Preview: Pocognoli’s AS Monaco eager to restore some positivity in Coupe de France clash vs US Orléans

Having seen off AJ Auxerre in the last 64 of the Coupe de France before the winter break (2-1), AS Monaco travel to US Orléans in the Round of 32 this Saturday at the Stade de la Source. Manager Sébastien Pocognoli is treating the tie with the utmost seriousness, acutely aware that a victory is crucial to restoring momentum.

Handling criticism

First on the agenda was Pocognoli’s remarks on the criticism facing his side, with the coach strongly defending his players and calling for greater appreciation.

“Does the situation warrant more leniency? I would say that’s a matter of personal perception. Some people are lenient and empathetic, others less so. Those who work at the club experience things differently from those outside, and then some have a sensitivity towards AS Monaco that others don’t – that’s life! But the most important thing for me is what my players give and receive, and all I can say is that they give their all every day in training and that they deserve more based on what we’ve shown in recent matches and more generally since my arrival,” he asserted.

“That’s my point of view, and I think it’s objective regarding what’s happening internally. In any case, my players deserve our support, because they aren’t responsible for the instability surrounding the team, particularly concerning injuries and match incidents beyond their control. If we had a group that wasn’t giving their all, wasn’t fighting and wasn’t setting a good example in terms of attitude and following instructions, we could question everything. But that’s not the case, so I will always defend them.”

Mentality

Next up was his take on his team’s mindset, and he forcefully defended their mentality, dismissing any suggestion of capitulation and pointed to the strong leadership from the top as evidence that his players remain fully committed.

“I don’t think the players are giving up, because we have a management team trying to turn around this difficult situation in terms of results. I’m trying to be rational about what we’re doing and what we deserve, and again, in the last two matches, even though you never know the final outcome based on the events of the game, we certainly could have had four to six more points in the standings, and that would completely change the perception – that’s the reality,” insisted the Belgian tactician.

“Then, injuries definitely have an impact on the current dynamics. It’s something I have to deal with, even though I can’t feel sorry for myself, because I have no control over it. But it inevitably influences the instability in the starting eleven, and that’s a fact. With a bit more luck in the Champions League against Tottenham and Pafos, in particular, we might already be qualified. With “ifs” you can do a lot of things, but some have a greater impact than others.”

Injury issues

Addressing the plethora of injuries and fitness concerns in the squad, the Monaco coach delivered an update as he continues dealing with a host of absences but made sure not to use this as an excuse.

“We always discuss what can impact results, and this is part of it, even though I try to focus on what falls within my area of ​​expertise, namely the pitch and the technical and tactical aspects. Everything related to the organisation was in place before I arrived, so I think everyone needs to focus on their role and responsibility. Mine is to manage my team, and the only way to get out of this negative situation is to find the best solutions and accept that some things aren’t done as well, that some injuries are explainable and others aren’t. We have to weather the storm, and if we manage to get out of this situation, which I’m convinced we will, we’ll be much stronger in the second half of the season and even next season, because you always have to learn from every difficult period,” he told the media.

“That’s why I’m not giving up, because I believe everything that happens now will be beneficial for the future. That’s how I was raised in sports, and that’s what I try to pass on to my players. When there are poor results, doubt inevitably creeps in, and we have to try not to fall into that trap and not change what’s working well. When I look back at yesterday’s training session, which was the most intense of the week, I didn’t see any player’s intensity drop or who had any ulterior motives related to a lack of confidence. On the other hand, if the staff starts to doubt themselves and change their approach to training, we’ll take three steps backward from what we’ve been putting in place since I arrived. So we’re continuing, and we’re trying to stabilise things in the best possible way.”

Coaching in tough times

Under serious pressure to produce some improved results, given ASM have only won three of their last 10 games in all competitions, Pocognoli was full of insight when speaking on the challenging time the team’s currently enduring.

