Analysis: Biereth and Akliouche shine in AS Monaco’s frustrating draw against Toulouse
In a match where Maghnes Akliouche and Mika Biereth yet again underlined their class, this gives us the opportunity to analyse why the dynamic duo were the stars of the show in AS Monaco’s 1-1 draw with Toulouse.
Akliouche’s artistry
Excitement machine Akliouche was at a level resembling his best vs. Les Violets, with his dribbling genius, clever movement and imaginative distribution ensuring he shone brightly.
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Relentlessly wreaking havoc with the ball at his feet and so difficult to stop when operating with tremendous confidence, it was a joy to watch him strutting his stuff.
Possessing a wicked first touch and razor-sharp control, Toulouse had a torrid time keeping him quiet and preventing him from gaining separation to execute his actions due to his vast repertoire of skill moves, rapid changes in pace and direction and capacity to spin away from danger. Indeed, his marauding surge upfield after outstandingly regaining possession notably served as the catalyst for Takumi Minamino’s goal.
Carving out some superb openings for his colleagues as well, his inventive passing was another key aspect of his outing, as can be seen in the graphics below. Weighting his deliveries beautifully and extremely accurate, teammates often benefited from his silver service.
His masterful movement, expert scanning and elite spatial awareness also meant he was ideally placed to be a nuisance. Taking up quality positions between the lines and in the half spaces, plus astutely picking his moments wisely to burst into depth, drop deep to form overloads, hug the touchline and interchange with his teammates, Akliouche was frequently on hand to breathe life into offensive passages.
By the numbers, his nine progressive runs, five touches inside the box, four accurate passes into the penalty area and two accurate long passes aptly showcased what a polished performance he enjoyed.
“He has made a huge progression. For me, he is an international level player,” manager Adi Hutter recently explained. “He is obviously a very intelligent and very skillful player, especially in the last 30 metres of the opponent, where all his decisions are good. He creates a lot of situations for his teammates thanks to his understanding of the game.”
Relishing taking on so much attacking responsibility and such an enormous driving force going forward, the way he keeps going from strength to strength within this ambitious Monaco continues to be a massive positive of the campaign.
Biereth sparkles again
Despite not finding the back of the net to add to his remarkable tally, which has seen him already score 10 goals since joining in January, there was no doubting Biereth was one of the best afield.
Wasting little time in stamping his mark, the talented marksman unleashed two attempts in the first 10 minutes, with his second effort notably beating Kjetil Haug in goal, only for his strike to be ruled out for offside.
Posing plenty of menace with his intelligent movement in behind and into the area, and when checking deep to link play, the 22-year-old was a constant thorn in the side of Toulouse.
Physical, imposing and full of smarts, it also warranted mention how he pinned and drew markers to generate room for others and caused disconnects in the Toulouse backline.
His offensive impact didn’t end there, for his creative passing rose to the fore too, with his tidy assist highlighting what a weapon he is at manufacturing openings for others.
The Denmark U21 ace’s immense threat was aptly illustrated by the fact he led all players for chances created (3) and was equal-first for shots (alongside Frank Magri on 3).
Also putting in a solid shift on the defensive end courtesy of his admirable pressing and work rate, this added to what an impressive night at the office the man who’s intriguingly eligible to represent Denmark, England, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Germany at international level had.
Upon reflecting on how he described himself as a player, his words have proven to be absolutely spot-on. “I’d describe myself as a bit of a dying breed of striker, a little bit old-school. I understand how important the build-up is, being available for the team, but at the end of the day, I’m a striker and I love scoring goals,” he insisted.
“I try to find myself in the best place to score goals. A lot of the goals that you’ll look at aren’t the prettiest. But for me, it doesn’t really matter how the ball goes in the back of the net. Scoring is one of the most important things in football, and I try to do it on a consistent basis. Sometimes my goals aren’t the prettiest, but a goal is a goal.”
Having received glowing praise from Hutter and many of his teammates for his phenomenal start to life at the Principality club, expect him to come out swinging vs. Angers in his search to get back on the scoresheet and keep up his sensational form.