Jardim’s Monaco Plan Falls Apart in Champions League Chase

Jérémy Toulalan will never be one of French football’s most prolific talkers so when he does open up, it’s worth listening. The words of the Monaco midfield stalwart are like his game, straightforward and decisive. “There are no excuses,” he said after his current team’s 6-1 humiliation at his former club Lyon in Saturday’s season-defining game. “The result reflects the match.” 

His coach Leonardo Jardim was even more brutal. The Venezuelan, whose position is set to come under the microscope in the coming days and weeks regardless of next Saturday’s result against Montpellier, lamented that “nobody was at the level that we expect at this club.”  

One can only wonder what Jardim was thinking sitting there in his post-match press conference as the full horror of the evening sunk in. The former Sporting Clube de Portugal coach is known for his cautious approach and his meticulous preparation. What could he have done, though, to cover the eventuality of going 2-0 down in eight minutes and a man down after 22 in his team’s most important match of the season? 

With second place in Ligue 1, and the last automatic Champions League spot, up for grabs, Monaco fell to bits. It was the first time in 16 years that they have let in four first-half goals, and meant that Lyon are all but uncatchable in the runners-up spot. With one game to go, OL lead Monaco by three points but have a superior goal difference by 22. In short, it’s all over.  

Lyon - and specifically their coach Bruno Genesio, who stepped up from assistant when Hubert Fournier was fired on Christmas Eve - deserve enormous credit. This was a scintillating attacking display, underlining their intrinsic quality as the second-best squad after Paris Saint-Germain. It was the eighth occasion on which they have scored three or more times in a Ligue 1 game under Genesio, and the win means they have now won eight and drawn two of their last ten games, having lost five league games out of six to end 2015 on a sour note. 

Coping with Alexandre Lacazette - whose hat-trick took him to 21 Ligue 1 goals for the season, 11 of which have been scored in the last nine - is tough for any team, as well as dealing with Rachid Ghezzal, who has blown up into a hugely important figure under Genesio - the Algerian has scored 7 and assisted 5 since January. That Nabil Fekir has been protected and used sparingly since his return from a serious knee injury, totalling 47 minutes in four matches, underlines the extent of the riches at the new coach’s disposal. 

Yet Monaco’s defensive difficulties haven’t surfaced suddenly. Since edging Nice 1-0 in the derby in early February, their habitually miserly backline has kept just two clean sheets in 13 games in all competitions - one of which, bizarrely, was at PSG - making it hard to grind out, and to close out, results. With a game left to go, Monaco have conceded 50 goals in Ligue 1, compared to 26 in the 2014/15 season.  

It has had ruinous effects. As recently as February 27th, Jardim’s side led OL by ten points, only to now find themselves improbably shut out of second spot with a game still remaining. Porous defending away from home has cost Monaco ever since August, when they went down 3-1 at Valencia in the first leg of the Champions League playoff, a game in which they created more chances that the La Liga side (13 efforts on goal to 10).  

In almost an exact juxtaposition to Lyon’s form, Monaco have shipped three goals or more on five occasions since December in all competitions, taking in a hammering by a second-string Tottenham in the Europa League, defeat at Angers and the 4-1 capitulation at Lille last month which put their perch in second at genuine risk. 

Many will point to personnel changes. The loss of Aymen Abdennour to Valencia - one of a number of departures, which also included Yannick Carrasco and Anthony Martial - was a blow, but not the mortal one that is often perceived. The Moroccan only started 17 matches in Ligue 1 last season, and one of the strengths of Jardim’s set-up last season was that the solidity was maintained despite a rotating cast. Among the squad’s other defenders, Wallace started 11 times in the 2014/15, Ricardo Carvalho made 23 starts and even Layvin Kurzawa - another of the summer exits - was in the XI on a relatively modest 25 occasions. 

The absence of Geoffrey Kondogbia in front of the defence has been felt, with the now-Inter midfielder making 3.1 tackles per match last season. João Moutinho’s injury niggles have hurt Monaco too, with the Portuguese almost an ever-present last season, but has missed 12 Ligue 1 games to date this term. Moutinho was a notable absentee on Saturday night having picked up an injury in training leading up to the match. With Fabinho, the versatile right-back/midfield anchor suspended at Parc OL, Jardim’s side were especially exposed.  

The wide areas have been a particular source of woe for Jardim, but it was on the left, rather than on the right, where Monaco suffered most. 44% of Lyon’s attacks were launched down the right, with the visitors sorely lacking a presence at left-back, with Kurzawa gone and on-loan Fábio Coentrão out for the season. Elderson Echiéjilé wasn’t trusted with filling the gap, so the experienced Andrea Raggi started there - and then promptly made the mistake that handed Ghezzal the opener. The second, fourth and sixth goals later came from the same flank. 

Now, Jardim and his side must quickly regroup to preserve the minimum of third place, and a return to the Champions League third qualifying round. With Nice breathing down their necks - and with Claude Puel’s team having a better goal difference - a win against Montpellier to close the campaign is imperative. No French team have made the group stages in the three seasons since Ligue 1 teams were required to play four games to there, but Monaco can’t worry about that for now. As stands, the future doesn’t stretch beyond Saturday, though that may prove to be quite literally the case for Jardim given the faltering displays of 2016.

Do you think Monaco can continue with Leonardo Jardim at the helm after their 6-1 defeat at Lyon? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below