Adi Hütter: “Le Havre are a solid team and strong in in transition”
Get back to winning ways on the road. This is the objective of coach Adi Hütter and his side, when negotiating a not-so-easy trip to face Le Havre pitch at the Stade Océane this Saturday (kick-off 9 p.m.). It was therefore to reaffirm his desire to correct certain shortcomings and to win away from home that the AS Monaco coach spoke with media on the eve of the match. 🎙
About different opponents
They are certainly analyzing us better and better. But what is very important is that we have the possibility of playing in several systems, in particular with two number 10s or two attackers. This really offers some interesting options.
And then we are dangerous in different phases of play, for example on set pieces among others, even if we have also been in difficulty defensively in these same situations. We have to do better with and without the ball to continue to surprise our opponents.
What to expect against Le Havre
Firstly, when you look at the tab, they are seventh and have only been defeated once in eight games since the start of the season. This is a solid team, which is strong and makes rapid transitions, with in particular Nabil Alioui up front, who was also trained in Monaco.
They changed their system after the defeats against Lille and Marseille, and it paid off, since they notably held on to Lens (0-0) and won against Toulouse last weekend. They are a good Ligue 1 team and it will be an open match. But we still hope to be able to win there.
Being in the top three
I like being at the top of the table. We are very close to Nice and Paris Saint-Germain, so our start is of course satisfactory. We are in a good position, we want to take three points in every game, but after 11 games, our record is not bad.
About Aleksandr Golovin
Offensively, Golo’ can create a lot of chances in a match, he can finish or make the last pass. He has an incredible right foot, and he is physically in top form at the moment. But this is also the result of the fact that he trains very well on a daily basis.
Defensively, he has an eye for knowing when to close down spaces, he’s really a very intelligent player. He’s scoring more this year, fantastic goals in fact, certainly thanks to his physical condition, which means he isn’t getting injured. This obviously helps us perform, and he’s really one of our key players.
Un bijou collectif magnifié par Aleksandr Golovin 🤩🔝
Quel poulet 🍗🤤#MondayMotivation pic.twitter.com/DhDAjFMfDk
— AS Monaco 🇲🇨 (@AS_Monaco) November 6, 2023
The impact of Golo’ on the squad
He may be a bit introverted from an outsider’s point of view, because he doesn’t express himself much, but he jokes a lot with his teammates in the locker room. He is someone who is very appreciated by everyone, not only for his qualities as a footballer. He is sometimes annoyed when he loses games in training because he always wants to win (smile). He has been here for five years, he has an element of experience and he is very important for AS Monaco.
His impressions of Ligue 1
There are a lot of draws, it’s true. After 11 matches and looking back, I can say that the French top flight has a very fast way of playing, because there are a lot of great talents. Paris Saint-Germain has a top coach and a great team, they are obviously the favorite sfor the title. Nice are also a good team, who defend very well.
But we can see that each team is fighting to grab the European places. I don’t want to analyze all the teams, but in the defensive area, the most successful team is Nice. The rest of the teams still play a with a lot of attacking intent, especially Le Havre. There are not many disparities in any case between the Bundesliga that I knew and Ligue 1.
On Soungoutou Magassa
It’s true that he’s been a very good solution since the start of the season to compensate for absences. We must not forget that he is a midfielder by trade. He is improving, and I am very happy with his performances. He had some time for adaptation to play in what is a new position for him, but he is a young man who has a lot of talent.
He has his place in the team at the moment, so Mohammed Salisu will have to fight to get his. We have a lot of solutions in all positions, especially in midfield, so I’m very happy, even if it sometimes causes me some problems.
