The Monaco of Philippe Clément is already in the hard
“We took stock, in particular with the majority shareholder. This analysis led us to this decision: the potential, the objectives, the ambition of this club were not satisfied. We felt we had to make a change. » When he fired Niko Kovac to set up Philippe Clément at the start of the year, Paul Mitchell can no longer doubt that the beginnings of the Belgian coach were so laborious. Yet the numbers are relentless. Sixth in L1, four points from second place on the evening of the 19th day, AS Monaco are now 10th, 9 points from the podium and a potential qualification for the Champions League.
The last series of three games in the league is a bad thing. While visiting full against Lorient, Bordeaux and Reims, the Rock club only made two points. As dominant as they were drafts last weekend, the Asemists even ended up being punished by Louis II against the Rémois (2-1 defeat). Everything had gone well for more than 80 minutes only for not having taken shelter earlier, Monaco paid him cash, playing bad luck between this but against his Volland camp, and responsible for a a certain nervousness with this red from Jean Lucas. The last counter concluded by Mbuku will have been fatal.
Lower points average than Kovac
“The players have done a lot of good things without and with the ball. But, in the last seven minutes, we made mistakes that changed the game. The first goal, against our side, is bad luck. Then, Jean Lucas must not take red. It’s not necessary. (…) At 1-1, the team did everything to win. But the players have lost their minds, it’s really naive. It’s heavy not to be rewarded for the previous 84 minutes. It’s a bit of a heist. So I’m disappointed”reported Philippe Clément after this defeat which must have caused a lot of headaches.
Accountingly speaking, AS Monaco lost in exchange. Under the orders of the Croatian, who it is true had difficulty finding some regularity in the results in this first part of the season, it was an average of 1.46 points taken per game. Already not very main, it falls to 1.29 since the arrival of the former coach of Club Brugge. With only 9 units garnered out of 27 possible, we are far from the desired objectives. Especially since apart from OL (2-0 victory on February 5), all the other opponents seemed to play an outsider role against ASM.
Balancing issues when facing a terrible schedule
The 4-1-4-1 set up has not yet found its bearings. If the will is to move quickly forward, the collective quickly finds itself without a solution, cut in two by a deserted midfield. The pressure exerted by the Martins-Volland-Ben Yedder-Lucas-Diop attack line is not always effective and offers many spaces behind his back, suppose that the defense will be exposed to counterattacks. In this precarious and demonstrated offensive balance, the only defensive midfielder (Tchouameni, Fofana or Matazo) cannot stop everything, especially when he does not have the ability to run everywhere, as is the case for the three players mentioned.
Time is running out for Philippe Clément because the approaching calendar is simply enormous. First there is this trip to Marseille, then to Strasbourg the following weekend, before the reception of PSG on March 20. In between, there will be the Europa League doubleheader against Braga. Suffice to say that the next meetings promise to be decisive for the end of the season, while a lot of players are not in great shape. We think of Nübel, still in difficulty, but also of Tchouaméni, Caio Henrique or even Sofiane Diop, less decisive in recent weeks.
New disappointment in the Coupe de France
The Coupe de France could also have been a way to save the season, especially since Monaco, 5 times winner in its history and finalist last year, has not lifted the Charles Simon trophy since 1991. For that, it would have been necessary win in Nantes but at the end of a tight and very lively semi-final, it was the Canaries who triumphed on penalties (2-2, 4-2 on pens). This time, it was Sidibé and Ben Yedder who did not shine, the captain even missing his attempt during the fateful session. The Principality club tried to dominate their opponent but once again suffered a lot against it.
“It’s been two games in a row that we’ve scored against our sideenraged Philippe Clément at La Beaujoire. Penalties are a bit of a lottery. (…) Luck was not on our side. We are still in two competitions. We are really ambitious, we want to turn the odds. Sunday (against OM), I want to see players who start like today (Wednesday). Time is starting to run out. We are almost a month without a win (on February 8 in the quarter-finals of the Coupe de France against Amiens 2-0). It’s a long time for a club with big ambitions and Clément is already under pressure for results.
The first doubts arise
“Things have been against us in recent weeks, that’s true. But we have to keep working. We can judge the work of a coach after 6 months. It’s impossible to fit everything in two months between injuries, Covid cases, etc. It’s true that having a series of nine points and being in the final would have been something pleasant., acknowledged the Belgian at a press conference this Friday before the trip to Marseille. But proof that the interrogations are already pointing the tip of their nose, a journalist relaunched the coach, asking him if the management will leave him these six months. “I think I have a longer contract (2024, editor’s note) than that, so yes I think so.”