Analysis: Hrádecký’s heroics help power AS Monaco to vital win over Marseille

AS Monaco’s vital victory vs Olympique de Marseille owed much to the composure and sharp reflexes of goalkeeper Lukáš Hrádecký, who made a host of crucial interventions on his way to playing a decisive role in his team’s 2-1 triumph.

Despite a few uncertain moments early on, he settled into the game with assurance on a night where he held his own, read danger coherently and rarely lost focus.

To get things going in the right direction, he made a brilliant reaction save to deny Hamed Junior Traoré by spreading himself wide to close off the angle the Ivorian had to aim at.

His next integral piece of shot-stopping came when he kept out Igor Paixão in a one-on-one situation, for he expertly extended himself to repel the Brazilian’s effort.

The Finnish international gloveman then produced a strong save to push away a powerful strike from Pierre-Emile Højbjerg from near the edge of the box, before responding quickly to ensure Quinten Timber’s long-range drive was handled comfortably with an athletic diving stop.

His final statement contribution to this pivotal win came when he smartly tipped a Facundo Medina header over the bar following a late corner to preserve Monaco’s advantage and seal all three points.

By the numbers, his seven saves, 0.56 goals prevented and seven ball recoveries further underlined what a commanding body of work he put in.

Manager Sébastien Pocognoli was justifiably full of praise for his goalkeeper’s heroics between the posts after the match, stating: “If we disregard the fact that we could have been leading 3-1 or even 3-0 and won today, I agree that Lukáš allowed us to play the game we wanted. He made some crucial saves, so in the end he was decisive. I think a goalkeeper who’s important for achieving good results ultimately contributes four, five or six points at the end of the season. In any case, he made his contribution today.”

Having endured an injury-hit first crusade at AS Monaco, this was a terrific confidence-boosting display by the 36-year-old, who emphatically illustrated his class in this thrilling clash vs one of the elite teams in Ligue 1.

After joining from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer, his campaign’s certainly been heavily disrupted, for he’s made just 14 appearances. A knee injury sustained against RC Strasbourg in August was followed by another setback versus Olympique Lyonnais in January, with the two issues combining to sideline him for a total of 27 matches this season.

“This isn’t the season I had envisioned for myself, with two unlucky injuries – nothing muscular, just knocks. Now, I hope to stay fit and help the team even more next season, and the one after that. I have a contract, and I want to stay here; that is my goal,” he insisted.

Clearly earning the trust of his manager, as evidenced by Pocognoli immediately restoring him to the starting line-up in March upon his return from injury in place of Philipp Köhn, this latest showing served as a vindication of his Belgian boss’s belief in him.

Enjoying life at Monaco under the 38-year-old tactician, it was interesting to hear him draw comparisons between Pocognoli and his former Bayer Leverkusen coach, Xabi Alonso.

“I’ve been able to observe how my various coaches approach managing a team. Things have changed a lot in the last 10-15 years, because players today have access to resources we didn’t have before. It’s therefore important to mould and support young players, because here, as in Germany and everywhere else, they sometimes get everything too quickly. We need to ensure they have the tools to help the team regain its success,” he told the Monaco website.

“In any case, I can see some similarities between Sébastien Pocognoli and Xabi Alonso in their management style, as they are both young coaches from my generation who gained initial experience with Union Saint-Gilloise and Leverkusen. They are both willing to adapt to circumstances and learn. The ideas, standards and fundamentals they try to impart daily suggest they have promising coaching careers ahead of them.”

Immensely experienced, a real leader and such a calm presence, expect Hrádecký to be a key figure in the all-important run-in as Monaco push to secure Champions League qualification, with him set to be called upon regularly to keep his team in games and prove why he’s Monaco’s undisputed No. 1 – just as he did against Marseille.