linked to the market itself, and therefore departures will play a key role. “We always have to be ready and fluent because while the market is active, anything can happen.”
Despite the signing of right-back Vanderson, Mitchell is not looking to offload either Ruben Aguilar or Djibril Sidibe, although he does say that he would be happy if both stayed or just one. He is keen to highlight once again how delighted he is with the signing of Vanderson, especially given the competition for his signature, telling us, “We’re really happy to be able to fend off some stiff competition from the Premier League and Italy in particular.”
The current thinking around the club is that the arrival of Clement and his technical staff will bring “added value” to the squad, which should mitigate the need to be quite so active. However, as Mitchell points out, the fluidity of the market, or perhaps an unforeseen opportunity, could throw those plans up in the air and force Monaco back to the negotiating table.
The Fight AIDS Cup charity match, organised by Louis Ducruet and Romain Goiran, is returning for a second edition, pitting Prince Albert’s Barbagiuans against Princess Stephanie’s Circus Football Club.
“In the first year after the creation of this match, only our team was reinforced by former professional players. We had to allow Circus FC to do the same, in order to attract more public and sponsors,” said Louis Ducruet, president of the Barbagiuans.
“This year again, the legends of football have responded, on both sides. We have the unconditional support of all these players and especially Sébastien Frey, captain of Circus FC, who facilitated the arrival of some of his friends. We are delighted.”
The charity football match will be held on 24th January and will be hosted by, amongst others, former Bien Sports journalist Alexandre Ruiz, who will keep fans abreast of the action on the pitch as well as review former glories of local and international football.
The Fight AIDS Cup is an extension of the historical match between the Barbagiuans and Circus FC that has been ongoing for over 40 years. The new name has created a direct link between sport and charitable values in the Principality.
“With my partner Romain Goiran, who is a child of the Barbagiuans, we decided to formalise this match to help my mother’s association, Fight AIDS Monaco. When this event took place at the Cap d’Ail stadium, on the sly with the Circus Festival, big names in football were already invited. We found it a shame not to share the potential of such a sporting event with charity,” Ducruet added.
The 2020 version attracted some big names including several former AS Monaco players. In addition to Sébastien Squillaci, Didier Deschamps, Gaël Givet, Andrea Raggi and Manuel Dos Santos, the fans particularly appreciated seeing Ludovic Giuly on the field.
The triumph of the last event puts the pressure on to make sure this year’s is equally thrilling and well-received.
Photo source: Fight AIDS Monaco
Analysis: Tactical takeaways from Clement’s ASM debut
Despite limited preparation and a depleted roster, Philippe Clement’s Monaco debut on Sunday provided an interesting tactical insight into how he sees his side developing over the course of his management.
Flexibility and adaptability
Clement was greeted in Monaco by a swathe of Covid cases and the absences of key players. One could therefore be fooled into thinking that little can be deduced from the drab draw at a drenched Beaujoire stadium.
The way in which Clement reacted in light of these challenges, however, is revealing in itself. Rather than pigeonholing players in certain positions, Clement approaches the game in terms of the role that players fulfil, and their suitability to that role based on their attributes.
This explains the introduction of debutant Vanderson in a slightly more advanced right-midfield berth, often functioning within the half-spaces. More strikingly, however, was the deployment of resident left-back Caio Henrique in the number 10 role.
Caio as a No.10
Although the jury is still out on Henrique’s suitability to the role relative to other candidates, and it remains to be seen whether this was simply a short-term fix to Monaco’s injury crisis or a more long-term adjustment, the Brazilian gave a positive showing.
Particularly in the first-half, Henrique was an ever-present option for progressive passes. He manufactured space nicely in between the lines and often came to feet. More interestingly and encouragingly, he showed a great understanding with Kevin Volland.
As shown in this extract from the game against Nantes, Henrique was equally as adept at making runs off the shoulder of the last man and in behind the defence. Although he didn’t receive the required service to make this count, the understanding of the role was there.
What was most striking was how Volland and Henrique almost always correctly interpreted the intentions of the other. When Volland made a run in behind, Henrique would show to feet and vice versa. In the above example, Volland was the option to feet, whilst Henrique ran in behind to attempt to get on the end of Aurelien Tchouameni’s ball over the top.
Henrique is not completely unfamiliar to the role. He has played in the number 10 during his formative years and also during his time at Atletico Madrid, and this showed in his understanding. His partnership with Volland, and the way in which they worked in tandem, would certainly have encouraged Clement, and whether it is used as a long-term solution or not, he certainly shouldn’t be discouraged from deploying the duo in those roles in the future.
Asymmetrical back four
Perhaps the most distinguishable of all the tactical decisions made by Clement was his utilisation of an asymmetrical back four. Ismail Jakobs height up the pitch as well as his width provided a constant switching outlet, whilst also providing more room for the effervescent Sofiane Diop to exploit the half-spaces.
In stark contrast, Djibril Sidibe tucked in narrower and deeper. Gelson Martins was the outlet down the right who provided the width, whilst Sidibe would sometimes provide an underlapping run to provide attacking momentum.
