Filipe Luís: "The most important thing was to win, and we did"

A winning start. For his official debut on the Monaco bench, Filipe Luís saw his players deliver a promising performance on Polish soil. Despite a difficult pitch and a physically sharp opponent, the Red and Whites came out on top 3-2, taking a valuable advantage ahead of the return leg at the Stade Louis-II next Thursday (6:45pm). After the match, the Auriverde tactician faced the press to give his assessment. 🎙️

Coach, what’s your feeling after this victory in Poland?

We knew it was going to be a tough game because they are very strong at home. Fenerbahçe and Ferencváros, for example, couldn’t win here. We knew we had to try to control the game in the first half, and we managed to keep the ball and convert one of our chances. But we also made some mistakes in our build-up, which led to turnovers and forced us to press more. The team became less compact.

The players then tried to defend better, but we particularly struggled on the wings. Still, we went 2-0 up and then 3-1 in the second half, which made things clearer. Of course, we’re just starting the season and some players like Denis (Zakaria) played 80 minutes for the first time, or Paris (Brunner) 90. The most important thing was to win, and we did, so the feeling is very positive.

The pitch wasn’t in the best condition. How did you deal with that?

We decided to train at the Performance Center the day before and then travel to rest at the hotel. The pitch wasn’t ideal, but that’s what makes football beautiful — things can’t always be perfect. You have to adapt. I come from a country where the grass isn’t always in perfect condition. It’s good for my players to grow and learn from these situations.

How did you find your players physically?

Honestly, it wasn’t an easy game physically. Many young players played their first match in a stadium like this, and I knew it could be complicated. They will only be fully ready physically after playing more games, and once that happens, they’ll feel better. For the return leg, we hope to have some players back, but my focus is first on the next Ligue 1 match against Le Havre.

Why did you choose this system tonight?

The team’s structure depends on the players’ characteristics. The goal is to get the best out of each one. This week, we had several absentees. I thought about starting in a 4-3-3, but it wasn’t ideal for my game plan with the players available. I also wanted to give Paris his chance today, and he delivered a fantastic performance. If you look closely, we didn’t play in a 4-4-2 when attacking, so the players could feel more comfortable on the pitch. For a team to be competitive, it must master at least two systems, so yes, sometimes we will plan to use a back five.