Monaco continues its Ligue 1 season as if nothing had happened
If the fight for the European places was not a race of slowness, the Monegasques would have lived through too many disappointments to be able to hope for something from this spring. But Nice and Rennes neutralized each other on Saturday (1-1), before Lille remained powerless against Bordeaux (0-0), and a completely failed season can still be stopped: in the event of a victory in Metz this afternoon, ASM would come within four points of fourth place and it doesn’t just owe it to the shortcomings of its competitors. She also knew how to beat Paris-SG (3-0, March 20), and Philippe Clément spent the truce convincing his players that they were able to ride on this success.
The Belgian coach managed a reduced squad, in the absence of the internationals, and he took the opportunity to conduct individual interviews which enabled him to explain, eye to eye, that vacation time was above all not arrived. With twenty-seven points to take, his group is assured that everything is possible, even if the president of the club has already decided. As revealed by The Team on March 20, Dimitri Rybolovlev is overwhelmed by the failures of his team which fell away from the podium in L1, the main objective, while chaining eliminations in the semi-finals of the Coupe de France and in the round of 16 of the Europa League . According to our information, the boss wants to separate from vice-president Oleg Petrov, sporting director Paul Mitchell and his coach, who does not appear to be disturbed. “I was surprised to read this story, the morning before a big match… But we focused on Paris-SG with the staff and the players, a soufflé Friday Clément. I’m focused on my work and I haven’t received any signals from anyone at the club about what has been written. »
Clément intended to end the season on the ASM bench
Focused on the field, the technician normally works with players who have seen others. Accustomed to instability, they proved against Paris-SG that this context did not trouble them and the subject disappeared from their conversations during the truce. Like his coach, Oleg Petrov has not changed his habits either and normally goes to the performance center of La Turbie. Like Mitchell and Clément, the vice-president did not discuss his future with the top of the club, where the timing of the revolution is not yet fixed. It depends on the search for successors, and Rybolovlev does not want to rush. Appointed in early January to replace Niko Kovac, Clement is thus destined to finish the season and he should leave ASM after Mitchell and Petrov, who continue to carry out their missions.
Oleg Petrov, with Paul Mitchell and Philippe Clément on his left. (A. Mounic/The Team)
The final sprint starts in an environment that is not flawed, even if the next results will obviously condition the atmosphere. After a last calamitous trip to Strasbourg (0-1, March 13), ASM really needs a victory in Metz (3 p.m., Sunday) to validate Clément’s optimism, and it will have to be snatched away without hesitation. striker Kevin Volland, who suffers from nasopharyngitis. But it’s not all bad news because Vanderson, recovered from Covid-19, is back. Brilliant since his signing in January, the right side should be aligned a notch higher this Sunday afternoon, and it is not a problem for him. Whatever his position, he remains one of the best reasons to hope for a lasting improvement, after so many disappointments.