Three takeaways from AS Monaco’s loss vs. Marseille
Olympique de Marseille managed to overturn a first-half deficit to defeat AS Monaco 2-1, in a match where mistakes once again proved costly for Adi Hutter’s team.
Aside from the errors, Les Monegasques’ performance was actually a good one filled with many positives. On another night it certainly could’ve been a different story.
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With this in mind, this gives us the opportunity to focus on three takeaways from this encounter.
Balogun’s return
Making his first Ligue 1 appearance since the beginning of October, it was great to see Folarin Balogun back out there following his shoulder injury.
Having been handed 27 minutes vs. Benfica in the Champions League, the USMNT star was given the nod by Hutter to start this one. And although he didn’t find the back of the net, he still put in a solid body of work.
Leading the line strongly and providing a quality reference point and target for his team going forward, Balogun’s offensive output was very promising.
Not only did he smartly find space between the lines when dropping deep, but he also embarked on some slick runs in behind and into the box.
Moreover, how he pinned and drew markers to create room for others, plus neatly rotated with his colleagues, were extra highlights from his 68 minutes afield.
Putting in a power of work defensively as well, the fact he set the tone for his colleagues to follow with his pressing and chimed in with the interception that served as the catalyst for Aleksandr Golovin’s opener underlined his vital stopping contributions.
With ASM’s strikers struggling to fire and the fixtures coming thick and fast, the return of Balogun will give them a crucial extra option upfront, for when he’s fully fit and firing, there’s not many better than him in Ligue 1.
Singo brilliant
Wilfried Singo’s display was full of upside for AS Monaco, for the Ivorian stopper executed his actions with a nice blend of brains and brawn.
Powerful and assertive in his duels both on the ground and in the air, his opponents found it tough to gain an edge over the physically imposing defender.
Harrying foes with gusto, tracking adversaries coherently when they checked towards the ball or surged in behind, the athletic Singo hardly put a foot wrong to once more demonstrate his worth.
Never afraid to put his body on the line, like for his memorable blocked shot, and fierce in the tackle, OM’s forwards knew they were in for a challenge against the former Torino star.
Agile, fast and able to rapidly change direction, watching him deal with a host of threats and the way he attentively covered for teammates elevated his impact and compounded issues for the likes of Neal Maupay, Mason Greenwood and Adrien Rabiot.
Holding his own in an attacking sense too, where he struck some crisp passes into the final third, dribbled upfield with intent and showed his smart positional awareness, Singo was definitely one of his team’s best in this encounter.
A complete package in the heart of defence and a major offensive weapon, this was the latest example of what an integral component Singo is for this exciting Les Monegasques outfit.
Rulli’s heroics
In a clash that was decided by fine margins, the heroics of OM goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli were unquestionably a pivotal factor towards the home side securing all three points.
Getting off to a flyer by producing a masterful stop to deny Eliesse Ben Seghir in the early moments, this instilled him with immense confidence to proceed to enjoy a super night at the office and frequently come to the rescue for Marseille.
“You may not know him as well as I do, but he has a strong personality. I like everything about him. He’s one of the leaders of our team. I think we have a great goalkeeper, a great man and a great leader. We are really lucky to have him,” insisted Roberto De Zerbi.
While he was powerless to stop Golovin from finding the back of the net, the Argentine went on to make some excellent stops in the second stanza from Denis Zakaria and Golovin’s shots.
Also stamping his mark in possession by completing 34 of his 38 attempted passes and six of nine long balls, this amplified what a pivotal figure he was for De Zerbi’s men in what was an exceptional man of the match performance by Rulli.