AS Monaco. “I want a dominant team,” announces Philippe Clement. sport
Four days before his first match on the bench of AS Monaco, Philippe Clement was presented this Wednesday at the beginning of the afternoon at the performance center of La Turbie, on the heights of the Principality. Appointed this Monday to succeed Niko Kovac, the Belgian coach knows that he will have to perform very quickly to achieve the objectives of his management while the club is currently 6th in Ligue 1.
Coaching remains a passion
, said the former coach of Club Brugge who signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with Monaco with the goal of qualifying the team for the next Champions League. ” Pressure ? I returned to Genk with Bruges. Then we managed to be, for the first time in 130 years in the history of the club, champions of Belgium twice consecutively with Club Bruges! It’s pressure! I love this pressure! “
“You have to be smarter”
Arrived in the Principality with three assistants, Frédéric De Boever, specific coach of goalkeepers, Jonas Ivens, specialist in physical preparation, and Johan Van Rumst, who like him signed a contract until June 2024, Clement said he wanted to adapt to the Monegasque group. “You always have to adapt to the qualities of the players. But I want a dominant team, with commitment and a lot of desire. Even if sometimes the opponent is stronger and you have to be smarter. “
Present alongside their new coach at a press conference, Paul Mitchel, English sporting director of Monaco, and Oleg Petrov, Russian vice-president and general manager, justified the arrival of Clement and the ousting of Niko Kovac, to whom they have paid homage, by a will to enter a new phase
of their project.
READ ALSO. The reasons for the ouster of coach Niko Kovac The results were not in line with the potential, ambition and goals planned this summer, said Mitchell. We analyzed the situation well and, with the main shareholder (Dmitri Rybolovlev, editor’s note), we decided to change. To continue our progress and meet our objectives.