There was plenty to unpack in Sébastien Pocognoli’s analysis of AS Monaco’s draw against AJ Auxerre, a result that fell well short of what his side needed as their Champions League qualification hopes were further dented following last week’s loss vs Paris FC.
Frustration
In the aftermath of a frustrating night at the Stade Louis‑II, Pocognoli delivered a measured but revealing breakdown of Monaco’s performance.
“This match reflects our season; we’re reacting overall. We’ll see at the end of the season whether we view this draw as half-empty or half-full. There was a reaction that gives a small sense of positivity in coming back from behind since doing so is still an achievement. The last 30 minutes of the first half were very poor collectively, whereas the first 10 had been decent in terms of what we were trying to implement. Everyone was below their usual level,” explained Pocognoli.
“This is the third match in a row where we haven’t started the right way, which is disappointing and something we’ll have to analyse. Is it a factor in our playing style or a mental approach? In any case, I’m trying to have as much of an impact as possible on that. At half-time, I asked for a reaction, and they delivered. That’s positive because the second half was very good, with a lot of impact from Simon Adingra, in particular.”
Half-time changes
When the conversation turned to his half-time team talk, the Belgian boss spoke honestly about the disappointment he felt during the opening stanza and the collective spark that finally emerged after the break.
“We had to push them, but we always do that one way or another. For the first time at half-time, I was very disappointed. We made a substitution, but that doesn’t explain this turnaround because I think there was simply a better team spirit. I have a day to analyse and understand the reason so that we don’t repeat this performance for the rest of the season,” he reflected.
Problems to fix
Pocognoli then acknowledged that the first half was eerily similar to the Paris FC defeat, as he reinforced his belief that the issue runs deeper than tactics or selection, stating: “In the press conference, I was asked what I expected from the PFC match. I said it was a good match to get some answers because I don’t yet know my team in this context of a winning streak and against an opponent with nothing to lose. That answered some questions, and today, the answer is the same regardless of the starting eleven or the approach we want to implement. It’s an aspect we need to eliminate at the end of the season, and we’ll depend on it a lot. There were also some good things, like in the second half against Marseille or the end of the first half against Paris FC. Today, however, that first half was very disappointing.”
Sloppy mistakes
When the discussion shifted to Monaco’s technical sloppiness, Pocognoli pointed to a string of unforced errors that set the tone for a disappointing first 45.
“You know, there are players who missed technical things they used to do very well. That might mean we’re overperforming and showing our true colours at times, but I don’t think so because we’ve put in good technical performances against top teams,” insisted the former Union Saint-Gilloise manager.
“Looking at the first goal we conceded against PFC, it resulted from two technical passing errors. Today, we started with passes that went out of bounds and poor ball control. For me, it’s more about that immediate, focused mindset that’s lacking. Today, we started better, but we conceded a goal from a corner and an unlucky goal that came from a situation we should have avoided. On the other hand, we executed everything we wanted to do in the second half.”
Breaking down deep blocks
The 38-year-old tactician was also asked whether he believes Monaco still struggle when faced with deep‑lying opponents, and he pushed back on the idea that this is a serious weakness.
“Actually, I think we’ve improved since I arrived in these kinds of situations. We’ve played some very good home games in this context before. In the second half, against a deep-lying defence, we executed our moves very well. But for that, you need discipline and everyone has to do their job collectively. It’s clear that if we have technical errors, we’re vulnerable to counter-attacks,” he told the media.
“It’s been like this for three matches, and we’ve identified the problem. We were more reactive going forward; perhaps we’re a little less so now because we might have more doubts. We need to take a step back because we have tactical approaches to consolidate space or the midfield. Ultimately, in these three matches, the same things are happening. So we need to rediscover the desire to press together, like we did in the second half against Marseille and again today.”
Lost ground
Next up was his take on the wider implications of this setback, with Pocognoli admitting the draw squandered a valuable chance to make up ground on their rivals in the Champions League qualification chase.
“It’s a shame because we had the opportunity to capitalise on our rivals’ poor performances. Last week, they took advantage of our defeat. If we want to challenge them, we have to seize this chance; it will be crucial until the end of the season. We used one joker last week, and today, half a joker. Everything will have to fall perfectly into place for us to hope for a season finale that matches our ambitions,” said Pocognoli.
Toulouse
While the clash with Auxerre didn’t go to plan, a trip to Toulouse offers AS Monaco the opportunity to bounce back and reignite their top-three push.
