In brief

Preview: AS Monaco prepared for difficult Champions League clash with Inter Milan

Adi Hutter attended the pre-match press conference ahead of AS Monaco’s massive final Champions League first phase match with Inter Milan to give his thoughts on a variety of subjects.

Approach

Although Monaco have already booked their place in the play-offs and currently sit 10th in the league stage standings, a win could see them progress to the Round of 16 directly, which adds some extra importance to this clash.

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“If you ask me if I plan to do calculations before the match, I would say no! But during the match, depending on the different results, maybe we will have to take them into consideration. On the other hand, before playing, it makes no sense for me to think about it. When you have a match here at the Giuseppe Meazza against Inter Milan in the Champions League, you have to give the best of what you have in yourself and not calculate,” stated the Austrian.

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“Nobody knows what will happen in football, because with a lot of luck and an incredible performance, we can even finish in the top eight. But to beat this team, you have to play a fantastic game! But the players are ready.”

French sides shining

Hutter was then asked about how good it is to see so many French teams doing well in Europe’s elite competition. “First of all, I think it’s great to see so many Ligue 1 teams able to qualify for the top eight or the play-offs. Having at least three teams in these play-offs is fantastic for French football! Then, Paris Saint-Germain will have to make a big effort to be in the game as well. It’s a very positive sign for France in any case. And for us personally, it’s a great achievement to be part of these play-offs, because it was one of our main objectives of the season. Tomorrow we’ll see what it’s possible to go and get,” he explained.

Italian style

Next on the agenda was his philosophy and his take on the Italian style of football, as he offered some keen insights on both approaches.

“When I said last week in a humorous tone that the transalpine teams were capable of playing for a draw, I mainly wanted to say that these teams have top-level defences. Catenaccio was invented in Italy, which means that here they know how to keep a clean sheet. It’s a compliment coming from me, because it’s not easy,” he told the media.

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“It is obvious that I have another vision of football, and that is to do everything at all times to win matches, whatever the score. And then in my opinion, we will not only face an Italian team tomorrow, but one of the best teams in Europe, and certainly one of the candidates to win the Champions League this season.” 

Inzaghi’s masterful Inter

Simone Inzaghi’s outstanding Inter Milan outfit was another fascinating topic that arose, and Hutter was full of praise for the Italian heavyweights.

“When you look at their Champions League run this year, they’ve scored eight goals and conceded just one in seven games. So they’ve got a very good defence obviously, but they’ve also scored 55 league goals in 21 games and conceded 18, which is an incredible difference of +37,” insisted the 54-year-old.

“He is one of the best coaches in Europe. He had some difficult moments here too, but the way he manages this team, I have to say I admire him, so congratulations to him! We faced each other when he was on the bench for Lazio in the Europa League group stage when I was at Frankfurt. We had two fantastic games, winning 4-1 at home and then 2-1 in Rome, to finish top of the group with 18 points, which was a record in Germany. I like his style of play, and what he does here in Milan. He’s a top coach! We are going to meet a great team tomorrow, who are difficult to beat, but we are here to show that we are also a good team and that we are courageous. We will see what happens.

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“Tomorrow we will now face a completely different challenge with Inter Milan. We will have to be ready for this challenge and all go in the same direction, because we want to give the best possible performance on the pitch and show our playing philosophy. We will have to be very competitive and give a lot, because this team is very, very strong at the moment.”

Star power

Given what an assortment of quality players Inter have in their ranks, Hutter intelligently touched on what a force they are to be reckoned with.

“I knew Henrikh Mkhitaryan when he was at Borussia Dortmund. He is a great player, 36 years old if I am not mistaken, so very experienced, and he is a bit of the heart of this team. But it does not make sense to talk about a single player regarding Inter’s attacking animation, because they really have very good elements, and we do not know which eleven we will have to face tomorrow,” commented the Austrian.

“They are really in great shape, and one of my former players at Borussia Monchengladbach, Marcus Thuram, is having an extraordinary season. As is Yann Sommer, who I also knew there and who is a key player in this team. Maybe Simone Inzaghi needs to rotate, given that there is a big derby against AC Milan here this weekend. We will see what team we are up against, but again Dimarco is a threat on the left and Darmian is a great player.”

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He then added this on one of his former players in Thuram: “At the beginning when I had him under my orders he was very young, could sometimes joke a little too much (smiles). But now he is an experienced player, who has just played an exceptional match against Lecce this weekend. He came from Guingamp when he arrived at Borussia, where he played most of the time on the left in a 4-3-3, as he did at Gladbach afterwards with Marco Rose.

“But I wanted to test him up front for my part, because he has the athletic qualities. He is very powerful, fast and very strong one-on-one. Today, he is certainly one of the best players in his position. I like him a lot and I can’t wait to meet him again as well as Yann Sommer. Even if I hope they won’t be at their best against us.”

Squad

The state of the squad and personnel available was then discussed, as Hutter provided updates on some key figures. “Vanderson is in very good shape at the moment even though last season he was injured at times. In any case, he is in great shape at the moment. I am also happy to see that a player like Christian Mawissa can play in several positions in the defence, and that Krepin Diatta is back in the squad to give us several options. We will see what choice we will make, because there is still a match in the aftermath against Auxerre in the championship on Saturday. We will see what happens tomorrow, but we will be ready to show that we are a good team,” said Hutter.

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Showdown

Aiming to build on their momentum and secure a third straight win after defeating Aston Villa and Rennes, this crucial match against Inter promises to be a thrilling contest to close out what’s been a hugely positive UCL league phase for Les Rouge et Blanc.