2 weeks ago
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Heartbreak, again, for Monaco. Despite another nip-and-tuck match against Paris Saint-Germain – much like their meeting in Ligue 1 three weeks ago – Monaco were cruelly felled at the death in the Trophée des Champions. Ousmane Dembélé scored the only goal of the game in the 92nd minute, finally beating Monaco’s second-choice goalkeeper Philipp Köhn, who put in a fantastic display. The real star of the show though – as has been the case all season – was Monaco manager Adi Hütter.
Given his goalkeeper’s strong performance, and the fact his side missed out on what would have been their first trophy since they won the league in 2017, it may sound strange to pick out the manager for praise, but Monaco would be nowhere near PSG’s level without the Austrian. It’s an opinion shared by the club’s hierarchy, who extended his contract this weekend, no small matter given the number of managers they have churned through since Leonardo Jardim left in 2018. From Thierry Henry, to Jardim’s return, to Robert Moreno, to Niko Kovac and Philippe Clement, the club have lacked stability (and defensive solidity) for nearly a decade.
Despite a string of injuries, Hütter has succeeded in his first 18 months in the job. Under his stewardship, not only have Monaco regained what many would consider their rightful place in the Champions League (having not played in the competition proper since the 2018-19 season), but they have thrived in it. Despite a frustrating 3-2 defeat at home to Benfica, they are 16th in the 36-team table and are well placed to reach the playoffs (not something that can be said for PSG).
Hütter has improved his team’s defensive solidity without blunting their attack. After conceding 58 goals in the 2022-23 season (when they finished sixth and missed out on Europe entirely despite scoring 70 goals), they cut that figure to just 42 last year and have improved again in the current campaign, having conceded just a goal per match.
Impressively, Hütter has improved the defence while restructuring the team after losing players such as Guillermo Maripán and Axel Disasi. He has also toggled between systems, showing the team can be solid in a 4-2-3-1 or with three at the back, all while blending in versatile defenders such as Thilo Kehrer, the excellent Wilfried Singo and youngster Christian Mawissa without losing consistency.
Elsewhere in the side, he has made Takumi Minamino – previously considered one of the flops of the 2022 summer window – a centrepiece of the attack. And he has encouraged the development of academy products Eliesse Ben Seghir and Maghnes Akliouche. After Bradley Barcola, they are perhaps the best young attacking talents playing in France at the moment. He’s also brought along youngsters like Lamine Camara and Soungoutou Magassa, both of whom are developing well as Hütter rotates the team in a busy season.
To this mix, he has signed canny (and hungry) veterans such as Kehrer and Denis Zakaria. Both have played for some of Europe’s biggest clubs without being regulars or enjoying much success. Still in the prime of their careers but decidedly veterans in this young squad, they have added experience and leadership, something that was often sorely lacking with Wissam Ben Yedder as captain. Hütter’s skilful man-management and tactical rigour have allowed him to make rotation a guiding principle, as he both leans on experience and develops the younger elements of his squad.
Of course, there have been bumps in the road. Injuries have stripped the team of its attacking efficiency; Breel Embolo, Mohammed Salisu and Caio Henrique missed most of last season, and Folarin Balogun has only played only a handful of matches in the current campaign. Results like the defeat to Benfica and an ugly loss to Angers in the league were regrettable, and there have been issues with discipline. But, on the whole, Hütter has set his team up for success despite having limited options at his disposal.
Defeats, when they do come, are by the narrowest of margins. This team has shown the confidence and composure to go toe-to-toe with any side in Europe, as the win over Barcelona and their performance against Arsenal showed. Even if this season may not end with another trophy, Hütter has made Monaco a consistently compelling side. He regularly overcomes obstacles with a flexibility that is a hallmark of the game’s top managers. His contract extension is well deserved, trophy or not.
Ligue 1 results
ShowAngers 2-0 Brest
Lens 0-1 Toulouse
Strasbourg 3-1 Auxerre
Marseille 5-1 Le Havre
St Etienne 3-1 Reims
Lille 1-1 Nantes
Lyon 1-0 Montpellier
Nice 3-2 Rennes
Talking points
Don’t look now but Liam Rosenior’s young Strasbourg side is looking sharp again, and the return to fitness of Emanuel Emegha is a massive part of that. The young Dutchman scored one goal and made another on Sunday in a 3-1 win over Auxerre, bringing his total to four goals and two assists this season, but also underscoring his importance to the team. In the five matches the lanky forward missed, Racing won just once, against struggling Nantes, but in the 11 in which he’s played, they have lost just twice, averaging nearly more than a point per match better with him in the lineup. A tilt at the top four may be a bridge too far but, with Lens potentially unsettled by the potential loss of Brice Samba and Lille looking increasingly stretched, a top-seven place is realistic. There’s plenty of football to be played, but the team looks strong and cohesive.
The shine is coming off the Saudi Pro League’s transfer strategy. Allan Saint-Maximin, Jota and others have already called time on their stays in the Middle East. How much more could Ligue 1 benefit? Jota signed for Stade Rennais in the summer and now he’s been joined by Seko Fofana, who was sensational for Lens before his sojourn to Saudi. With limits to the number of foreign players allowed in Saudi Arabia, frustrations over the standard of play in the league, and France being a previous home for many of the league’s foreigners, the path to Ligue 1 could become well trodden.
