Analysis: Caio Henrique and Thilo Kehrer excel vs. Angers
On a night where AS Monaco recorded their first away win in Ligue 1 since early November to defeat Angers 0-2, and a host of their players performed well, this gives us the opportunity to analyse two stars of the show from this victory.
Caio Henrique shines
Monaco’s classy Brazilian left-back made it four assists in his last seven matches when he supplied Mika Biereth with an exceptional cross to open the scoring vs. Angers, as he continued his quality recent form.
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“Caio is a very intelligent player, and he knew he wasn’t in his best shape since the start of the season. We tried to help him by doing video sessions with him, and today he has a lot more confidence. He now has four assists in the last seven games, which is important with his great left foot. His assist was fantastic tonight, and it shows that he’s back, which is the most important thing for me,” explained Adi Hutter on Henrique, who’s had a tough run with injury in the last 18 months and struggled to consistently find his best form since his cruciate ligament tear.
While his defensive work was solid and he engaged in an entertaining duel with Zinedine Ferhat, it was on the offensive end where he truly flexed his muscles.
Underlining exactly why he’s such a threat going forward, his intelligent movement afforded him the platform to wreak havoc.
Brilliantly adding width and depth to attacks with his purposeful surges, he made the most of the space left by winger Eliesse Ben Seghir typically edging infield with his astutely timed bursts. It was important to note how one of ASM’s central midfielders, often Moatasem Al-Musrati, would fill the space behind Henrique to provide cover in case of a turnover and to give him the freedom to maraud ahead.
His superb blindside runs into the box were another feature of his game when the ball was on the opposite flank, for he relished using his dynamic advantage over more stationary, ball watching defenders and exploiting the space manufactured by Angers’ backline getting dragged central due to ASM’s attackers’ strong central presence.
The way he rotated with Ben Seghir, plus others as a result of Monaco’s very fluid frontline, meant he could supplement his overlaps with some crafty underlaps to mix things up and cause further issues for Angers.
Technically excellent and precise in possession, the 27-year-old’s distribution also rose to the fore (on top of his assist), as he struck some incisive through balls, played many more terrific crosses and cutbacks into the area and recirculated the ball smartly while waiting for a weakness to emerge in the Angers shape.
By the numbers, his 14 ball recoveries, 11 duels won, seven progressive runs, seven accurate passes into the final third, four interceptions and three dribbles demonstrated his immense contribution.
Breel Embolo was also glowing in his praise for Henrique when speaking afterwards, stating: “Caio is a great player, he’s experienced and very important for the locker room! We need everyone at the end of the season. Even Wilfried (Singo), who was coming back after a few weeks, had a great game, and that’s what we want, because we need a strong team in this final sprint.
“But to get back to Caio, I’ve been at AS Monaco with him for three years, and I can tell you that when he’s in full possession of his abilities and mentally free, he’s one of the best in Europe in his position. It’s up to us as a group to put him in the best conditions.”
An integral component towards this much-needed road win, it was wonderful to see the outstanding Henrique maintain his top form and showcase once more why he’s such a valuable asset to Hutter’s ASM.
Kehrer rebounds
After his unfortunate mix-up with Radoslaw Majecki that cost ASM all three points vs. Toulouse last week, Thilo Kehrer bounced back in style by putting in a shift littered with upside against Angers.
Determined to forget that lamentable moment, the German stopper did just that in this tricky fixture, for he executed his actions with clarity and conviction with and without possession.
Defending in an attentive manner and with just the right amount of aggression, there was much to like about how broke up play and made life difficult for his adversaries. Be it applying some nifty interceptions, chiming in with some decisive tackles or winning headers in dominant fashion, he hardly put a foot wrong on his way to making 17 ball recoveries and seven interceptions.
It was particularly notable how he’d get touchtight when a marker would drop deep with their back to goal and how his aerial prowess was vital in helping his team win second balls and clearing danger.
Moreover, the way he offered covering support for nearby teammates Wilfried Singo and Henrique, plus led by example with his communication and multifaceted output, were extra positives.
Meanwhile, in an attacking sense, Kehrer kept things ticking over nicely with his sharp passing, as he played his role neatly to ensure ASM progressed up the pitch coherently.
Taking advantage of any chance to use the 3v2 overload Monaco enjoyed in build-up, his powerful dribbles into midfield caught the eye too, with him crucially gaining territory before drawing opponents out of shape to generate room for colleagues.
Imposing, assured and back to a level near his best, this was a marvellous response by Monaco’s experienced vice-captain, who’ll certainly be a key figure in what will be a fiercely contested race to the finish in Ligue 1.