Three takeaways from AS Monaco’s crucial victory over Stade Brestois
AS Monaco returned to action after the international break in fine style by clinching an impressive 3-2 win over Stade Brestois.
Following this great result, this gives us the opportunity to focus on three takeaways from this entertaining encounter.
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Magassa shines again in midfield
Gifted youngster Soungoutou Magassa continues to go from strength to strength since his tough outing vs. OGC Nice, as he produced another classy showing in the heart of midfield for Les Monegasques.
Having shone against Bologna and Strasbourg, the 21-year-old carried his momentum into this one. Yet again vindicating the faith of coach Adi Hutter, Magassa excelled on both sides of the ball alongside Denis Zakaria.
“Today and particularly for Soungou, I have to say congratulations because he played an incredible match. He has performed well several times, so we are very happy for him and his development. We can see that he can bring a lot to this team,” stated Zakaria afterwards.
Strong in the challenge, competing fiercely in the duels, fulfilling his marking assignments coherently and making excellent decisions, his defensive output was full of upside.
Meanwhile, going forward, how he kept things ticking over nicely with his considered passing, picked his moments when to break the lines and was slick with the ball at his feet was an additional positive.
“In Nice, he wasn’t expected to start, but Denis got injured on his last shot during the warm-up. So it’s not easy for a young player to play in these conditions, and I made the decision to replace him at half-time,” Hutter commented in his pre-match press conference.
“I then had a good conversation with him, he proved to me that he was a fantastic player by showing me in training and that he was capable of playing. He was very good in Bologna and Strasbourg. He was able to show the reaction of a professional player.”
Stepping up when his team needed him and giving balance, solidity and structural security behind Monaco’s exceptional attacking unit, this latest body of work served as a further testament to what a superb prospect he is.
Akliouche’s masterclass
Proving a massive handful for the Brest backline to contain, the performance of Maghnes Akliouche was instrumental in powering Monaco to glory.
Bagging a wonderfully-taken brace and wreaking havoc in the final third with his intelligent movement, technical mastery and dovetailing with his teammates, there was no stopping the 22-year-old.
Finding space expertly to receive possession to not only drive at opponents with his ball carrying skills, but also to use his creative passing to carve open Brest, his awareness and positional smarts were integral catalysts towards his success.
To focus on his goals, and the way he coolly applied his finishes was a joy to watch, with his sublime chip over Marco Bizot especially catching the eye to accompany his clinical opener.
“On the first goal, Eliesse puts it in well and I finish in one. As for the second, I ran into depth and George launched me perfectly into space. On the first touch, I positioned myself in front of the goal and I managed to chip it. It is important to have the finesse to finish, that is what I achieved. I am better with my left foot, but if the ball is close to the goal, I am capable of finishing with my right foot like this evening,” he said of his goals.
By the numbers, his nine touches inside the box, eight passes into the final third, four dribbles, three shots and 12 successful defensive actions punctuated his quality night at the office on both sides of the ball.
“I would like to say first that he had a fantastic match, especially on the second goal, which is really magnificent for me! He was able to run and make efforts for 90 minutes, it’s amazing,” Hutter explained.
The Austrian manager then gave his take regarding Akliouche being called up to France’s senior squad. “He has it (the quality), that’s for sure, and for a long time! When you look at his last season, where he started to shine at home against Olympique de Marseille with a double, since then he has shown enormous progress. And he hasn’t stopped,” insisted the experienced tactician.
“He is an international level player, and we can be proud of him, because he is an example, just like Eliesse, with whom he is three years older. Eliesse grew up with the U19s, then the Elite Group, before joining the pros. We will see what the next step is for them.”
Golovin’s genius
The display of Aleksandr Golovin was certainly a huge takeaway from this clash, for the crafty playmaker was a constant thorn in the side of his opponents with his brilliant attacking wizardry.
A genius at identifying and exploiting vacant spaces between the lines and all over the final third, plus at rotating with his teammates and knowing when to form numerical and positional superiorities, he was a key driving force for Les Rouge et Blanc.
Indeed, his aptitude in this regard helped him manufacture room for himself and his teammates by pinning and drawing adversaries, in a match where he scored his first goal of the campaign, with his thumping strike a fitting way to reward his terrific outing.
Inventive and progressive on the dribble and with his distribution, he was a vital figure in breathing life into his team’s upfield forays, as his game-changing capabilities were frequently on show.
Uniquely skilled and capable of moments of magic many can only dream of, having him playing with such swagger and effectiveness is such a huge boost for Hutter’s ASM.
Watch for him to play a pivotal role in Monaco’s colossal upcoming Champions League match with Benfica too, where Monaco’s maestro, who’s nigh on impossible to stop when in full flight, will be primed to be a crucial difference-maker once more.