He is the new strong man of AS Monaco. Thiago Scuro, 42, was officially appointed director of football this summer. He is responsible for both sporting and administrative management. It was his predecessor Paul Mitchell who chose it and proposed it to the president of the princely club, Dmitri Rybolovlev. “I’m very, very happy to be here. This is an achievement for me personally, as well as for my familythe Brazilian slides to franceinfo, smiling broadly, during the interview given by videoconference. The president’s state of mind is something that has been very important to me – the way he supports the club and the way he accompanies it. We often have conversations. He has supported this club for many years, with his vision and also financially. So it’s also something that makes you happy and motivates.“
Trained at the Red Bull school, Thiago Scuro passed through the Austrian galaxy via the Brazilian club Bragantino, whose good performances he largely contributed to with a rise to the First Division auriverde and a final of the Copa Sudamericana (the South American equivalent of the Europa League) in 2021. He has been getting to grips with European football for several months. This enthusiast, who is not arriving in unknown territory since he already knew Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 very well before his arrival, is very ambitious for AS Monaco. Interview.
Franceinfo: Monaco is in the top 3, that’s where you wanted to be, are you satisfied with this first part of the season?
Thiago Scuro: This is indeed the place we want to occupy at the end, that is to say to be in the top 3. It is clear that our main objective for the season is to return to the group stage of the Champions League, and this, from next year. This is the message we have been sending internally and externally since the beginning. If we look at the progress we have made, it is good but I think we could have taken a few more points in certain matches. Our challenge for the second half of the season will be to avoid losing these points, as we did during this first half of the Championship.
You talk about lost points: among your three defeats this season, there is Nice (0-1) or PSG (5-2). What is Monaco missing to be at the level of these teams? Is it just a matter of details?
We do not have a different level from them, and more particularly from Nice. Yes, PSG is a very strong club, in Ligue 1 and in Europe. When you look at the level of investment they are able to make, it gives them a lot more margin for error than anyone else in the Championship. And even though we are competitive, that’s the reality.
“In my opinion, in the match against Paris, the performance was quite balanced between the clubs. I think a few individual errors, plus the quality of one or two PSG players, made the difference and reflected the score. Now , we will have another chance to face these clubs in the return phase, we must work and continue to progress.”
Thiago Scuro, director of football at AS Monacoat franceinfo
Once again, I think that over the next two seasons, we have the opportunity to balance our organization even better to be more competitive.
What is most satisfying for you in this first part of the season?
The level of commitment the players have to the club and to the principles of the game is something I am overall very happy with. We can clearly see that they give their best, that they approve and that they believe in the way we want to play. They try to improve individually and collectively. It’s only been five months, what Adi Hütter is putting in place [entraîneur de Monaco] is still new. So it’s important that people engage in this process.
Is it necessary for Monaco to be in the Champions League every year, both economically and sportingly?
It’s clear. Monaco is a club which aims to be in the group stage of the Champions League as regularly as possible. This is not an easy challenge to take on. It’s been five years since Monaco last played in the group stage of the Champions League. But our ambition is to prepare the organization to be more regular from year to year to be able to achieve this objective, not only for the sporting aspect, but also for the financial health of the club. It is very important to participate in the Champions League and have access to this level of income and exposure.
Zakaria? “A key player”. Balogun? “In the times of passage of Reims”
Coach Adi Hütter is doing an excellent job, with a group made up of young players and more experienced players…
He managed to clearly share the club’s game project, which corresponds to his vision, and to involve the players in this adventure. Step by step, during the week, during training sessions, match by match, he works to improve what we still lack. It’s a very demanding league, we have a lot of good quality and well organized clubs. As we can see, more and more new coaches and young coaches are developing in different clubs. It’s a challenge, but it’s also a good thing, because it improves the quality of the Championship and we are happy about it, not only for us, but also for the level of Ligue 1.
You completed your first transfer market this summer. Five players arrived with satisfaction like Denis Zakaria…
Denis plays his role by being one of the key players on the team and providing leadership to the locker room. He’s a guy who has good experience, maturity, a player who has ambition and who can speak several languages, which helps a lot with integration into the locker room.
