Ligue 1: Must-win Nantes fixture awaits AS Monaco
Eager to return to winning ways following two consecutive losses against Paris Saint-Germain and Benfica, AS Monaco’s upcoming clash with Nantes gives them a perfect opportunity to do just that.
Monaco manager Adi Hutter knows that claiming all three points will be easier said than done against a Nantes side that recently drew with ASM. This clash and more was discussed by the Austrian at the pre-match press conference.
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Nantes
“The most important match is the next one, we have to achieve our objective, which is to play in the Champions League and not worry about what can happen after or what happened before. Our players are fully focused on each match, they are all important, we will fully switch our attention to the match against Benfica just after the one against Nantes,” explained Hutter.
“When we entered the final games of last season, we were in the same situation, and we finished second in the standings. In any case, that is the direction we want to go and we believe in it. For that, we must win against Nantes tomorrow.”
Benfica reflections
Having suffered a frustrating loss to Benfica in the first leg of their Champions League play-off tie, it was interesting to hear Hutter’s thoughts on this one, where their chances of victory were hampered by Moatasem Al-Musrati’s harsh red card.
“I think we prepared well for the match. Playing football without emotion is very complicated. I said it after the match, these are the rules, but it’s a difficult second yellow card. There is a comeback, I’m not going to blame Moatasem Al-Musrati, protests can happen often at this stage of the competition. But it’s hard to accept, because I didn’t see any gestures of anger from him, he was calm with the referee,” insisted the astute tactician.
“We were quite unlucky with a few refereeing decisions in the two games against Benfica. I think Carreras deserves to come off and get a second yellow card for his foul on Breel Embolo. On the other hand, we are the main culprits with this goal conceded. It may be that one day we will be at an advantage. There are many similar situations in football. The referees try to do their best.”
The state of the squad
When quizzed on the condition of his squad and how challenging it is to keep everyone happy, there were many key takeaways to be extracted from his insights on these topics.
“My job is to protect my players, we have a clear language internally that everyone understands. We prepare for every match, and we like European games because we gain experience. There are now three months of competition left and we are in the top four. Everyone has to be ready because the games are going to come thick and fast,” said the experienced boss.
“All the players are involved, although of course I can understand that some players are not happy with their playing time. I think my experience as a former professional footballer helps me with this kind of situation, because I have experienced it too. I was absent for several weeks because my performances were not good and the coach decided to take me out of the group. I wasn’t happy, but I immediately realised that I had to get back to work, stop talking and be ready to give my all when the coach gave me another chance. That’s my experience and that’s what I expect from my players.”
Ben Seghir
The 55-year-old then specifically touched on Eliesse Ben Seghir, who’s struggling to recapture his electric early season form at present, with him keen to stress that both he and the player are doing all they can to ensure he gets back to a level resembling his best.
“I want to defend Eliesse Ben Seghir, he is only a 19-year-old player, the expectations around him are often too high. He has already shown, despite his young age, his qualities for the top level. My goal is to bring him back to this level of performance, he is not the first player of this age to experience some difficulties with the professional world, especially after his very good start to the season. I am sure that Eliesse is doing everything possible to get back to the best of his form,” stated Hutter.
Huge few days ahead
Ready for the Nantes clash, which will serve as a terrific precursor to the second leg vs. Benfica next week, and fully focused on reigning supreme in both matches, it’ll be fascinating to see how the next few days play out for the Principality club.
