Three Takeaways from AS Monaco’s draw vs. Marseille
Having beaten Rodez in the Coupe de France last weekend, AS Monaco were eager to carry this momentum into their colossal Ligue 1 clash vs. Olympique de Marseille. This frustratingly wasn’t the case despite ASM taking an early lead through Wissam Ben Yedder due to Guillermo Maripan receiving a very harsh red card inside 11 minutes.
To their credit, though, ASM bravely battled on and even re-took the lead after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had levelled the ledger. While Leonardo Balerdi’s wicked strike squared the scores up again and Les Monegasques rode their luck in the dying stages, there was much to admire about Monaco’s character-filled, collectively strong display to earn a point.
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With this in mind, here’s three takeaways from their match with OM.
Masterful Ben Yedder shines again
Wissam Ben Yedder propelled his team to a perfect start with his exceptional early goal, in a match where he once more flexed his muscles on the big stage even though his team were shorthanded for the majority of the encounter.
The clinical and instinctive star also was integral towards ASM’s second, where his superb run in transition set the move in motion before he calmly found Maghnes Akliouche to slot home.
So intelligent with his positioning and knowledge of where his teammates and opponents were situated, the way he occupied quality areas to help progress attacks was a testament to his nous.
Strong on the ball to embark on some trademark dribbles and hitting some incisive passes, this, in combination with his solid pressing, enhanced what a tidy contribution he made.
Bagging his eighth goal in his last five starts and his ninth of the Ligue 1 campaign so far, there’s no signs of him slowing down any time soon, as his experience, masterful movement, finishing expertise and all-round quality continues to come to the fore.
Decisions go against Hutter’s Monaco
There’s no denying what a profound impact Maripan’s harsh red card on proceedings, with it coming at a terrible juncture with Les Monegasques leading in a crucial away day at Marseille.
“I don’t want to talk too much about the refereeing of the match tonight. I am responsible for my team, and I want above all to compliment my players for the effort produced this evening and for the reaction proposed after certain facts of the game which influenced the outcome of this match,” asserted the Austrian tactician.
“I think everyone in the Velodrome saw that we were the better team in the first half hour of play. The red card changed a lot of things, of course, but we continued to push, to play well and be aggressive. We even deserved another goal in my opinion, with a few good situations. We really were the best on equal terms today, but the decisions made it impossible to win this match. If we were 10 against 10, maybe the result would have been different.”
Clearly infuriated with not just the first red card, coach Adi Hutter was also unimpressed with the inconsistency in the officiating, citing one other example that was a particular source of frustration. “The action on Kassoum Ouattara, who was hit above the knee, is also a red card, in my opinion. When we compare it with that of Denis Zakaria, I admit I don’t understand. Once again, everyone will have their own opinion, I do not want to comment further on the refereeing decisions,” he reflected.
Immense character shown by ASM
Even though plenty of adversity was thrown their way, much praise must still go Les Rouge et Blanc for putting in such a courageous, determined performance against an OM outfit who are undefeated in league action at home.
Spirited, full of fight and not faltering under the circumstances of being outnumbered, it was not only notable how ASM defended resolutely, but also how they showed great ambition to attack with gusto when the opportunity arose.
Fulfilling their roles individually and collectively, it was little wonder why both Hutter and club CEO Thiago Scuro were full of praise for the efforts from the players. “I repeat, my players played at a great level tonight, and they deserved better,” Hutter insisted.
Scuro then added: “Indeed, I want to highlight the performance of our players, their reaction to these facts of the game, and overall the good work that was done by the staff and the team in this match. We played with one, then two fewer players, but despite this we continued to play forward, without ever complaining. We scored the second goal shorthanded and then the players showed courage to finally leave the Stade Velodrome with a point. Well done to them,” he explained.
“There are a lot of positives to take from this evening. Once again the spirit was very good, as we continued to play aggressively with one player less for 80 minutes. I hope that we will continue to progress and that this meeting will serve as a starting point for the rest of our second part of the season.”
Ready to return to the winners’ list when they take on Le Havre next week in the league, it’ll be fascinating to see Monaco come out firing in their quest to reign triumphant and get their Champions League qualification dreams back on track after this tough yet inspiring night at the office.