Analysis: Philipp Kohn bounces back brilliantly against Marseille
After his disappointing performance against Brest last week, Philipp Kohn bounced back brilliantly with a superb showing vs Olympique de Marseille.
A key man throughout AS Monaco’s scintillating 3-0 victory over OM, he deserves immense credit for regrouping so impressively to earn a coveted clean sheet.
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With plenty of talk about him potentially getting dropped for this crunch clash, it was interesting to hear Adi Hutter voice his support for the Swiss international in the pre-match press conference. And Kohn emphatically vindicated the faith of his manager by producing a quality display between the sticks.
“It’s a huge win tonight, and I want to congratulate the whole team. Philipp bounced back perfectly, saving us from some tough situations by making some great saves. 3-0, I’d say that’s a powerful message, even if I wasn’t necessarily happy with our first half,” Hutter reflected after the match.
“It wasn’t easy for him. With Frederic de Boever, we decided to give him our confidence because he had a clean sheet in Angers and a good match against Nice. Tonight, it’s another clean sheet. It’s clear that he made a mistake in Brest, but besides that, he saved us against Luis Henrique and Amine Gouiri in a fantastic way.”
Knowing he’d have his work cut out against OM’s outstanding offense, Kohn made a solid start by comfortably claiming a Jonathan Rowe cross.
Despite cutting a composed and assured figure, the final minutes of the opening half threatened to unravel his good work with a couple of nervy moments.
Using half-time to refocus and recalibrate, it was terrific to see him deliver a strong showing in the second stanza.
Kicking things off with two sharp saves to deny Mason Greenwood in quick succession, these served as a fine boost for him.
His big moment then arrived when he conjured a sensational stop to repel Amine Gouiri’s dangerous strike. Explosively diving upwards and to his left, Kohn masterfully tipped the attempt wide and out for a corner at a pivotal moment of the fixture.
Seeing out the rest of the game effectively and successfully, there was much to like about this classy outing by the 27-year-old in a match where he was vital towards ASM shutting out Marseille.
“After the Brest match, it was a long week for me, quite difficult, I must admit. But I was keen to do much better and I think it worked out well today. I’m happy to bring home a clean sheet tonight, but, above all, we’re very happy to have won these three points as a team! It was a match that we knew would be decisive, and we’re now looking ahead to the next one against Strasbourg,” Kohn explained afterwards.
He then added this on his majestic save from Gouiri’s wicked strike: “It’s happening very quickly at that point! You have to wait for the right moment and be in the right position to be able to intervene. For Thilo (Kehrer) it was too difficult to intervene, so I triggered quickly, and, in this case, you also need a bit of luck to get there.
“It was a good reaction from me, and I’m glad I avoided that goal. For a goalkeeper, it’s like scoring! Especially since it was at a crucial moment, because if it’s 2-1 on the scoreboard in the 67th minute, it can be very close until the end. It was a good moment to be decisive, that’s why I celebrated!”
Wanting to keep the ball rolling and continue the momentum from this excellent outing on the big stage, Kohn was elated to have secured such a statement victory in ASM’s push to secure Champions League football for next campaign.
“This is a truly crucial victory, especially with a three-goal lead against a direct competitor. We will now celebrate and enjoy this important success before focusing on the next match. At the moment, we are second, and we want to stay that way! This is very important for getting back into the Champions League, so it’s all the more satisfying to have won this match and brought home a clean sheet,” he insisted.
The matches don’t get any easier for Les Monegasques, as they welcome fellow top-three chasers Strasbourg to the Stade Louis II next weekend.
Eager to let his skills do all the talking and to maintain his level from this valuable triumph, this contest will be another stern test for Kohn in his pursuit to cement himself as the undisputed No. 1 at Monaco.