Philippe Clement: "The great strength of our team is the collective"
Don’t break the current good run. While AS Monaco has just climbed on to the podium even if it’s true that the Rouge et Blanc have the desire to continue their European adventure, Philippe Clement remains cautious. On the eve of facing Stade Brestois in the league (3 p.m.), the coach insisted on the need to take seriously an opponent who has not been kind to the Monegasques on the road since returning to Ligue 1.
The difficulty of switching focus after playing Bayer
No I hope not. In any case, I did not feel this today. Every time, I want to see players who show up in training and during matches. AS Monaco have lost their last two trips to Brest, without scoring. We have to change this statistic.
A word on Brest
They have a very good sense of organization and are very good against big teams like their results against Lens (1-1) and Lyon (0-0). But they are not only a side that defends because they play with attacking full-backs. They are also good at making crosses; they are one of the best teams in this area. They have a lot of quality. And lately, it’s not been a welcome place for AS Monaco. It’s a good challenge to change that.
Options in defence
We must continue to play as we have done in recent weeks, even if with the injuries, we have to adapt. I don’t want to talk about having to improvise since I trust all my players. They have proven themselves in training and now have to show it in games. The great strength of our team is the collective; we showed this on Thursday against Leverkusen. You could see the mood on the bench when we scored. It’s a chance for others to show up when there are absences.
Goals from distance, a new addition
We have worked on this in training. Axel’s goal wasn’t a surprise for me,he has already done it several times in training. This remains an important weapon since it shows that you don’t have to be five meters from goal to score. On the other hand, it is not necessary to hit it powerfully, but to do so with a level of technical skill.
𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 😍🙌
2⃣-3⃣ #B04ASM | #UEL pic.twitter.com/uE1al8gD3I
— AS Monaco 🇲🇨 (@AS_Monaco) February 18, 2023
The start of the second half in Leverkusen
Leverkusen are a good team who were playing in front of their fans. Scoring two minutes after the break gave them a lot of energy. We are not yet at the level of saying that we will dominate Bayer for 90 minutes of play. But we stayed in the game and then brought it back to 2-2 before scoring the winning goal.
The team showed great mental and physical strength. According to the statistics, it was a great match from a physical point of view. The last quarter of an hour was played to our advantage, showing us that the work done in recent months has allowed us to be ready at this level. It was a Champions League level game.
Protecting key players
I always have to listen to my players and my performance staff. In this way, it allows us to manage things well. This is what we do all year and then I make the decision of who starts and how long a player can play.
We can also count on substitutes who are decisive, it is one of our strengths. They proved it in Leverkusen. Eliesse, Wissam and Izo had an impact on the game physically. We must continue like this because in each match, we need the whole squad.
