Leonardo Jardim appeared in a press conference yesterday, two days before receiving Saint-Etienne (ASSE) at the Stade Louis II, as part of the 35th day of Ligue 1. The Monegasque coach spoke on the club’s situation, currently ranked 16th on the league table.
“We will continue to advance with confidence, not fear. It’s a fight that we have to fight every day. Nothing is guaranteed, which is why we need to continue working every day,” said Leonardo Jardim, set on maintaining the team’s slot in Ligue 1 next season. A position that the players have been fighting for over the last few weeks.
Currently 16th in the standings with 33 points, AS Monaco is moving away from the relegation zone, still followed closely by Amiens. The Principality’s club, which is preparing to face Saint-Etienne this Sunday, is toeing the line in these last days of the championship: “We will give it our all. We missed opportunities but we have a lot of strengths. The staff, the players, everyone is motivated to meet this challenge. (…) Saint-Etienne has a great team. They are not 4th for nothing. They have a quality workforce. We will have to be vigilant to get it right,” says the Portuguese coach.
To do this, he must field a team without Fabregas, who is still unavailable. However, he will be able to count on one of his team’s key assets in the person of Radamel Falcao, author of a draw-saving brace against Rennes Wednesday: “Falcao is an experienced player who has always played at the highest level. He is accustomed to vying for a spot at the top of the table. He demonstrated it in the last match, by his attitude.”
*Article originally published on the French edition of the Monaco Tribune.