Preview: AS Monaco braced for tough Lens assignment

Having gone unbeaten in their last four league outings, AS Monaco are aiming to extend this streak when they face Ligue 1 leaders RC Lens on Saturday afternoon. Ahead of this captivating showdown, ASM manager Sébastien Pocognoli spoke to the media to preview the encounter.

Squad update

Pocognoli began by providing an injury update on a host of key players, with his squad currently stretched by a number of absences.

“Maghnes (Akliouche) is still recovering from his injury against Nantes, and Denis (Zakaria), with the packed schedule and his history of injuries, is doubtful for the match. We’ll see after tomorrow’s training session, but we need to be careful. Ansu (Fati) will potentially be back, but he also needs to be tested. As for Chris (Mawissa), we’re looking at a return next week,” he divulged.

“He’s going to have two or three very important training sessions, especially since he had a very good first full session with the reserves yesterday. If he reaches the same level on Sunday with the players who didn’t play in Lens, then we’ll have the green light to give him a fresh start for the end of the season, and I hope he can show how important he can be to the team. Not forgetting the suspensions of the two players (Vanderson and Aleksandr Golovin), which are already known.”

Rotation

The shrewd tactician then tackled the question of rotating his team, which has been easier said than done given their personnel issues.

“We try to make the best decisions to be as consistent as possible in the medium term. That’s been the case since I arrived here, in a situation where we had to manage injured players, some of whom suffered relapses, so we have to be mindful of that history. But we also try to maximise the training load, taking mental recovery into account as well. We have to find the right balance depending on the workload involved in preparing for matches. I think this second half of the season will also hinge on this mental aspect, so we’re working on that. We have to stay optimistic and positive, because that’s the best way, in my opinion, to build momentum in the best possible way,” he explained.

Lens

Pocognoli then acknowledged the challenge posed by Lens, who have been formidable this term, as they continue to go from strength to strength under Pierre Sage.

“We’re taking it one game at a time, because the schedule means we have a great week in terms of opponents, since we’re travelling to face the Ligue 1 leaders on Saturday, who are very strong at home (10 consecutive wins). Then we go to the Champions League title holders on Wednesday. So it’s a great challenge for us, one we’re taking on with ambition, as I said before the first leg against Paris at home. That’s the watchword, even though we’re going ahead with a reduced squad and some uncertainties, but we’ll try to find the best solutions, because we still have some. In any case, we’ll need to show a strong team spirit and solidarity,” he asserted.

He then added this on their match earlier in the campaign, which didn’t go to plan for ASM: “Lens has many players with a high success rate in high pressing, particularly in midfield, even though we’re the second-best team in France at this level. So we’ll try to maintain that, because it’s in our DNA. In the first leg, we had a solid first half, but we conceded two easy goals. We had some good spells between the lines with the ball at our feet, creating chances in the process, but we were unfairly dealt a blow by a red card that completely crushed our hopes of getting back into the game. On the other hand, we’d already faced a team that was quite remarkable at converting opportunities.”

PSG

Next on the agenda was the 38-year-old’s reflections on ASM’s Champions League first-leg loss vs Paris Saint-Germain, which was a game where Aleksandr Golovin’s red card was a real setback despite an overwhelmingly positive display by the team.

“There were mixed feelings after the match, because our approach was right and the players did what we wanted. On paper, we were playing against a very strong team, and yet there were regrets about how the match unfolded. So it was a mix of hope and pride but also disappointment. Then, going back to the locker room, it’s up to us to choose a side, and the coaching staff has to provide that impetus. We decided to address what had disappointed us before moving directly on to what was coming next, because for me, making that mental shift to a positive mindset was crucial,” insisted Pocognoli.

“Yesterday, the starting players had their day off, others played a friendly match with the Elite Group (Jules Stawiecki, Samuel Nibombé, Ilane Touré, Stanis Idumbo and Paris Brunner), and the substitutes had a very intense individual training session of excellent quality. Normally, it’s a tough session the day after a match for those who haven’t played much, but this one was very good, which shows that the whole group is committed. Today we met up for the first time and laid the groundwork for the next match.”

Discipline

With red cards and disciplinary problems hindering the Principality outfit on many occasions this term, Pocognoli addressed this frustrating issue, with Golovin’s two recent sending-offs clearly a source of annoyance.

“It’s a question I get asked a lot this year, so I hope I won’t be asked it again. There are several factors that explain this: wanting to be aggressive but in the wrong way, or not using it wisely; the second is physical, but that was more the case several months ago. And then, if we go back to the one we received against Lens, there were also some decisions that went against us. Regarding the last one given to Golo in the league against Nantes, it was out of context. Depending on the referee’s judgement, some wouldn’t have given it, others would have. On the other hand, I agree that there are too many red cards, which makes it very difficult to find a consistent starting eleven for team cohesion and to maintain consistency, which for me is the key,” stated the Belgian.

“I spoke to Golo, as I always do with every player after a match situation like this. I spoke with him after the game, then we let yesterday pass so we could talk about it more calmly and with more perspective today. He understands that it wasn’t good for the team, even though there was no intention to harm the team, since he had been very important in the goals scored by the team in recent matches. That’s what makes it all the more frustrating, because he was decisive in that more central position. The sending-off was logical, even if he just wanted to get in front of the player, but it’s a matter of a fraction of a second. But it’s certain that against Nantes, we have the right to expect better emotional control from him.”

Keep pushing

Arriving at this clash in solid form, Monaco will look to produce a quality performance against the table-toppers, which would be an ideal precursor ahead of their crunch UCL second leg away at PSG.