Review

Analysis: Akliouche magic and Biereth brilliance powers AS Monaco to victory vs. Rennes

AS Monaco celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Stade Louis II in fine style by defeating Rennes 3-2 to secure their first Ligue 1 win since December 7, in a match where Maghnes Akliouche and Mika Biereth were instrumental towards this memorable triumph.

In the aftermath of this key clash, this gives us the opportunity to analyse why Akliouche and Biereth were the stars of the show in this one.

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Akliouche the magician

Akliouche produced an absolute masterclass against Rennes, as he was a major driving force towards this vital victory, on a night where his technical wizardry and spectacular overhead kick goal drew the headlines. 

Kicking off the match in terrific fashion by scoring with his aforementioned acrobatic effort to give ASM the lead, Akliouche used this as a platform to proceed to enjoy a brilliant game.

“Wow (smile)! An incredible goal huh! We deserved to open the scoring at that moment, and I think it will probably be in the selection of the best goals in Ligue 1 this season! Everyone wants to see these kinds of goals,” Adi Hutter said of Akliouche’s scintillating strike.

© AS Monaco

Also wreaking havoc with his dribbling genius, inventive passing and intelligent movement, Rennes struggled enormously to contain the 22-year-old, who made a superb return to form following a slight rough patch.

Aklouche’s heat map

Operating with immense confidence and executing his actions effectively, his classy assist for Aleksandr Golovin, where he weighed up his options expertly before feeding the striker, was another highlight from his exceptional body of work.

Aklouche’s pass map

“He is obviously a very intelligent and very skillful player, especially in the last 30 metres of the opponent, where all his decisions are good. He creates a lot of situations for his teammates thanks to his understanding of the game. On Golovin’s goal, he perfectly exploited the three against two with Mika’s movement and gave the ball to the right place at the right time. Maghnes’ technical performance was fantastic,” explained the Austrian tactician.

© AS Monaco

“We may have felt in one or two games that he was tired, but once again he is a young player and we are in the middle of a long season. I often say it, but having played in the Olympic Games and without having taken part in the pre-season preparation, it is difficult to follow up after that. In any case, I am very happy with his performance tonight and for this incredible goal.”

By the numbers, on top of his goal and assist,  his 12 touches inside the box, four chances created, four progressive runs, four shots and four fouls suffered aptly depicted what an outstanding showing it was from the gifted 22-year-old.

Eager to carry on this momentum and help the team extend their two-game winning streak, watching how he fares against Inter Milan, who are one of the truly elite sides in European football, in Monaco’s upcoming Champions League fixture will be fascinating.

Biereth’s brilliance

New signing Biereth continued his encouraging beginning to life at Monaco, as he not only bagged his first goal for the Principality club, but also put in a shift littered with upside.

Having been handed a start by Hutter, the talented forward contributed impressively to repay the faith of his manager nicely.

© AS Monaco

To start with with his creative passing, and his chance conjuring prowess was a valuable aspect, for he set up a host of openings with his vision and handy repertoire of passes. Even though the likes of Golovin and Takumi Minamino were unfortunately unable to convert the presentable openings he generated for them, this component of his game elevated ASM’s final third threat massively.

His clever positioning and smooth dovetailing with his teammates was another positive, for he chose wisely when to drop deep or run in behind, plus knew which spaces to target inside the area while not getting in the way of his colleagues.

Biereth’s heat map

Indeed, his well-taken goal was an ideal reward for his quality work, as he clinically found the back of the net after some crafty play by Lamine Camara.

Biereth’s shot map

“Honestly, he showed the same movements as in Montpellier, but I think our number 10s and his partners in general analysed his runs better. That’s why the actions were more fluid and he had a lot of opportunities to score,” Hutter commented on the man who registered 14 touches inside the box, four shots, three chances created, three fouls suffered and two dribbles.

“He must not be completely satisfied coming out of this match, because he is capable of scoring two or three tonight. But he had a great first half by keeping the ball well. He sees his teammates well and works hard for the team, so this is very promising for the future.”

© AS Monaco

Biereth then gave his take on his display, stating: “I am very happy. I played 45 minutes for my first match after a long period of inactivity, so I was happy to get back on the pitch. The second was then frustrating, losing to Montpellier. First goal, good team performance and victory against Rennes, I can’t ask for more. It wasn’t my best [game] or my best goal, but it was scored at an important moment in the match. I am very happy.

“I work in training with my teammates and the coach. I’ve been here for a short time, so it’s about developing our relationships on the pitch. It doesn’t happen straight away, but it’s getting better and better.”

Primed to keep going from strength to strength as he further adapts to life at his new club, expect the multifaceted Danish youth international to be a crucial asset in what looms as a busy second half of the campaign both domestically and in Europe for Les Monegasques.

© AS Monaco