Resurgent Monaco beat PSG to reignite title race in Ligue 1 | Luke Entwistle

Sébastien Pocognoli doesn’t like to talk about “foundational matches” but there are moments that can shape a season for better or for worse – and they do not necessarily come on the pitch. Sometimes they come in restaurants.

Monaco hit a low at the Bernabéu at the end of January. Their 6-1 defeat to Real Madrid was their heaviest in European competition and followed a run of seven defeats in eight games in Ligue 1, the worst record in the club’s history. After their humbling defeat in Madrid, the squad remained in the city until the afternoon of the following day to come to terms with the deepening crisis. The club’s coaches and staff held a meeting to talk things through. The players also gathered to thrash things out. “We thought it was important to have one as players, to be open, to try to find solutions,” said Folarin Balogun. “It was positive.”

Pocognoli hoped the meetings would provide a “shock to the system” and they have. Monaco have not lost in the league since. Their form has improved further since a team bonding session at the start of February. The players “spent a day together for the first time in a long time” and shared a meal together at a restaurant in the city beyond the walls of their workplace.

“We know how much this team has been torn apart this season, so it was good to talk,” said Pocognoli. “My players need to come together a bit more to try to create a family. We’re missing those moments a bit at the club – those where you switch off from what happens on the pitch.”

Since their bonding day, Monaco have won all four of their league games, including an emphatic 3-1 win at Paris Saint-Germain on Friday night. It was a victory that had been coming. Monaco beat PSG earlier in the season in Ligue 1 and they ran them close home and away in their Champions League playoff, despite having a player sent off in both legs of the tie.

Luis Enrique said that PSG were “clearly struggling” after the defeat, their first at home in the league this season. That is undeniable. His players are lacking confidence, intensity, drive, determination, cohesion and togetherness; whatever it is that teams need to win matches, you won’t find it at PSG at the moment. After two defeats in four games, their lead at the top of the table has been cut to just one point.

PSG are in a hole and it is Monaco – and Pocognoli – who have helped dig it. The Belgian manager thrived at Union Saint-Gilloise, taking them to the Champions League for the first time in their history, before being thrown in at the deep end in his first job in one of Europe’s top five leagues. He is trying to implement a new style of play but has had to contend with a lack of time on the training pitch and a never-ending injury crisis that still refuses to abate.

Monaco’s head coach Sebastien Pocognoli roars in delight as Folarin Balogun nears him after his goal. Photograph: Christophe Petit-Tesson/EPA

Despite the limited time and options, Pocognoli has thrived in recent months, with his in-game decisions shaping recent success. Monaco’s substitutes have scored 16 goals in Ligue 1 this season – more than a third of their total. It isn’t just about bringing on the right players. Pocognoli has regularly vaunted the “hybrid” nature of his squad, which has allowed him to flit between systems. Their unpredictability has become an important string in Monaco’s bow.

There are other strings, one of which goes by the name of Balogun. The centre-forward has been excellent this season. “He has really improved with his back to goal,” said Wout Faes, the Monaco centre-back who also played with Balogun at Reims. The USA forward is scoring goals, too. He has 13 this season (including three in his last three league games), which is already better than his last two seasons combined (12).

The club captain, Denis Zakaria, who played within himself for much of the season, has thrived in a deeper role in recent weeks; Maghnes Akliouche has stepped up, scoring two goals in two weeks at the Parc des Princes; and Lamine Camara has returned from injury and is available. That is all he needs to be, given that Monaco have won only 22% of their games without him compared to 62% with him.

Granted, there are still imperfections. The club’s summer transfer dealings and the unavailability of their recruits (Paul Pogba, Eric Dier and Lukas Hradecky in particular) put Monaco on the back foot and the injury crisis is not a product of luck either, even if changes have now been made in the medical department.

Monaco have been playing catchup for much of the season but Pocognoli is building something. He talks about instilling “a mindset” and “principles”, but he is also fostering cohesion, be it through his man-management or the results, which recently convinced the club’s ultras to end their long-running strike. “We’ll keep our feet on the ground,” said Pocognoli, who is not making a meal out of the recent rebound, but who has made something from that all-important meal last month.

Talking points

Less than three months after leaving Nice, Franck Haise was back at the Allianz Riviera as manager of Rennes. His excellent start at the club continued with a 4-0 win – his new team’s third successive victory and third successive clean sheet. Nice have regressed under Claude Puel, proving that Haise was never really the problem. “There are lots of people to blame,” said the Nice captain, Dante. “There are some that are still here, some who have left, and some who are very far away.” Whether they are playing in Ligue 1 or Ligue 2 next season, there is a need for profound change at Nice.

Nantes look increasingly likely to be playing in Ligue 2 next season. They sacked Luís Castro in December but there has been no uptick under Ahmed Kantari, whose own position is now tenuous. After a 1-0 defeat by Angers, they have picked up just three points in their last nine games. With eight defeats in 10 league games, Kantari already has as many defeats as his predecessor – from five fewer games.

They won’t have the chance to improve their situation at the weekend after they agreed to postpone their match against PSG. The delay will help Luis Enrique’s side in their last-16 tie against Chelsea in the Champions League, but the decision has angered Nantes’ fans, who dispersed leaflets at Angers match that painted the club president, Waldemar Kita, in a disparaging light.

Metz are even further adrift. Stéphane Le Mignan departed in January and his successor, Benoit Tavenot, has taken just one point from seven games in charge. They were beaten 3-0 by Lens and have not won in the league since 9 November.

This is an article by Get French Football News