Three Takeaways from AS Monaco’s victory vs. Rodez
Having suffered defeat at the hands of Rodez in the Coupe de France last season, AS Monaco made sure lightning didn’t strike twice by defeating the dangerous Ligue 2 side 1-3 this time around.
Although they were made to work hard for the win in this hotly contested clash against the in-form Rodez, Wissam Ben Yedder’s exceptional hat-trick propelled Les Monegasques to victory in a match where ASM were outshot 17 to 11.
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With this in mind, here’s three tactical takeaways from their match with Rodez.
Ben Yedder’s Brilliance
Ben Yedder yet again proved age is just a number, as the 33-year-old’s excellent triple helped power his team to victory. Underlining just what an indispensable figure he is for Adi Hutter’s ASM, it was a joy to watch him flexing his muscles on his way to grabbing his 250th club goal of his career.
Instinctive, clinical and taking his chances with aplomb, his outstanding body of work encapsulated what a difficult man to stop he is. Firstly dispatching his penalty with authority before sharply reacting to tap in his second and then completing his hat-trick with a sublime first-time finish following Kassoum Ouattara’s wicked cross, there was no stopping the little magician.
In addition, the way he dovetailed nicely with fellow attackers Folarin Balogun and Aleksandr Golovin, exploited space both in front of and in behind the Rodez backline, embarked on some nifty dribbles and fed his colleagues with some incisive passes added to his impact.
“Wissam scored all three goals, he was the hero of the match,” insisted Hutter. “It’s not surprising, he regularly scores over 20 goals per season. He has this feeling in front of goal, he is a real attacker. He had a period without scoring, but he has now fully regained success.
“He is one of the best attackers I have ever coached, a very professional person who is always present on the pitch. A big congratulations also to Folarin Balogun, who was decisive on the first two goals. I’m very happy with all our offensive moves.”
Producing the goods when his team needed him to progress in the cup, Ben Yedder once more showcased just what a force to be reckoned with he is despite him entering the twilight stages of his career.
Akliouche’s immense impact off the bench
Wanting to give his team a spark for the second stanza, Hutter’s introduction of gifted young attacking midfielder Maghnes Akliouche provided just that.
Breathing life into ASM’s offensive efforts with his intelligence, class in possession and crafty movement, the 21-year-old was instrumental towards his team sealing the victory in the second half.
Effectively breathing life into ASM’s efforts going forward, the way he smartly found space between the lines, interchanged with Vanderson, linked play, ran in behind when one of his partners in attack dropped deep and used his mazy dribbling to unbalance his adversaries added another dimension to the away side in the final third.
Playing a key role in their second courtesy of his astute positioning to receive between the lines in a forward facing posture before playing a measured through ball into Balogun’s path that Ben Yedder ultimately finished, this emphatically vindicated Hutter’s decision to bring him on after the break.
“Maghnes brought a lot of movement, we lacked the contribution of an additional number 10 in the first half. He showed all his technique and his quality with the ball. It’s always complicated to evolve against a tactic like the one put in place by Rodez, so I’m happy with this victory,” Hutter explained.
Coming up trumps to turn the tie in Monaco’s favour, the elusive and highly skilled youngster continues to impress whenever given an opportunity, with this latest cameo aptly depicting what a difference maker he can be.
Rodez deserve credit
Despite the scoreline suggesting this was a comfortable victory for Les Rouge et Blanc, this certainly wasn’t the case, for the Ligue 2 team, who have been playing excellently of late, gave Hutter’s men a stern test.
Indeed, the fact Rodez held the ascendancy over ASM in terms of total shots (17 to 11), shots inside the box (12 to 9), big chances created (4 to 3) and open play expected goals (1.82 to 1.69) illustrated what a challenging opponent they were.
Particularly holding their own in the opening stanza in front of their energetic fans, where they made life very difficult for their more-fancied foes, Hutter was rightfully full of praise for Rodez when speaking after the match.
“It’s very important to have qualified tonight. I wasn’t very happy with the first 45 minutes. We played too slowly in transitions for my taste, and it was too easy for Rodez to organise themselves, especially with the block they had put in place. We were good in the second act, and we were finally able to show all our qualities. I would still like to congratulate our opponents, who played a very good match, especially in the first half,” reflected the Austrian manager.
Even though ASM were ultimately too strong, Rodez can hold their heads high in the knowledge they put in a fantastic effort against one of the elite teams in Ligue 1.