Sébastien Pocognoli: "I recognized myself in my team today!"
They needed to show fighting spirit, and they did. Facing PSG, the reigning Champions League holders, on the 14th matchday of Ligue 1, the AS Monaco players showed their best face to win 1-0 thanks to a goal by Takumi Minamino. Satisfied with the result Sébastien Pocognoli spoke afterwards at a press conference to analyze this victorious encounter.🎙️
Good evening, coach. Is tonight’s victory a turning point?
We’ll see next week, but in any case, it’s a solid performance in many respects. We might see later, but it’s certainly satisfying to get back to winning ways, regardless of the opponent, and especially against what is undoubtedly one of the best teams in Europe, if not the best. So yes, a doubly positive feeling.
Did your team show you what you expected from them in recent weeks?
I recognized myself in my team today, plain and simple! Today, there was a winning mentality, there was aggression, sometimes bordering on the extreme, but I have no problem with that. It’s a team that wanted to press and was solid and united, with attacking play and a lot of personality. The players wanted to do it together, and that proves it’s possible to do it with this group! We’ll try to repeat that now. The team was compact, but we always pushed forward in our pressing against a very good Paris team that can break lines very easily with their quality. It was all the more courageous and audacious to do it, and even more so as a team.
Les réactions de Jordan Teze et Lamine Camara après la victoire 🗣️
1️⃣-0️⃣ #ASMPSG pic.twitter.com/4CQqYjYd9o
— AS Monaco 🇲🇨 (@AS_Monaco) November 29, 2025
Do you think the right decision was made regarding Camara’s tackle on Lucas Chevalier?
I’m not going to comment on specific plays, simply because I didn’t do so when we didn’t deserve red cards either. I always say that everything evens out at the end of the season. Obviously, I prefer my players to play cleanly, if possible, rather than the opposite, which has been the case in recent weeks where we were getting red cards because we were 50-50 in the wrong direction, and then we were inevitably punished unfairly. Today, that wasn’t the case.
Is there a sense of relief tonight that the podium hasn’t slipped further away?
As for the podium, we’ll see at the end of the season. The main thing is to hold on to it for as long as possible and build towards a strong finish. We need to use this match and this week, which has been quite intense on all levels, to our advantage. This needs to be a turning point and a moment of cohesion!
Did your playmakers sometimes lack precision in their finishing?
At times, yes, but not all the time. I can’t blame them because they put in a huge amount of energy in pressing and in their off-the-ball movement, did Aleksandr (Golovin), Takumi (Minamino) and Maghnes (Akliouche) tonight. They did a fantastic job pressing and initiating the press. It’s normal that there’s a lack of freshness from time to time. We talked about it at halftime, and I’m happy that Taki was able to be decisive in this match! That’s what we expect from him, from Maghnes, and from Golo, who provided the assist; they were much more consistent.
🇯🇵 𝙏𝘼𝙆𝙐𝙈𝙄 𝙈𝙄𝙉𝘼𝙈𝙄𝙉𝙊, l'homme providentiel de l'@AS_Monaco !
Déjà buteur cette semaine, l'international japonais récidive 💥💥#ASMPSG pic.twitter.com/0FaqJEq8YT
— L1+ (@ligue1plus) November 29, 2025
Mohammed Salisu appeared much more consistent tonight, is that also your opinion?
Sali has done some really good things since I arrived here. He’s committed to what I’m trying to implement, and he’s vocal. So yes, there are occasional lapses, but I prefer that, seeing some mistakes stemming from a desire to give everything rather than the opposite. And from that point on, I can’t fault him. Today, he played a good match, even with the ball at his feet in the second half; he took initiative, which shows he’s progressing in that area too. But Thilo Kehrer also played a very good match, even though he got a red card. He and Sali were really excellent in their forward pressing and pushed the team forward as needed. I never doubted their abilities! I’m very happy for him.
So, how did you find the combination play?
It was rehearsed yesterday in training, in the very short time we had. And everything we saw today was worked on yesterday in 20 minutes. So that means that if the players are focused, if they want to apply exactly what we put in place, regardless of the opponent, regardless of the system, we are capable of doing it! And if we are capable of doing it, we will have a good season if we repeat this every week.
🚨 On a reçu des nouvelles de Lucas Chevalier après sa semelle : il va bien.
QUEL ARRÊT !#ASMPSG pic.twitter.com/TOU8r9zKaY
— L1+ (@ligue1plus) November 29, 2025
Does this victory give you any certainty about your system?
It certainly gives me certainty about what I’ve seen this week. I’ve seen a lot. I’ve also been able to analyze a lot of things during this somewhat tense period. And the main thing is to stay calm and observe. And what I’m certain of today is that there’s a lot of quality, but we have to put it at the service of the team all the time, every day in training! And we’re really going to base everything on that. So the clean sheet wasn’t a fluke. The right mindset isn’t a fluke either! But we have to do it every day. It’s my job to maintain it. And for that, I need everyone!
Was it intentional to put Takumi Minamino in Vitinha’s area?
We decided to play forward with Taki. And he was truly fantastic today from a tactical point of view, because he managed both Marquinhos and Vitinha. And for that, you really need great tactical awareness. Pulling Marquinhos out while closing down Vitinha’s passing lanes, and applying negative pressure, that’s quite something. He managed to do it, with the help of course of Lamine (Camara) and Jordan (Teze)who came out at the right time. But it also comes from Thilo and Sali’. So when everyone is pushing forward, it’s obviously easier.
How did you see Paul Pogba‘s appearance off the bench?
It’s a process with him. Today, it was planned that he would come on, either to push forward or, conversely, to defend. Today he did it, playing 10 against 11, and he brought the energy that was needed. I’m very happy to see him back in these kinds of matches. I think he benefited from it, and if he continues like this, he’ll have my support to continue this journey, to reach even greater heights and go even further.
"C'est le résultat qu'on voulait"
La réaction de Paul Pogba après la victoire 💪
1️⃣-0️⃣ #ASMPSG pic.twitter.com/oBBGEFibMX
— AS Monaco 🇲🇨 (@AS_Monaco) November 29, 2025
