Preview: Pocognoli looks ahead to AS Monaco’s latest showdown vs PSG

With the drama of last week’s UEFA Champions League tie still fresh, which saw AS Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain play out a gripping encounter, the two teams are ready to clash again.

On Friday night, the scene shifts back to the Parc des Princes for an epic Ligue 1 showdown, and Sébastien Pocognoli was full of insight at the pre-match press conference to discuss this fixture and more.

Squad update

Pocognoli opened by running through his squad options, giving the latest on where several important players stand physically.

“We have three players who are doubtful: Mika (Biereth) was ill today, Zak (Denis Zakaria) was in the gym as a precaution regarding his old injury and Jordan (Teze) needed some rest. We’ll see tomorrow; they remain question marks for the next match, but we hope they’ll be available,” explained the 38-year-old.

“As for Lukáš (Hradecký), his return is going well. He had a good week of training, but it will still be a bit too soon for the match against PSG. We’ll see in two weeks, as there are specific skills, technical aspects and movements required for the goalkeeper position that need to be mastered perfectly. We’ll have to wait a little longer, but we’re close to his return, as well as the other players returning from injury who trained this week and are progressing well.”

Balogun flying

Next topic on the list was the form of star striker Folarin Balogun, who’s been firing lately on his way to scoring four goals in his last four matches, with Pocognoli clearly happy with the USMNT sharpshooter.

“Balo is having a good season this year; he’s also improved a lot in certain aspects of his game. He’s an important player in the tactical system and the principles we’re trying to implement, so he’s a real asset because he’s very professional and ambitious every day! He still has 10 matches left to continue and finish this season on a high note, so we’re going to push him to the maximum so he can contribute even more to the team and continue his development. I think he’s been confident since I arrived, because he’s felt that his playing time has shown him a certain level of trust, and he’s repaying that trust well,” he told the media.

“He’s addressed some areas he needed to improve, he’s working hard with Kevin (Mirallas) on certain aspects of his finishing, so he’s becoming more and more complete in what’s asked of him. When you look at his first goal against Angers, he’s in a target man position, you also see him making runs in behind and holding onto the ball when needed. Perhaps he just needed a run of consecutive goals, and so far things have been going well these last few weeks, so we hope he can continue this momentum and combine this success with his other qualities. In any case, he’s always contributed a lot offensively this season, even sometimes filling in for the many absences by creating numerous chances himself.”

PSG approach

The Belgian coach then touched on the tactical approach ahead of this colossal tussle and gave his take on the differences between this domestic and their recent European battle.

“It’s not the same setup as a two-legged Champions League tie, but the context remains the same: an away match against PSG! A team whose qualities we know, one of the best in France and Europe. We’ll therefore need to be at our very best, and our performance will need to be the same as in previous matches, with great solidarity, a willingness to attack and defend together and to try and refine what we could have done better against them,” insisted the former Union Saint-Gilloise boss.

“I think we’ve always had a coherent plan for the previous three matches, based on the strengths of our teams and our opponents. Being able to switch between three-man and four-man defences and being hybrid is certainly a good investment in the short and medium term. We’ll need to be smart and effective in what we implement. Tactically, we can always try to surprise them with our attacking play, which we’ve already done many times this year. But the foundation must be the same as in recent matches: trying to keep a clean sheet and being good in both penalty areas. We expect PSG to dominate.”

Discipline

Another key talking point addressed was his opinion on playing with 10 men, which his side has done far too regularly this term, as their disciplinary issues have been a constant source of frustration.

“Like every match, finishing with 10 men inevitably impacts our momentum, because if memory serves, the only time we’ve won while down to 10 men was against Paris Saint-Germain in the first match. In Rennes, the game was practically over at that point, but in the other matches where we’ve finished with 10 men, it’s always had an impact. In the last match, however, we didn’t get any yellow cards, so it’s all or nothing (smiles). But more seriously, we need to find a balance, and the key will certainly be finishing with 11 men against Paris and maintaining consistency for the remainder of the season,” stated Pocognoli.

Eyes on

With the words out of the way, attention turns to Friday’s showdown with PSG, a game Monaco will be desperate to win as they look to keep their European qualification push firmly on track.