Preview: AS Monaco gearing up for must-win Reims encounter
With Adi Hutter unwell, his assistant manager Christian Peintinger attended the pre-match press conference ahead of AS Monaco’s crucial match with Reims.
Hutter’s health
First on the agenda was the condition of Hutter, and Peintinger provided an update, notably stating that the Austrian boss is steadily improving in his quest to be in the dugout for the Reims encounter.
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“I hope he will be on the bench on Friday and in training tomorrow. I called him today, he is getting better and better,” he explained.
Preparations
Having enjoyed the luxury of having a week on the training ground with no midweek fixtures, the second topic of discussion was how the team’s preparation for this clash has been following their tough loss to Lille.
“We started our week with analysis and individual meetings with the players, showing them video clips. We used to do it very often, but we had less time to implement it on the pitch. Now it will be easier because we will only have one game to play each week,” Peintinger insisted.
“The goal is to improve our defensive sector. We are not only focused on this aspect because we also have an eye on our offensive strength, which is effective at the moment with a lot of goals scored. We have to find a balance between defence and attack to be better.”
He then added this on what a hectic schedule they’ve had this campaign: “Since September, we have been playing two to three times a week. We have a young team, so we have to train and rehearse our game to perform every weekend. This was less the case in recent weeks with the series of matches, which is why I am convinced that we will continue to improve in the future because we now have more time to do so.”
Areas for improvement
Knowing there’s still plenty of room to refine many aspects of their game, it was interesting to hear Monaco’s assistant share his opinion on this topic.
“I agree with this observation made by the coach. It is normal that we cannot systematically be at our highest level, but we have seen a lot of offensive quality in our last three matches. We must now stabilise defensively, we will work a lot on that in the coming weeks so that the defenders and the goalkeeper are better protected,” he noted.
“We must indeed defend better together. This involves several exercises and individual video analysis. (A system with three defenders?) It always depends on the opponent and the players available. We have already changed systems in the past, we can do so in the future too.”
Reims
When asked of his thoughts on the threat Reims pose, his opinion of this quality outfit made for great reading.
“I watched their Coupe de France match yesterday against Angers. In my opinion, it’s a team that showed a lot of quality in the first half with high pressure. Their qualification was deserved after the first 45 minutes. They were also courageous against Lyon and in Paris. They have good players, they are a physically strong team. It will be a big fight on Friday,” he commented.
“This team has evolved a little since our last meeting, they have notably changed coach. We will simply have to play our style of play, we are working on that to have a good match.”
Zakaria
Monaco captain Denis Zakaria was then touched on, as he’s endured a season filled with many positives but also negatives, which has seen him miss many games due to injury.
“Zak is not in his best shape at the moment, we know that. He has less rhythm between suspensions and injuries, but he is getting better and better in training, where we can see more confidence. I am optimistic that he will increase his performances,” Peintinger reflected.
Ilenikhena
The last subject covered was exciting attacker George Ilenikhena, who continues to go from strength to strength in his first term with the Principality club.
“I am happy that George has come back well and is in great form with three goals scored. He is young but already very talented, he needs time. But we need him too. He has come back from a long injury, he has been able to work on different aspects. He knows he still has to improve but he will be a very good player in the future,” he told the attending media.
Eyes on
Well aware that overcoming Reims will be easier said than done, seeing how Monaco fare this Friday will be intriguing, as a win would do wonders for their hopes of securing Champions League qualification for next season.