Adi Hütter: “I want to see a reaction from my players in the Derby”
The real face of AS Monaco. That’s what Adi Hütter wishes to show this weekend in the Côte d’Azur derby, to get over the pain of being eliminated in the Coupe de France Round of 16 by Rouen (1-1, 6-5 penalties). It is therefore with a fierce desire to bounce back against Nice this Sunday at the Allianz Riviera (kick-off 8:45 p.m.), that the Monegasque coach spoke of the event to the media. 🎙️
Disappointment in Rouen
Everyone knows that our elimination was incredibly disappointing for us. We wanted to win this match, and finally we lost it on this penalty shootout which was a big blow mentally. Now it is time to stand up, respond and show out character. We want to move forward in this Derby in Nice.
The presence of the President in the Coupe de France
He was there in Rouen, and we had a conversation together after the match with the General Manager, Thiago Scuro. He wanted to know my opinion about the match. Obviously everyone was disappointed with the result. But he is also a support for us, even if the disappointment was significant on being eliminated from this competition.
On a possible sale of the Club
I don’t listen to what is said about this. We are focused on our football, on our matches and improving our performances. I want to find stability, to fight for positive results. This is not a topic of conversation for me or the players.
The Côte d’Azur Derby
It’s a very important match for us, a big battle. We will have to roll up our sleeves and fight to get a result, like we did in Marseille. We will have to show very good things. This Nice team are in good form, and they have a great stability in their structure and it shows in the results. It’s a Derby so it’s a match apart, we’ll have to fight to get something.
Because it’s also a very important meeting for our fans but also for everyone at the Club! Two players from Nice were at AS Monaco before (Thuram, Diop), and there are many young players in this squad who are used to playing derbies with the Academy, like Maghnes Akliouche and Eliesse Ben Seghir. It will therefore be a match with a strong emotional charge.
🧑🏻🏫 𝗔𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗺𝘆
Les U17 victorieux lors du derby face à Nice (0-1).
Ben Seghir dans ses oeuvres 💥🤯
— AS Monaco 🇲🇨 (@AS_Monaco) November 15, 2021
The pressure of big matches
For me it is normal in my position as coach to receive criticism. We have to show a reaction, I believe in my players. We have to use this pressure, and if we win this match it could change a lot of things. We must fight for our supporters, show self-sacrifice.
I am responsible for this team, and I must ensure that my players are playing with confidence. At the start of the season we obtained results a little too easily perhaps, but now we have to fight to win victories. We will have to show a conquering state of mind, once again I want to see a reaction from my players.
On the team’s combative play
In the current situation, it is certain that we need combative players. If I take the example of Aleksandr Golovin, he is a technician, a number 10 who is used to scoring and passing. But he is capable of battling on the pitch, as he showed in Marseille by playing as number 6 when we went down to ten men. This is a good example and there are other players that can fight, and I want them to show it tomorrow.
About the system of play
We can change the system, that’s an option. But when you do that, you have to have time to prepare these things in training, and we don’t have a lot of that before this Derby. Nice are a very good team that defends very well with already 11 or 12 clean sheets. They’re probably the best team in Europe at the back!
We have to be careful on the counterattack and on set pieces. They have a very good structure. The question is not only whether we defend with three or four at the back, but how we develop our style of football. It will once again be a very big match tomorrow.
Set pieces
We train a lot to progress in these phases of play. The goal scored by Le Havre was an individual error, and in Rouen it was the last chance before half-time. We lacked communication on this action, because two players were unmarked in the area.
We need to do better in these situations, that’s for sure. At the start of the season we were probably the best team in the league on set pieces, now that has changed, and we have to fix it.
On Folarin Balogun
He was happy to score this first penalty in regulation time. Unfortunately he failed to score his second attempt during the penalty shootout. It’s not easy for Balo’ who has to face up to this. We must help him so that he regains full confidence.
On the accumulation of cards
We pick up too many cards, that’s a fact. This forces us to change the starting lineup each time, like against Toulouse where we will be missing three players. I took off Denis Zakaria in Rouen to avoid losing him for the Derby precisely, because it is important for us to have him on the pitch. But this is a point on which we must be more vigilant.
