Preview: AS Monaco eager to end rotten away run with victory over Toulouse
Attending the pre-match press conference ahead of AS Monaco’s important encounter with Toulouse, Adi Hutter provided some brilliant insight on a host of topics.
Toulouse preparations
Having not won in their last eight games in all competitions, ASM’s have been fully focused on preparing in the best way possible to stop this unwanted streak.
Advertising
“We did a good job at the start of the week indeed, even if the revealer will inevitably be this weekend’s match against Toulouse. My feeling is that the players were already very focused last week, especially on the defensive side, and this was felt with the result obtained against Reims with a clean sheet at the end,” Hutter told the media.
“We now have to prove the same things and show the same face away from home, because our statistics are not good enough away from the Stade Louis-II. Especially since two games await us in Toulouse and Angers. It will not be easy against a TFC team that is having a good season, but we are ready for these two away battles.”
Biereth and Embolo
Next on the agenda was Hutter’s take on ASM’s quality attacking duo of Mika Biereth and Breel Embolo, with him particularly full of praise for the free-scoring Biereth, who’s remarkably bagged 10 goals in his last seven Ligue 1 matches.
“For Mika, it’s hard to do better (smile)! But more seriously, concerning their relationship, they understand each other and complement each other well. Breel likes to protect and move the ball back, and Mika can take advantage of his movements. The latter is also able to play with George and Balo now. I’m happy to have several tactical possibilities,” said the Austrian tactician.
“Both are doing good things, they get along well at the moment and Breel is important for Mika as a second striker. My wish now is for Breel to score more, that would be great for him. And regarding Mika, I now expect him to score as many goals away from home as at home (smile)! In any case, both are a big threat for opposing defences and I am happy with their understanding.”
Balogun back
The 55-year-old boss then shared the positive news that star striker Folarin Balogun is now back in training following his shoulder injury, which is a key step in him returning to the pitch.
“The good news of the day is indeed the return of Folarin Balogun, who did his first collective session today. However, for me it is much too early to talk about a potential return, because it is the first time he has trained with the group for a long time, especially since today’s session was more focused on recovery. It is therefore difficult for me to comment on a return to the group at 100% of his capacities. But we will take stock before the trip to Angers next week,” insisted Hutter.
“What is certain is that we will have more quality in this sector with the return of Balo, because he has qualities and a profile different from what we have. He was in very good shape before his injury and offers us more possibilities in attack. He can play alone up front or with another player at his side with Breel, George and, of course, Mika. He is very fast and knows how to attack the spaces behind the opposing defences, so I am really happy with his return and I hope that everything will evolve in the right direction with his shoulder.”
Minamino extends
Another excellent story was the extension of Takumi Minamino’s contract, and Hutter was delighted about the deal, for there’s no doubting what an integral member of the squad the Japanese international is.
“First of all, we are delighted that he has extended his contract with the club. He is our most experienced player, so we are very happy that he will continue the adventure until 2027. Like the team, he had a difficult period at the start of the year, during which he had many opportunities but without much success,” he expressed.
“But now, I have the feeling that he is back and that he is having a big impact, so that is very encouraging! It is not always easy to find an explanation for poor form, that is part of football. In any case, we are very happy that he is staying with us. Sometimes our job is also to transmit as much confidence as possible to the players so that they find their way back to goal. You can see as an observer that he is probably one of the best players between the lines. He always has the right intuition about his positioning and he knows how to position himself to best use the spaces. It must not be easy to defend against him to be honest. He is also a different profile from Maghnes Akliouche, Eliesse Ben Seghir and Aleksandr Golovin on the offensive line. In addition, he is very versatile, can play in several positions of the attack and therefore gives us several tactical options.”
Club leadership
How happy the experienced boss is working with President Dmitry Rybolovlev and General Manager Thiago Scuro was next on the docket, as he’s right on the same page as the club’s leaders.
“I am very close with the President and the General Manager and not only when the team wins, because we have very high goals to achieve. Sometimes we are not 100% satisfied, but, for me, it is a normal process. We have good exchanges between us and even if the results are not always there, we work hard to reach our main goal at the end of this very busy season. So I am close to the management and I like working like this,” he explained.
January recruits
When asked for his opinion on the new January additions, he was rightfully pleased with what Biereth and Moatasem Al-Musrati have brought to the table, stating: “For me, it’s easy to say that Mika has already shown what I expected from him (smile)! For everyone here, I have to say that he is a nice surprise, it’s really impressive what he has already accomplished. But I also want to congratulate his teammates who allow him to combine and score all these goals. And then he is also a great guy, not only on the pitch, but also in the locker room.
“Regarding Moatasem Al-Musrati, he also has a good impact on the team by showing all his experience, his calm with the ball. I also have the feeling that he brings serenity to the team, in addition to being a complementary profile to those of Denis (Zakaria) and Lamine (Camara). So we are happy with the reinforcement brought by these two winter recruits.”
Go time
After putting in a solid week of training and analysis, expect Monaco to be right on top of their game for this tough fixture vs. Toulouse, where a win is a must to keep up in the race to secure Champions League football for the 2025/2026 season.
