AS Monaco’s pre-season gathers momentum in English camp

AS Monaco ended their pre-season at St. George’s Park with a record of one win and one draw, marking a collective increase in strength under the watchful eye of President Dmitry Rybolovlev, who was present for the first time during a training camp.

Akliouche lights up the victory against Coventry

Wednesday, July 16, was a hugely successful evening of this summer’s preparations. Against Coventry City, a Championship team that came close to promotion to the Premier League last season, the Red and Whites delivered a high-flying collective display to win 0-5.

Mika Biereth, who recently extended his contract until 2030, which was a well-deserved reward after his 13 goals in 16 Ligue 1 games during his first Monegasque half-season, opened the hostilities with an important goal (27th).

The beginning of Mika Biereth’s adventure with ASM has been remarkable ©

But the evening belonged to Maghnes Akliouche. The youth international, elected MVP of last season by the fans, was the star of the show with a sumptuous hat-trick (61st, 70th, 86th) in a victory that also saw Saïmon Bouabré find the back of the net (37th). “What I liked today was the difference in the level of play on our part with the match in Brugge,” said a satisfied Adi Hütter.

A frustrating but positive draw against Nottingham

Three days later, there was a change of scenery and opponent at the SMH Group Stadium in Chesterfield. This time, the Monegasques were up against Nottingham Forest, seventh in the Premier League last season. The clash also saw the unveiling of the new 2025-2026 away shirt by Mizuno.

Le président Dmitry Rybolovlev était de nouveau présent pour soutenir l'équipe cet après-midi, à Chesterfield 🎥 pic.twitter.com/85zzYR5QIf

— AS Monaco 🇲🇨 (@AS_Monaco) July 19, 2025

This blue jersey, inspired by Monaco’s Japanese garden and the Japanese “Blue Samurai”, did not bring luck to the Red and Whites, who were forced to share the points (0-0) despite dominating. Pape Cabral, for his first professional start, and Kassoum Ouattara, author of a shot on the post (79th), embodied this collective frustration in the face of Matz Sels’ defensive wall.

“I’d like to start by saying that this is our third consecutive clean sheet (smiles)! This draw is a great way to end this training camp in England. In my opinion, we deserved to win, especially in the first half before the game evened out in the second half. No players were injured, and I’m obviously satisfied with that. I’d also like to congratulate Pape Cabral, who played very well in his first appearance with the first team,” explained the Austrian tactician.

The Red & Whites debuted the new shirt in their third pre-season match against Nottingham Forest © AS Monaco

Positive week

Beyond the results, it is above all the collective progress that particularly pleased the 54-year-old technician. “I’m really happy that at the end of this week, we managed to translate our work in training to the field,” insisted Hütter, who used the six days at Burton Upon Trent to rotate the squad and test different tactical systems.

Adi Hütter took stock of the Red and Whites © AS Monaco training camp

“Pre-season is also a time to test new systems, depending on the style of play offered by our opponents. Whatever the tactics, the objective is to progress with and without the ball, and we are on the right path,” stated the Austrian, who is keen to adapt his team to different game situations.

A historic first for Rybolovlev

A detail that has not escaped anyone’s notice: Dmitry Rybolovlev marked this summer preparation with his unprecedented presence. Since he took over the reins of the princely club in December 2011, the Russian owner had never accompanied his players on a trip for a training camp. He was first present in the opening win against Cercle Brugge at the Performance Centre in La Turbie, then travelled to England to follow the big matches with Coventry and Nottingham.

True to his reserved temperament, the manager followed his club adopting the official © AS Monaco kit

Far from the sometimes reserved image that is attributed to him, the billionaire seems to have blended into the team’s environment with a simplicity that is surprising. “He’s a normal man, better and better integrated among the players. We can joke with him,” commented Thiago Scuro, the general manager, to Nice-Matin. “I remember Adi’s first season (2023-2024), when we secured our return to the Champions League, that he [Rybolovlev] had a beer with us to celebrate.“

This presidential presence reflects a spirit of cohesion, fostered through barbecue gatherings, table football matches and the integration of new recruits like Paul Pogba, who is already impressing his coach with his humility and adaptability.

Monaco now heads to Arminia Bielefeld next Saturday (3 p.m.) for the fourth and penultimate pre-season match before the return to the Performance Centre and the resumption of Ligue 1 on the weekend of August 15 with the reception of Le Havre. The foundations have been laid, now all eyes will be on carrying this momentum into the new campaign.