The principality club, which is aiming for qualification for the knockout stages of the Europa League on Thursday, has made it a specialty to start its second parts of the season with a bang.
It became a habit. For three seasons, AS Monaco has been transformed with each new year. Strict application of “eat well, sleep well” or simple mental click, the results are there even if the formula has not yet been revealed. Undefeated in their 11 games played since the return from the truce linked to the World Cup, the Rock club is in a favorable position against Bayer Leverkusen, in the return play-off of the Europa League, Thursday February 23 (3-2 at go to Germany).
The club of the principality has the opportunity to take advantage of this very good momentum to nourish the hope of a European epic, which has not happened to it since the 2016-2017 season and the defeat in the semi-finals of the League champions against Juventus Turin. For Philippe Clement, there is no question of calculating, of saving his strength to play for the podium in the championship. “I want winners and to see players who give their all every day, right from the warm-up. (…) If we work all year to go to European competition, it would be crazy to say to ourselves that we don’t don’t want to be tired for Ligue 1”insisted the ASM coach at a press conference on Wednesday.
A mental click
Proof of Monaco’s excellent form once the end-of-year celebrations have passed, the club have lost only 2 of their last 36 games played in January or February in all competitions. In 2020-2021, the club had collected 12 more points during the return phase in L1 (45 against 33 over the first 19 days). Same thing in 2021-2022, with 11 points more (40 against 29). But last year, the positive spiral in the league started slightly too late, just after the elimination against Braga in the knockout stages of the Europa League on March 17.
The watchword is to move forward without scattering. “We have to apply what we have been doing for several weeks now. On the pitch, continue to press as we do and leave no room for doubt”, calmly explained Axel Disasi, Wednesday. There is no reason to change anything to this team currently considered “the most structured in Ligue 1” by Thierry Henry. Despite the departure of its central defender Benoît Badiashile to Chelsea, ASM has found a balance with a 4-2-3-1 system by incorporating young Eliesse Ben Seghir, a revelation at the start of 2023, into its attack.
The depth of the squad is such that Clement can afford to start on the bench Breel Embolo (13 goals this season) or Wissam Ben Yedder (19 goals) in certain matches, without this having a negative impact on their performance. According to the Belgian coach, his players have reached a mental milestone: “The mindset has changed. There is a lot more maturity and leadership in difficult times. We are more united and there is more communication between the players”. Thursday, the mission is to show this mental strength to at least keep the small goal in advance, snatched a week earlier.