The adaptation seems more complicated for your striker Folarin Balogun (4 goals and 3 assists this season…
I do not agree with you. I don’t think he’s in difficulty, on the contrary, I think he’s doing his job, adapting and progressing. The difference with the others is that Balogun did not have the opportunity to do a full preseason. He was the last recruit during the last week of the transfer window. And the season had already started. It must also, for the first time, evolve with a very busy schedule. He was systematically called up with his United States selection, where he spent more than 30 days since his arrival at the end of August in Monaco. To be clear, it’s not about his skills, nor his mindset. Rather, it is a process of adapting to the schedule. Over time, he will have more confidence to meet expectations. We are satisfied with his progress. If we compare the number of minutes to the number of goals scored, he is not very far from what he did last season. I think everyone has in mind his season last year, where he had a strong impact, especially in the second half of the season, finishing among the top scorers in the championship. I am convinced that he can have better stats here in Monaco.
You have six players who are preparing to play in the CAN or the Asian Cup. Do you think you will have to replace them during the winter transfer window?
It’s a challenge for the whole Championship, because I think Paris is the only club that won’t have a huge impact [Achraf Hakimi et Lee Kang-in sont en effet concernés] and several clubs, like ours, should be impacted. We knew that, so it doesn’t change much in our plan. During this period, there are four Championship days and three Cup rounds, at most. I think we have a group capable of meeting this challenge, with opportunities for players from the elite group to join the first team in order to get playing time. We are not going to recruit players for a very short-term need. term, it doesn’t make sense.
“At AS Monaco, we are at the start of a process”
How do you build your team? How do you go about creating a cohesive team? I assume you work with every coach. How does it work?
The starting point is the idea of the game. What do we expect from our team in the different phases of the game? So we have a clear game idea at the club, which was discussed in detail with Adi Hütter, with the analysts, with everyone. The behavior of the team determines the individual needs for each position, with clearly identified characteristics. This is the part that recruiters work on. I am convinced that by working in this way, we will manage, season after season, to become stronger and more consistent. We are at the beginning of this process. Of course, the mentality and state of mind of the player to evolve in Monaco are elements that we examine very carefully. Ambition, courage and consideration for the club are important things to us.
What role does the AS Monaco Academy play, which is an integral part of the club’s DNA?
The Diagonal [le centre de vie de l’Academy] is a special place. Not only for who she is, but also for the players who contributed to her fame. Some of them having become international legends of the game (Mbappé, Henry, Trezeguet, Thuram, Petit…). So it’s a great source of inspiration and motivation for young boys when they enter this building. Basically, you have the same luck as the legendary players who have been there, so make good use of it! I think that’s a first point.
“We have a clear strategy to provide opportunities for Academy players in the first team. This is the club’s strategy. Because they must have their chance. Of course, they must have talent, they must work and deserve. But they must be able to have their chance. Sometimes clubs don’t allow it. But it’s an important pillar of our project here.”
Thiago Scuroat franceinfo
So once again, it is essential to invest in their development, but also in their transition and their integration into the first team, I believe a lot in these stages.
A meeting will be held with the president of the French Football Federation Philippe Diallo concerning the Olympic tournament and the provision of players by the clubs. What is Monaco’s position?
This fall, Monaco is the club which provided the most players to the national youth teams in France (from U16 to Espoirs). We had two players under 17 who were finalists at the World Cup (Saïmon Bouabré and Joan Tincres). Akliouche, Matsima and Magassa were called up with the Espoirs this fall. Ben Seghir, who is a very talented player, may be affected. And of course, Monaco supports French football, we support the Federation in all its needs. We are therefore very willing to discuss how best to cooperate and meet their needs for the Olympic Games. I know that in general Europe doesn’t give much importance to the Olympics. I come from Brazil. This is a very, very important objective in our country. And I had a similar experience with players. In 2020 we had the best player in the Brazilian championship, Claudinho, in Bragantino and we let him go to the Olympics. He had the chance to be number 10 in the Brazilian selection and win a gold medal. I know how important it is for the players and for the country. We therefore fully support French football within the Federation to achieve this objective. This is why we fully support the Federation’s initiative to invite the clubs to discuss, because it will also be an opportunity for the Federation to listen to the clubs. And through this dialogue, I think everyone will be able to find the best solution.