Preview: Table-topping AS Monaco gear up for stern Lorient challenge

AS Monaco manager Adi Hütter offered plenty of insight during his pre-match press conference ahead of this weekend’s difficult away clash against Lorient, as the Principality side finds itself in the peculiar position of leading Ligue 1.

The paradox of leadership

Monaco’s position atop the Ligue 1 table presents a contradiction. Monaco boasts the League’s most prolific attack alongside Lille with 13 goals yet has conceded 11 across just six matches – a defensive fragility that shadows their offensive prowess. As Foot Mercato notes, even in victory against Metz (5-2), the visitors controlled 57% of possession, underlining Monaco’s struggles to impose themselves despite favourable outcomes.

Lorient challenge

First on the agenda during Tuesday’s press conference was Hütter’s take on the challenge Lorient presents, with the Monaco boss eager to stress that ASM won’t be underestimating their adversaries.

“They suffered a heavy home defeat against Lille in a match that could be described as bizarre. LOSC was still 2-1 up in the 75th minute before they conceded five goals in the last 15-20 minutes. This is a team that tries to play football. Up front, Aiyegun Tosin is one of the fastest players in the league. I don’t know who will line up with him, but Mohamed Bamba is also very fast, so we’ll have to be careful with that,” he insisted.

“In my opinion, they’re a typical Ligue 1 formation that plays compactly in a 5-3-2 or 5-2-3 formation. They’re on the lookout for every opponent’s mistake to play in transition and don’t often have the ball. We know this team and I will prepare my players for this challenge. This is the start of an important week for us.”

Presidential concern and player dedication

The complexities of Monaco’s situation have not escaped the attention of the club’s hierarchy. According to Foot Mercato, President Dmitry Rybolovlev, who attended Sunday’s match against Metz at Stade Louis-II, made his concerns tangible by appearing at the Performance Center on Monday for several meetings to address the team’s peculiar circumstances. In a show of collective commitment, numerous players also reported to La Turbie on their day off for treatment and recovery sessions following an intense period of three matches in eight days.

Fati’s renaissance

Given Ansu Fati’s exceptional form, which has seen him score three goals in his last two matches, the Austrian tactician justifiably spoke in delight about the gifted Spanish international’s performances.

“He’s getting closer and closer to joining the starting XI. It’s part of the process he’s been following since his arrival. He’s certainly had a fantastic week, but we have to manage him for the important and demanding matches that are coming up, and that’s what we do every day. He’s been injured a lot in recent years, and we want him to be less fragile and able to keep going. That’s why we protect him by increasing his playing time in each match, and when we feel he’s more tired, we pay attention,” he told the media in attendance.

“He’s in good form and had some good moments last week. His best position right now is as a mobile number 9. I think he can really be decisive in crucial moments, as he showed us. He’s also capable of playing on the wing or as a 10. I was amazed by his return because after a long injury, it’s never easy, but he managed to score three goals in 75 minutes. It could be seen as a bit of a surprise, but Ansu is a fantastic player. The way he scored against Metz shows that he’s clinical in front of goal, and he had an impressive impact this week.”

Mawissa and Diatta

Hütter then shared his thoughts on exciting young defender Christian Mawissa and Krépin Diatta’s fine showing versus Metz.

“Christian is a versatile player, capable of playing in a three or four-man defence or as a full-back. He has several qualities: he’s strong, fast and strong in duels and one-on-ones. We’re happy to have such a talented Frenchman at AS Monaco,” said the 55-year-old.

He added this on Diatta: “First of all, he had a fantastic performance against Metz, helping us a lot to get the victory. He is versatile, being able to play in several positions. I spoke with him after the transfer window. We have a good relationship; he is a special player and man. What he did against Metz was remarkable—I was happy about it. He can help us a lot. After Denis Zakaria’s injury, we started the process with UEFA to allow Krépin to temporarily replace Denis on the list as allowed by the regulations.”

Defensive options

When asked about the possibility of switching systems and how Monaco can tighten up defensively, Hütter provided a thoughtful and honest assessment of his team’s current situation.

“It’s a system that I can consider because it could bring a new face to the team. Our opponents analyse our game and know what to do to put us in difficulty. In my opinion, at some point, we will have to try something else even if we are comfortable in 4-2-2-2. We are indeed experiencing some problems in the opposing offensive transition, which means that we are currently conceding too many goals. We are not necessarily satisfied with the way we are playing, but we are the leaders in the standings, which is a bit of a paradox,” commented the former Eintracht Frankfurt manager.

“So, it’s positive, we also have the joint-best attack in Ligue 1 with Lille, with 13 goals scored, six of which came in the final minutes. This proves that my players aren’t giving up, that they’re in good physical shape and that they have confidence in our football. On the other hand, we’ve conceded seven, which is too many for a team like ours. We need to work on that to improve, especially on the details and our early matches where we’re slow to get going.”

Vanderson

Next up was Hütter’s response to a question on the form of Vanderson, who’s not yet operating at a level resembling his best.

“I don’t think he’s had a bad start to the season. I’m glad he stayed this summer. He’ll do everything he can to perform, especially since the World Cup is in 2026. As a Brazilian international, he’ll give everything to be called up. He’s 100% focused on the club. I had a chat with him. He knows he can play better, but he feels good here,” he stated.

“We must not forget that Vandi has not had a full pre-season, so we must be careful with his playing time. We have a limited squad with many matches to play at the start of the season. It is impossible to play every three days at a high level with fatigue being a factor. In addition, I want everyone at the club to be involved.”

Teze in midfield

Another intriguing topic was playing Jordan Teze in central midfield due to the many injuries the club has in this area of the pitch. “He did it well against Metz. Jordan is an intelligent player, he understands the game well and knows where to position himself. He also showed us that he is solid in duels. At right-back, we have Vanderson and Krépin, which is why we can play him in midfield. We have to look at what type of players we need in this position, and for me, Jordan has that profile. I was a midfielder for 20 years, so you can imagine that I have a little feeling about a profile that could be number 6 or number 8 (smiles),” he noted.

“At the moment, we have three central midfielders with Lamine Camara, Mamadou Coulibaly and Pape Cabral, a member of the Elite Group, who had a fantastic game in pre-season against Nottingham. However, it is clear that we have to find solutions; he already did it last year, like against Inter, where he unfortunately got injured.”

Eyes on victory

Fully focused on securing all three points to maintain their position atop the Ligue 1 table, Hütter and his troops will need to be locked in to emerge victorious from this tough away encounter, as they look to make it five wins from six to start their 2025/26 league campaign.