Although there were some nice interchanges between Martins and Sidibe, the Jakobs-Diop partnership bore more fruit. Particularly in the first-half, the width provided by Jakobs afforded plentiful room for Diop in the half-spaces that he duly exploited. The performance of the France U21 international was another signal of his continued progression as he becomes a more rounded player. Niko Kovac can certainly be given a lot of credit for this, whilst the excellent attitude of the player is seeing him become a more consistent performer and a key member of AS Monaco’s attacking unit.
Tactically, little changed when Sidibe went off injured mid-way through the first-half. Ruben Aguilar continued to sit deep and narrow, and Martins was the principal source of progression down that side.
Jakobs’ unrelenting natural fitness allowed him to get back into shape as soon as the ball was lost, as he quickly joined a flatter, more conventional back-line. 41% of Nantes’ attacks were focused down Sidibe/Aguilar’s side despite the fact that, given the huge gap between Jakobs and Benoit Badiashile, most of the space should theoretically have been on the other side. This shows just how quick Jakobs was in re-joining the rest of his back-line.
A vertical midfield pivot?
Tchouameni was the standout performer on Sunday. On a visual inspection he looked dominant and metronomic in his role in the midfield pivot alongside Eliot Matazo. The statistics back this up too. The France international midfielder registered a series of season-best statistics including most progressive passes, most carries, most touches and most attempted and completed passes.
This was, in part, facilitated by a tweaking of the double pivot partnership. Accustomed to a more horizontal pivot, Tchouameni and Matazo played more vertically on Sunday, facilitating simple progressive passes. This was shown in their average position at the end of the match as the two players almost overlap, with Matazo on average playing just slightly higher, but no wider than his teammate.
Tchouameni was therefore more often the deeper of the two. This allowed him to fully utilise his range of passing from more unpressured areas of the pitch, whilst also providing opportunities for his teammates to easily recycle the ball through him and once more build through the phases.
It was largely thanks to this unconventional pivot that AS Monaco managed to control the match, with a dominating 69% possession throughout the game. Matazo was also impressive, and whilst Youssouf Fofana should be back in the matchday squad against Clermont Foot, he may find it difficult to displace the young Belgian.
Speed and verticality in transition
Perhaps the most exciting tactical characteristic of Clement’s debut was the dynamism in the transition. Staying true to Kovac’s philosophy, Monaco pressed high and with intent in the first-half in particular. The three injuries and perhaps just a lack of natural fitness amongst some of the returning players, meant that this wasn’t replicated in the second-half.
Some of the pressing patterns that AS Monaco fans were accustomed to seeing under Kovac were once again evident here. In particular, Monaco recognised the opposition full-backs receiving the ball as a pressing trigger, and would quickly condense the space and commit players to the press.
Once the ball was regained, Monaco would then quickly spring an attack, the verticality and the speed of which was problematic for the opposition, who had not yet had the time to reset. With more drilling and a higher level of fitness amongst the squad, this style of transition play has the chance of being a great source of attacking threat for Monaco.
The first-half of Clement’s debut offers a lot of promise going forward, and although a slightly more lethargic second-half display may linger more in the minds of fans, it is important to remember the difficulty in the preparation of the game. There are already enough positive signs to hint that Monaco are in a good position to fight for the Champions League places.
Photo of Philippe Clement by Luke Entwistle, Monaco Life
Barclays Private Bank is this year celebrating its 100th anniversary of opening in Monaco and will mark the milestone by showcasing some of its precious mementos.
Barclays Private Bank was established in Monaco in 1922 and was the first foreign private bank to open its doors in Monaco’s Golden Square.
“Barclays was the first international bank to arrive in Monaco in 1922 and, 100 years on, we are proud to continue to bring our British heritage to the Principality, which remains one of the leading financial centres in the world thanks to its high quality infrastructure and economic stability,” said Jean-Christophe Gerard, Head of Wealth and Private Banking at Barclays. “We look forward to celebrating Barclays’ centenary in the Principality and are honoured to be part of the rich history and future of Monaco, as we continue to service the sophisticated needs of our clients by providing them with highly bespoke business and investment opportunities.”
From January, a selection of memorabilia from Barclays over the years will be on display at the Barclays Monaco office, including a gold signet ring dating from 1570, which was designed by Thomas Gresham, banker to Queen Elizabeth I and founder of Martin’s Bank which was later sold to Barclays in 1969. Also on display is a letter from the court of Queen Elizabeth I authorising Thomas Gresham to pay her debts in Antwerp, a ledger from Oxford Old Bank – which later became part of Barclays in 1900 – showing the account of Oscar Wilde, and the UK´s first credit card.
Throughout 2022, Barclays will be marking its centenary year in Monaco with events that celebrate its history and future in Monaco. Among them will be Monaco Ocean Week, which Barclays Private Bank will be supporting for the second year through its partnership with the Prince Albert of Monaco Foundation to safeguard ocean bio-diversity and help maintain a stable climate.
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