Niko Kovac (Monaco): “The motivation is increased tenfold”
Candidate for European places, AS Monaco of Niko Kovac has achieved a first third of the season far from expectations for the third of last season and only points in the second part of the table. Presentation of the opponent of LOSC for this meeting of the day fourteenth of Ligue 1.
The dynamic
What happened in Monaco? So impressive in the second half of the 2020-2021 season, Niko Kovac’s players are not really advancing in this first half 2021-2022. Eleventh attack in Ligue 1, eleventh in the championship, Monaco does not really shine at home where it has taken only ten points in ten games. Faced with another great team from last season in difficulty this season, will the Monegasques straighten the bar to return to the top 10?
The player to watch
Prodigy in the midfield and among the greatest French hopes in this field, Sofiane Diop has established himself as an indisputable holder under Niko Kovac and has asserted himself as one of the best players at the start of the season on the Rock. Impressive technically and in terms of the game, Diop is not left out statistically with five goals and two assists in nineteen games played with Monaco in all competitions.
The statement
“The players like to play big games, against PSG, and against direct competitors for European places. Motivation is increased tenfold in this situation, even if we know that we must be able to repeat level performances and increase our level of requirement in every game. Currently, we are in a bit of the same situation as Lille. It will be a complicated, difficult match for both teams. But once again I want to stay positive and I think my players are on the same page. “
Niko Kovac (Monaco coach)
The transfer window
They arrived : Myron Boadu (forward, Alkmaar); Jean Lucas (middle, Lyon); Ismail Jakobs (defender, Cologne); Alexander Nübel (goalkeeper, Bayern, on loan).
Loan returns: Antonio Barreca (defender, Fiorentina); Strahinja Pavlovic (defender, Cercle Bruges); Wilson Isidor (attacker, Bastia-Borgo); Jean Marcelin (defender, Cercle Bruges); Pelé (middle, avenue Rio); Anthony Musaba (forward, Cercle Bruges)
They left : Benjamin Henrichs (defender, Leipzig); Fodé Ballo-Touré (defender, Milan); Henry Onyekeru (forward, Olympiakos); Giulian Biancone (defender, Troyes); Gil Dias (defender, Benfica); Enzo Millot (middle, Stuttgart); Jorge (defender, Palmeiras); Stevan Jovetic (forward, Hertha); Arthur Zagre (defender, Utrecht, on loan); Jean-Eudes Aholou (middle, Strasbourg, loan); Youssef Aït Bennasser (middle, without club); Loïc Badiashile (goalkeeper, without club); Adrien Bongiovanni (middle, without club); Benjamin Lecomte (goalkeeper, Atlético, loan); Pietro Pellegri (striker, Milan, on loan); Willem Geubbels (striker, Nantes, loan); Keita Baldé (striker, Cagliari).
End of loans: Florentino Luis (midfielder, Benfica)
The number
298 – Niko Kovač’s men remain 298 minutes into the game without scoring in all competitions, as they have failed to score in 46% of their Ligue 1 games so far, the worst percentage in the league. championship.
The Monegasque group to face LOSC:
Majecki, Nübel (l.) – Aguilar, Henrique, Disasi, Jakobs, Maripán, Matsima, Pavlovic, Sidibé – Diatta, Diop, Fofana, Martins, Lucas, Lemaréchal, Tchouaméni – Ben Yedder, Boadu, Isidor, Volland