Sixth in Ligue 1 just four points from the podium, qualified in the round of 16 of the Europa League and only one defeat in the last 11 games… There was no danger in the home on the side of AS Monaco.
However, the leaders of the club decided - officially since this Saturday - to separate from Niko Kovac whose methods could annoy internally.
To succeed him, the Monegasque board gives the Belgian Philippe Clement, current trainer of FC Bruges a soft eye.
In all likelihood, his arrival is only a matter of hours.
He is also expected in the stands of the Robert-Diochon stadium where ASM challenges Quevilly-Rouen (L2) in the round of 16 of the Coupe de France.
The 47-year-old technician has strong arguments to meet the demands of the Asemist leadership.
Offensive play and intensity
In addition to the dissensions with some of its players, the content displayed by the ASM in the game for several weeks also weighed in the balance at the time of unloading Niko Kovac.
The Croatian technician arrived on the Côte d'Azur promising a style based on intense pressing and a very vertical game as he had instilled in his players from Eintracht Frankfurt and then Bayern Munich.
But as time went by, this style withered away and the ASM matches lost in intensity and flavor.
By choosing Philippe Clement, ASM opted for a coach with similar ideas.
A high pressing to stifle the opponent, a game of possession, resolutely turned towards the opposing goal.
Clearly, it is more a change of man than of style that the Monegasque leaders wanted.
A coach who knows no failure
The last three Belgian champions have one thing in common.
Each time, it was Philippe Clement on the bench.
The success began in Genk where the Belgian technician won the “Jupiler Pro League” in 2019 before joining the locomotive of Belgian football, FC Bruges, and winning the last two league titles there.
“Even before training these two clubs he was in a team used to the bottom of the ranking (Waasland-Beveren Editor's note).
Normally, it's a trainer's graveyard but it has been the only one for a decade to obtain results there while offering an attractive style of play, ”says Pierric Brison, Belgian journalist, specialist of FC Bruges.
It is therefore crowned with success that Philippe Clement should put his suitcases on the rock.
A follower of the young card
It is almost a sine qua non for coaching AS Monaco. To be able to hatch young talents in order to be able to resell them at a high price on the transfer market. And at this little game, Philippe Clement excels. In Genk, he brought to the fore the Danish Euro semi-finalist, Joakim Mæhle, for a time courted by OM. In Bruges, he launched the talented Belgian Charles de Ketelaere and the Dutchman Noa Lang into the deep end. Both should not go on forever in Flanders. Finally we can cite the Ukrainian Ruslan Malinovskiy who is today the heyday of Atalanta Bergamo.
"If he considers that a 16-year-old player is better than another, he will make him play," says Pierric Brison.
For example against PSG (4-1), he did not hesitate to bring in a 16-year-old (Noah Mbamba Editor's note).
He is not cold in the eyes and does not hesitate to throw young people even in big games, without burning them ”.
Another box checked.
The stats of Philippe Clément 🇧🇪, approached in Monaco.
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- Taffinovic.
(@Taffinovic) December 30, 2021
A more flexible management than Kovac but strong choices
Among the grievances against Niko Kovac, the question of his quasi-military management has regularly come up.
Many young Monegasque players have suffered from the methods of the Croatian technician.
Its Belgian counterpart should be more flexible, without neglecting the essential requirement of the high level.
“He is not a soldier but he is capable of making strong choices.
He did not hesitate recently to put his captain Ruud Vormer on the bench in Bruges.
Last season, during the playoffs, he also put Hans Vanaken (318 games with Bruges) on the bench.
Even the executives are not guaranteed to play every game ”.
Here is the staff warned.