In football, the truth of one day is really not that of the next day. Ask Philippe Clement. Criticized at the start of his adventure in Monaco, the former coach of Bruges put everyone at his feet. The whole Rock is unanimous: the 48-year-old Belgian saved his life.
To understand this situation, a step back is necessary. ASM plays the 28th day and loses away against Strasbourg (1-0). This defeat is heavy with consequences: the club is eighth with nine points in the Champions League. The objective set by management seems impossible to achieve. In a rather affirmative paper, the (often) very well-informed daily L’Equipe announces that the Belgian can already pack his bags next summer. But it is very bad to know Philippe Clement. “A journalist launched this information. And all the media followed”he explained to La Tribune on Monday. “This story was absolutely not true. This information was coming out of the club, because inside everyone was happy with the work. But not with the results.”
This Friday, the newspaper L’Equipe announces that the coach has turned the opinion of the leaders in his favor. “Philippe Clement managed to reverse the trend in Monaco”headlines the newspaper. “Convinced by the recovery, the club boss is now ready to start next season with Clement, even if the last two days do not go well. After more than four months under pressure, the technician has never been so serene and he can prepare the sequel with Mitchell”specify our colleagues.
A coach appreciated by his group
L’Equipe is not the only media to have praised the coach. So Foot also wrote on the subject, trying to explain “the recipe for a comeback”. And clearly, the Belgian is no stranger to it. The coach has mainly worked on an essential aspect of modern football: the physical. “Four months later, his team seems much more up to date in this area”believes So Foot.
Its players also seem to appreciate the more patient method than its predecessor. “With coach Kovač, we chained the terminals before touching the ball, now we integrate the ball, we take more pleasure because we are a footballer above all “, started midfielder Yousouf Fofana for RMC Sport. “He’s calmer, more patient, over time, and I think you can feel that. Even if we win by small margins, I have the impression that we are much more dangerous at the end of the game.”
Since this famous slap suffered against the band of Matz Sels, the Monegasques have been running at full speed. And remain on an incredible series of eight straight wins. How to explain this return to form? For the former defender, bad luck played a major role. “The first two months we had 17 cases of Covid. Between that and the injuries, we missed a lot of players. Today everyone is happy with the progression of the group”he also explained in the RTBF broadcast.
This Saturday, the ASM faces Brest and will try to chain a ninth victory in a row. Especially since Rennes lost this week against Nantes. Not enough to make the pragmatic coach lose his mind. “Naturally it’s better for the teams around us to lose points. But I’m more focused on the match against Brest than on the other results”he explained at a press conference.
The other good news is that he no longer has to worry about his future. He will indeed be inscribed on the Rock!
