Analysis: Akliouche inspires AS Monaco to thrilling victory over OM
Having shown glimpses of his tremendous talent last season, most notably in a cameo vs. Ferencvaros in the Europa League and against Reims in league action, Maghnes Akliouche emphatically demonstrated his class in AS Monaco’s thrilling win over Olympique de Marseille.
Handed a rare start due to the dynamic attacking midfield duo of Takumi Minamino and Aleksandr Golovin being unavailable, the gifted academy product stepped out superbly in their absence on his way to bagging a brilliant brace and supplying an assist.
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His exceptional, game-changing display was about much more than the aforementioned contributions, however, even though his goals deserve special mention, with his finishing well and truly on point, especially for his masterful second, where he fired home a scintillating first-time volley.
Shining in many aspects, the man who extended his Monaco contract earlier this year and scored off the bench in ASM’s Ligue 1 opener particularly caught the eye with his intelligent movement and positional sense.
Operating in the number 10 slot, the languid 21-year-old was constantly probing, eager to find space to connect the midfield and attack. Mixing things up wisely, he’d venture all across the final third while especially targeting the strategically beneficial half spaces and central areas between the lines, which held him in good stead to impact.
Very aware of his surroundings and sharp at reading the play, plus where teammates and foes were situated, it also warranted mention how he’d drop deeper to form overloads, opened up passing lanes by dragging his marker with him and often received in forward facing postures to immediately carry his momentum goalwards.
Another important weapon in his arsenal was his crafty runs into the area, as he timed his surges superbly to gain separation, took advantage of Wissam Ben Yedder and Folarin Balogun pinning their opponents and stretched the OM backline.
Dovetailing nicely with his nearby attackers and wing-backs, all his goal involvements owed much to his movement and capacity to hurt adversaries either side of their defensive line.
Technically excellent and resistant to pressure, his wizardry with the ball at his feet enhanced his menace. Boasting a crisp first touch and tight ball control, this, in combination with his comfort under duress, ensured he weaved away from danger expertly to then find a free man or keep dribbling.
Causing many headaches with his mazy, slaloming runs, which saw him able to draw players, outfox challengers with some crafty manoeuvres and alterations in pace and win fouls in advantageous locations, Akliouche was definitely a tough man to dispossess.
Moreover, his passing was also a vital feature of his play, with his ability to thread through balls in behind, switch the angle of attacks, combine tidily in close quarters and recycle possession coherently if no viable option was present valuable.
Obviously the most high-profile piece of distribution the eagle-eyed creator supplied was his pinpoint through ball assist for Balogun, with the accuracy and precision of the delivery allowing the new signing to be ideally placed to subsequently find the back of the net.
By the numbers, his five touches inside the area, four shots (all on target), 17 accurate passes (of 18 attempted), three dribbles, three accurate long passes (at 100%) and two fouls suffered illustrated his strong effort.
Putting in his best performance yet in an ASM shirt, Adi Hutter was justifiably full of praise for the youngster when speaking afterwards. “These are already his second and third goals this season. He played a fantastic match and responded despite the absences of Golo and Taki. As I said before, he had trained well in recent weeks and deserved to be in the 11. I am very happy with his double and his involvement in the third goal,” he insisted.
“He could even have scored one more. His match proves the offensive quality of my team with three quality attackers and very high level number 10s. It will be difficult for me to make choices.”
The player himself then offered his assessment of his outstanding night at the office, stating: “First of all I am very happy, for me, but especially for the team. I hope it will continue like this, with this good dynamic. I tried to prepare well, to concentrate well and to put all the chances on my side. I’m really happy this evening even if it doesn’t really show because I’m a little tired (smiles).
“I train every day for this, to be present when the coach calls on me. So I am very happy to have done this performance. I feel good, I work every day to improve because I still have things to develop. I have to refine a lot of things, so we will continue to work and try to do even better.”
While it won’t be easy to nail down a starting berth in Les Monegasques’ star-laden attacking ranks, he’s certainly done his chances a world of good and indicated he’s ready to go when called upon.
One of a host of elite prospects to come through the club’s famed youth system, Akliouche, who’s been in and around the first-team for a couple of years and has attracted interest from many top clubs, could be the latest to enjoy a proper breakout campaign.
Underlining he has what it takes to excel at the top level, his man of the match output vs. Marseille might just be the catalyst he needs to truly stamp his mark.
Only time will tell if it, in fact, is, but at least he’s provided himself and his manager with some further tangible evidence of his incredible capabilities. And this can only be a good thing both for him individually and collectively for Monaco, who are currently sitting pretty atop the Ligue 1 standings and playing some marvellous football.