Sébastien Pocognoli: "We lacked intensity and energy"

They were unable to achieve the desired result. Despite a few opportunities in the first half, AS Monaco ultimately succumbed to LOSC in their final home game of the season (0-1). Coach Sébastien Pocognoli spoke to the media with considerable disappointment to discuss the match. 🎙️

Bonsoir coach. Quel est votre sentiment à chaud ?

Cela a été un match assez terne de notre part, c’est un constat. Ce n’a pas été un grand match dans l’ensemble, avec très peu d’occasions malgré quelques situations intéressantes de part et d'autre, mais pas vraiment de domination flagrante. Je pense que Lille a peut-être été plus prompt que nous d’un point de vue physique et de la fraîcheur, mais nous n’avons de toute façon pas réussi à mettre nos principes de jeu en place.

There was disappointment in the locker room. I don't get the impression they didn't want to win; it's just that we weren't able to trouble Lille. There's one week left now, and training will dictate how we finish the season. So it's important to stay united and keep setting goals for this final week.

How do you explain the lack of intensity?

We lacked intensity and energy, that's obvious. Our playing principles have been clear for a few months now, especially during our good run with seven consecutive wins, or in parts of matches in recent weeks, where when we manage to be a cohesive team, press forward together, and are united in this game plan, we are formidable. However, it requires a certain amount of effort, and at times I feel we're at the limit of what we can produce in this area. When we managed to engage in physical battles, we were able to win back possession and create some counter-attacking opportunities. Unfortunately, we struggled to execute the right technical skills and make the right decisions, which resulted in a rather lackluster match.

Why were there so many technical errors?

That's a question we're trying to answer. It's related to what I just said, because at times we have a lack of clarity due to a lack of freshness. The game plan was understood since it's been similar for the past few months, with only minor adjustments. I simply had the impression, as has been said repeatedly, that we weren't able to win back possession as well as we've been doing in recent weeks. So, naturally, that requires effort, especially since we knew Lille likes to keep possession. When we did win it back, which was too infrequent, we didn't have a clear formation on the pitch to achieve the necessary technical precision.

Do you think you didn't deserve to play in the Champions League?

A few months ago, if we had even mentioned a glimmer of hope of playing in this competition, hardly anyone would have believed it. And yet, we redoubled our efforts to be in a position to do so. But if we look back at the season as a whole, I think we weren't quite sharp enough to secure qualification. We had the opportunity to still hope, but we didn't manage to do it, and that perhaps confirms that we're below par and that we need to learn from this.

It's been a challenging year, full of ups and downs so far, and that's what takes the most energy, because we're often caught in a whirlwind of emotions. That's where you have to remain as neutral as possible, and that takes a lot of energy. We've had some good responses from certain players who have managed to develop individually, some great nights too, but not enough. In a week, we'll sit down and analyze what's been going well, both collectively and individually, and what we need to improve.

What can we still hope for from the last match?

There's a week of training left and a match with something to play for. And generally in this situation, we can either give up and tell ourselves that in our position there's nothing left to hope for, or on the contrary, have the pride to go and get a victory in Strasbourg, where we lost in the Coupe de France. We can still get some answers this week regarding certain players and do a complete analysis of this match.