Reaction: Pocognoli reflects on AS Monaco’s painful defeat against Marseille

AS Monaco were left disappointed after a painful and unlucky 1-0 defeat to Olympique de Marseille. Coach Sébastien Pocognoli addressed the press following a match in which his side created numerous chances but ultimately fell short in this exciting Ligue 1 encounter.

Pocognoli’s take

First on the agenda was Pocognoli expressing his frustration at the tight loss that was decided by fine margins, as he reflected on his team’s performance and what could have been.

“The overriding feeling is disappointment. I felt that way after the match in Rennes and the one against Paris FC, where we mainly needed to look at ourselves and do some serious self-criticism. But today, I’m disappointed because I think my players and the club in general deserved much better. So it’s a disappointment, and now the question is how are we going to deal with it,” he told the media.

“Are we going to use this as an excuse to rebel and continue putting together good performances like today? Or are we going to try to find excuses and downplay these positives? In any case, in terms of attitude and approach to the match, I’m very proud of my players.”

Decisions go against ASM

Upon being invited to speak on the disallowed goals on a night where the Principality club didn’t get the rub of the green, the 38-year-old kept the spotlight on his team rather than the decisions, emphasising the importance of controlling what is within their power on the field.

“I didn’t see them, and I’m not going to discuss them, because every week we discuss things, whether they’re for or against us. I don’t have time to focus on that, because I have a team to develop. I told my players before the match that we had to try to control everything we can on the pitch,” he stated.

“Our approach, our game plan, we executed it very well, except for converting our chances. What you’re talking about, I have no control over that. So, apart from wasting energy and criticising colleagues – because referees are still colleagues – it won’t do any good! Today it’s not in our favour, that’s just how it is.”

Lack of clinical edge

Asked about his team’s struggles in front of goal, Pocognoli highlighted the need to convert while touching on the challenge of finding balance between pressing aggressively and conserving energy.

“Many chances were created through good pressing, and you have the right to press, but also the right not to. It’s a decision to make, especially in Marseille, who, along with Paris Saint-Germain, are the team with the most possession and the most passing accuracy. You either go looking for them, or you wait for them, but if you go looking for them, you have to be rewarded because it takes a lot of energy,” said the ASM boss.

“Tonight, that’s what I’m most frustrated about, because the team’s hard work allowed us to get in front of goal, but we weren’t able to finish our chances properly. We’ll continue to work on this aspect and stay positive nonetheless. Because creating chances is good, but OM only needed one or two in the second half to win the match.”

Approach

When quizzed on the tactical approach, it was intriguing to hear the Belgian’s thoughts on the adjustments made to face Marseille’s unique setup and how he adapted to this.

“It’s just that Olympique de Marseille has a different way of building attacks than other teams. So yes, it’s a bit different from other matches because it’s the first time we’ve played with this formation against a team with three central defenders. We adapted, and with a lot of ambition, depending on the team and how the match was unfolding,” commented Pocognoli.

Balogun

Last on the docket was Balogun’s evening, and while Pocognoli recognised the striker’s annoyance at not scoring, he made a point of praising all his hard work and the off-the-ball contributions of him and the other forwards too.

“Naturally, a striker wants to score, so there’s perhaps a feeling that the match wasn’t quite finished. But again, considering how the game unfolded, he was very important for the team. The three forwards, Taki Minamino, Aleksandr Golovin and Maghnes Akliouche, were also crucial. They put in a tremendous amount of effort off the ball, and obviously, I’d like them to be rewarded with decisive goals, but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case today,” he acknowledged.

Big week ahead

Monaco will now channel their energies towards the week ahead and fine-tuning things on the training ground as they prepare for the upcoming Coupe de France clash with AJ Auxerre, where bouncing back and regaining momentum is a must to close out the year.