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Reactions 29 January 2023, 02:45

Philippe Clement: "Proud and happy with the personality of my players"

Philippe Clement: "Proud and happy with the personality of my players"
A few moments after the draw obtained by AS Monaco at the Stade Vélodrome, the Belgian manager expressed his feelings at a press conference.

It was a somewhat frustrating point won by AS Monaco. Thoroughly dominant in the first half against Olympique de Marseille and ahead by a goal, the Rouge et Blanc conceded at the very start of the second half before nevertheless managing to keep the match a draw (1-1). Moments after this result, Philippe Clement spoke with journalists, proud of the effort of his players.

Good evening, Coach. What do you take away from this draw?

We faced a good team and had a great first half, both with and without the ball. Things were done with intensity as has been worked on in training. We were good collectively and in our organization but lacked a finishing touch since we could lead 0-2, 0-3 or even 0-4 after the first 45 minutes.

At the start of the second half, we knew that Marseille would push thanks to the support of the Vélodrome. It is in this type of situation that we still need  experience. But the team continues to grow and this is, for example, the first time that Eliesse Ben Seghir has played in a stadium like this, while on their side, Marseille can count on more experienced players. I am proud and happy with the personality of my players.

By bringing back a point from the Vélodrome, what analysis do you make on a basic level?

I’m really frustrated when I take stock of the two matches against Marseille because we could have had six points but unfortunately this is not the case. We must not live in the past but rather look forward, and that starts Wednesday against Auxerre. We have to be focused on this game now and on ourselves only, without looking at what our direct competitors are doing.

This point from a draw is still confirmaton of your good form on the road

Yes, but I also want us to be a good team at home, even if it’s true that it’s been much better in recent weeks. At the start of the season, we dropped too many points because of red cards. This shows that we play all the matches to win by creating lots of chances.

It’s not for nothing that we have 30 consecutive games with at least one goal scored. And we must not forget that Marseille was the team in form and had been on eight matches in a row. Tonight, we played with great quality and that gives us interesting prospects for the coming months.

Rise. Risk. Repeat.