Held in check by Spurs (0-0), despite opportunities, AS Monaco did not have a good start to the Champions League.
For its first match in the Champions League with its new coach Sébastien Pocognoli, Monaco was held in check on its lawn by Tottenham (0-0), Wednesday for the 3rd day of the Champions League. Despite their domination, the Monegasques, who remain in five consecutive matches without a victory in all competitions, did not manage to beat Spurs goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, imperial against Balogun (28th, 36th), Golovine (67th) and Teze (75th).
Already behind in the race for qualification with only two points in three days after another draw against Manchester City (2-2 on the 2nd day), the Monegasques are currently outside the 24 virtually qualified teams. Sébastien Pocognoli’s men, who led his second Monaco match (for as many draws) since his arrival in the Principality ten days ago, will have to do much better in Bodo, on November 4 on the most arctic synthetic pitch in the competition, located north of the Arctic Circle.
Also read
Kane and Bayern await PSG, Liverpool thanks its French… The results of the Champions League evening
Skip the ad
Monaco doesn’t know how to score
Thilo Kehrer and his partners can, however, blame themselves, as they had so many opportunities to win this match. But Spurs goalkeeper, Italian international Guglielmo Vicario, was perfect from start to finish. The Azuréens started the match very well: high pressure, a few free kick opportunities and interesting direct play. In a 3-4-2-1 which is Pocognoli’s trademark, with Ansu Fati and Maghnès Akliouche supporting Folarin Balogun, they quickly put pressure on the opposing rearguard.
Also read
Real Madrid-Juventus: Courtois giant, Güler sparkling but Mbappé frustrated… The tops and the flops
After a strike from Fati was blocked (5th), London defender and captain Micky Van de Ven was beaten by Balogun who forced Vicario to make a first exit at the feet of the center forward (11th).
Good entry from Golovin
This duel lasted throughout the first period. In the 28th minute, after a one-two with Akliouche, the American came up against the Italian again in a nice face-off. Then, the transalpine goalkeeper brought the match to a halt, lying on his left on a point-blank recovery from the ex-Gunner (36th), who was replaced at the end of the match by Mika Biereth (83rd), without having succeeded in deceiving Vicario.
If the first period was rather balanced in the game, the English were never really dangerous (only one shot on target over the entire match). Their 1000 supporters sang their anthem several times to the tune of +When The Saints Go Marching In+. But this had no impact on the Frenchman Wilson Odobert, the only one to try something, and his family. As soon as play resumed after the break, Monaco pushed even more. Akliouche struggled: he passed, defended, attempted (50th). But nothing worked, despite the entries of Aleksandr Golovin (57th) and Takumi Minamino (70th), who gave new offensive momentum.
A founding match despite everything?
A good shot from the Russian forced Vicario to deploy for a corner (67th). He was again vigilant on a header from Jordan Teze, as comfortable in midfield as he was as a right piston at the end of the game (75th). Minanimo never managed to adjust the sights, making Louis-II scream in rage three times in front of his failures (79th, 82nd and 83rd). Obviously still in training with its new coach, Monaco was therefore unable to win against a Premier League leader. But the level of play shown, the intentions deployed and the system which seems more solid than under the orders of Adi Hütter could quickly offer a brighter future for the players of the Principality.
