{"id":34218,"date":"2020-08-06T18:32:58","date_gmt":"2020-08-06T16:32:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.monaco-tribune.com\/2020\/08\/getting-to-know-giulian-biancone-as-monaco\/"},"modified":"2020-11-22T22:30:57","modified_gmt":"2020-11-22T21:30:57","slug":"getting-to-know-giulian-biancone-as-monaco","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.monaco-tribune.com\/en\/2020\/08\/getting-to-know-giulian-biancone-as-monaco\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting to know Giulian Biancone (AS Monaco)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Returning to AS Monaco after a successful loan spell at Cercle Brugge last season (25 games, 1 goal, 3 assists), 20-year-old Giulian Biancone intends to continue his rise. Portrait of a young right-back with an atypical career path, who has taken time out to talk to Monaco Tribune. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Giulian Biancone found refuge among the cobbled streets and medieval buildings, on the banks of the Reie, in north-western Belgium. In Bruges, often nicknamed the “Venice of the North” for its many canals that cross the city, the native of Sainte-Maxime set down his suitcases for a season, with the aim of gaining experience with professionals in a familiar universe*. Mission accomplished. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Giulian Biancone and Cercle Brugge, a marriage of convenience<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

“I had a great season with a structured club, with good infrastructure, which enabled me to play more matches and improve throughout the season,” said the right-back, who took advantage of his time in Belgium to rub shoulders with some solid references. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Belgian championship is still underrated in France because nobody really knows its level. But there are some very good teams, with very good players, who often end up in the Premier League or the Bundesliga. You can also see that with the national team, most of whose players come from the Jupiler Pro League. As a right defender, I’ve marked all the left-wings in the league, who are often fast and technically strong players. When I arrived, I got a real shock.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although his start was slow, the next stage was much less so, with a change of coach (Germany’s Bernd Storck arrived during the season before being replaced this summer by Englishman Paul Clement) and a string of starts, as well as three assists, which enabled him to finish as his team’s best passer and make a major contribution to keeping the ‘Cercle’ in the top flight. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We’d been fighting relegation throughout the season, but in the end, we managed to escape with two games to spare. The change of coach during the season did us good. He’s helped us progress in the game, collectively and individually.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Giulian Biancone wearing the jersey of Cercle Brugge in the Jupiler League Pro.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Compared to Benjamin Pavard for “playing smart and technical”<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The French U19 international has made significant progress, enabling him to return to the Rock this summer with a new status. “I’m very happy to be back with the professionals. It’s really satisfying to be back with some of my team-mates I met at the training centre two years ago\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before leaving for Belgium, the man whom Frederic Barilaro, his former U-19 coach, likes to compare to Benjamin Pavard for his “playing intelligence and technique” had already had the opportunity to make first-team appearances under Thierry Henry. “I was coming to the end of my youth contract, I only had a year left to prove myself,” he recalls. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDuring the season, Thierry Henry had to call up a right-back to make up for a shortage due to injury and he called on me.” Like in a fairy tale, the 18-year-old from the Var found himself propelling Wanda Metropolitano to the starting line-up in front of a crowd of nearly 60,000 in a Champions League match against Atletico Madrid (2-0 ASM defeat). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few weeks later, as AS Monaco, already in dire straits in the league, were held to a draw by FC Lorient in the last 16 of the League Cup, Giulian Biancone came to the rescue when he fired in a cool-headed shot from the edge of the penalty area to send ASM into the quarter-finals of the competition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Those were very special moments for me,” recalled the former central defender, who was moved to right-back by Frederic Barilaro in the Under-19s. \u201cIt was a difficult shot for me. I took it as a bonus. I have wonderful memories of it.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n