Philippe Clement: "Learn the lessons of this match and bounce back in Troyes"
It was a game without reward. Stunned several times on the counter by OGC Nice, AS Monaco fell 3-0 at the Stade Louis-II. It was a severe result but one which shouldn’t be remembered without forgetting the team’s good recent run following the World Cup (7 wins, 2 draws). This is what Philippe Clement wanted to remember this at the post-match press conference, havng been inevitably disappointed by this match.
Hello Coach. Do you feel like you fell to a stronger opponent or is it more of a physical issue?
I think the reason is more due to our condition. We played three days ago against Leverkusen and had to deal with the absences of some players in defense. But that’s life especially when we want to play in Europe. In recent weeks, we have chained played several games with injuries caused by tackles. Today, there was a lack of focus defensively and offensively, especially when the game was in transition. It is not normal to have conceded these goals.
Full-time.#ASMOGCN pic.twitter.com/lObSjHZfFS
— AS Monaco EN (@AS_Monaco_EN) February 26, 2023
We also struggled in creating chances and finishing since we shot more, so it’s not normal not to score. The quality was insufficient because of the circumstances you mentioned. It’s up to us to react well since we hate losing matches, and even more so in the Derby. Today, we wanted to win but we were 20-30% below our level. It is impossible to win against this type of opponent.
Why did you play a three-man defense at kick-off?
Chrislain hasn’t played enough in recent weeks and couldn’t play again in a four-man defense. Edan has done some good things but he’s only been with us for two weeks. These are the circumstances that forced us to change what we had put in place in recent weeks, we had to be creative. But it’s not the fault of a three-man defence if we conceded these goals. In theory, we should have managed this transition better.
Our #ASMOGCN line-up 📋
🤝 @eToroFr pic.twitter.com/x2VTgNjaUE
— AS Monaco EN (@AS_Monaco_EN) February 26, 2023
Do you have any regrets about this game?
We started well in the first 15 minutes. Conceding a goal gave them confidence and took out our legs. I am inevitably disappointed but it is a lesson to be learned tonight tactically. We had to manage transitions better, as we had done in the past. This Nice team was effective with three chances making three goals, and it’s difficult to come back from that.
Why did you make four changes at the break?
We have had a string of matches in recent weeks with long trips to Brest and Leverkusen. We don’t have a fit right back and had to play with an Academy-trained midfielder in that position. It was also necessary to manage the minutes of Breel, Myron and Wissam because I knew that they would not have 90 minutes in their legs.
SUBS:
🟢 @WissBenYedder, Golovin
🔴 Embolo, @myron_boadu0⃣-3⃣ #ASMOGCN pic.twitter.com/thYZG7kH4o
— AS Monaco EN (@AS_Monaco_EN) February 26, 2023
Several players have also been affected by a virus, but that’s life, these are not excuses. If we had scored our first chance, it could have been different since we would have recovered energy against a potentially nervous opponent. Today we had the most touches and made the most shots. We lacked sharpness at both ends.
How do you react after this week?
There is no doubt about the capacity for reaction for my players. Against Leverkusen it was a good game played over 120 minutes. We must learn from this match and bounce back next week in Troyes, and I’m sure we will. We must not forget that Nice remains on a good run and have beaten Marseille and Lens in particular. Now, we have to regain freshness for the next few months because we have many challenges to meet.