“I’m experiencing it the same way I did last year with Union Saint-Gilloise at the start of the season. There are two ways to manage this, from my perspective and from the club’s: the foundation is trust, and if I have confidence in what I’m doing and in the people around me at all levels, I’ll continue to develop positively in my relationship with the players; on the other hand, if there’s a lack of trust, we’ll do things in the wrong direction. Last season at Union, for example, the club had confidence at that time, and that’s something that’s earned, like time, and that’s what I’m trying to do in terms of my investment and what we’re trying to put in place,” reflected the 38-year-old.

“But I also see this situation as a learning experience, because it’s part of being a coach. In fact, I must admit that I get just as much pleasure from a winning streak at Union as I do from the current struggles. Because for me, there’s always a solution in every situation. We’ll need to work well as a team, and I have no doubt we will, because I know what we’re doing with the staff. There’s certainly room for improvement, but that will come with time.”

Progress

Despite the Principality club being stuck in a rut, there was much to admire about his upbeat approach to still extract some positives.

“There are things that aren’t necessarily visible from the outside, but I see this group progressing mentally. It’s completely different since I arrived, in terms of their approach to daily work, their discipline and even their individual development. Some players weren’t starters back then and are now, and others who were have developed in other areas. There are others who need to do more, even though I’m committed to supporting them. And then, everything is relative given the numerous changes that occur in the starting eleven each time, due to absences,” he commented.

“Everything is in place for the team to have much more doubt than it does now, and yet that’s not the case! We have a good structure without the ball and some good moments with it too, but we’re not being efficient enough with the chances we create, that’s for sure. So there are many aspects to work on, but it’s all linked to the inconsistency in the starting eleven. Then there have also been changes in system, in order to adapt to the strengths of the players we have available. There have been some good matches, even if we sometimes had to change course because of injuries. If we had won the last two matches, we could have said there was significant progress, but ultimately the points aren’t there, and that’s a shame.”

The contribution of the new signings

Upon being quizzed on the impact the new arrivals have had, he offered an honest, measured response, well aware injuries have hindered many of them in their quest to stamp their mark.

“The common denominator among our new signings, apart from Stanis Idumbo, is injuries. That’s the reality, and it’s therefore difficult to have a credible and objective view of their performance. Lukáš (Hradecký) has done some very good things, but I haven’t had the chance to have Eric (Dier) in the starting eleven since I arrived, and it’s the same for Paul (Pogba). Ansu (Fati) played three matches as a starter before entering this injury cycle, and for Stanis, it’s more a question of learning; it’s a process that takes more time. Furthermore, each player’s development depends on the structure in place week after week, and as I said, it hasn’t been fixed and stable from the beginning, which is why we’re perhaps struggling to single out players,” noted Pocognoli.

US Orléans

Shifting the focus to their upcoming encounter with US Orléans, and the ASM boss’ words underlined how seriously he’s taking this one.

“There’s no calculation involved; there’s one match per week, and we know what’s at stake in the current situation. We’re ambitious in every competition, and we’ll go to Orléans with the understanding that this is the most important match of the year and of the weekend. After that, we’ll take each match as it comes, as I said before the Lyon game, because that’s our approach. In any case, we’ll play this Round of 32 match in Orléans with a lot of ambition, because we want to achieve great things in this Coupe de France, and the players know,” he explained.

Unity

Last on the docket was the collective spirit he knows is present within the team.

“I feel a strong sense of unity at the club, but that’s just my feeling, and it’s something you have to earn, so I do my best every day to keep things moving in the right direction. They would have already turned around if there weren’t so much instability, but the record speaks for itself. I certainly don’t dwell on what people might think, because I feel the club is behind me, and that’s all I need. What’s certain is that I’m going to give everything until my last day here, and I hope that will be as late as possible, because I want to be part of a long-term project here,” stated the former Union Saint-Gilloise coach.

Go time

With the time for talking now over, the spotlight shifts to the pitch, where anything less than victory for Monaco will be deemed a failure.