Reactions 30 April 2023, 17:33

Philippe Clement: "We must all react together"

Very disappointed with the performance of his team after it lost heavily against a very clinical Montpellier team, the AS Monaco coach tried to analyze the match with the media.

A match to forget. Left without an answer against an ultra-efficient Héraultais side on the break, the Rouge et Blanc suffered a big defeat at the Stade Louis-II (0-4). It was a result that Philippe Clement tried to explain, very disappointed, in a press conference after the match.🎙

Full-time.#ASMMHSC pic.twitter.com/xgRyHPihHu

— AS Monaco EN (@AS_Monaco_EN) April 30, 2023

Hello Philippe. How do you explain this result?

The two losses, to Lens and now to Montpellier have hurt us. We started the game well though. All week in the training sessions, in the warm-ups, you felt that the players wanted to bounce back. But at 1-0 there was a bit of a mental implosion. Some of them wanted to tempt fate by stepping out of their roles a little.

I still have confidence in my players, but we have to look at ourselves in the mirror and get back to basics, to put in some intensity. We have to be dominant with the ball but also without it, and show more aggression.

Philippe ClementOn his players

But suddenly we lost our organization and we lacked aggression and strength in the duels in the second half. I felt it at half-time and tried to change that, but couldn’t.

How do you bounce back after that?

It was two weeks ago when we faced Lorient, where we were doing really well. We’ve been together for 15-16 months now and we’ve had some really good times together. I still have confidence in my players, but we have to look at ourselves in the mirror and get back to basics, to put in some intensity. We have to be dominant with the ball but also without it, and show more aggression.

Is fourth place in the table under threat?

There are still five games to play, and it’s up to us to bounce back and prove that we deserve to play in Europe. It is also important for the players for their future. Football is not an individual sport, but a collective one. And we lost sight of that during the game. We’ve been playing for the podium so far and it’s still possible if we turn things around. But we must act quickly.

We have to do one thing now, it's show the true face of AS Monaco! We have to stop thinking about the last few weeks where we have been under difficulty. We have to go out there and make a difference. No one is happy with this result at the club.

Philippe ClementOn the necessity of reacting

Have any players lacked sharpness in your opinion?

Again I didn’t see those things this week in training, but at 1-0 there were inexplicable attitudes. I don’t want to talk about individual cases, because I don’t think any player can leave with a good feeling after this game. Not even the staff! We are all together in defeat.

The response must come next Sunday in Angers…

We have to do one thing now, it’s show the true face of AS Monaco! We have to stop thinking about the last few weeks where we have been under difficulty. We have to go out there and make a difference. No one is happy with this result at the club. We all aligned towards the future. I believe in this squad, and I want to work hard to get back to our best level. I work as hard as I can to get the best out of my squad.