“We will have to be ready for this challenge against Brest”

On the eve of the reception at Stade Brestois, for the 12th day of Ligue 1, the Monegasque technician presented himself at a press conference. With the firm desire to regain success at home.

AS Monaco begins a final cycle of eight matches before the winter break. And what better way to start than with a Champions League poster with the Brest reception, this Friday (7 p.m.), at the Stade Louis-II. With five wins in a row against this team, the Red and Whites will want to continue this series, in order to best prepare for the match against Benfica on Wednesday. It is with this in mind that Adi Hütter presented himself at a press conference. Excerpts.

The Brest reception on Friday

The match comes quickly after the international break, it is not easy to prepare. But this is not the first time we have experienced this situation. The most important thing is that we were able to bounce back before this break with two away victories in Bologna and Strasbourg. We are going to face a great team from Brest. Even though they are struggling in Ligue 1, they are fourth in the Champions League. I like this team and coach Eric Roy. This is a strong team and we will have to be ready for this challenge.

Brest, a team with two faces

It's not easy for Brest because it's the first time they're participating in the Champions League. They also have 10 points like us but remain on two defeats in Ligue 1 against Nice and Montpellier. This last defeat was also a little surprising. I know this team, they have a clear 4-3-3 structure most of the time.

Pierre Lees-Melou is undoubtedly the leader of this group, Ludovic Ajorque is solid and fast. Everyone knows Romain Del Castillo. Kenny Lala is also a good crosser and sends good balls to Ajorque. You will have to pay attention to the second ball and prepare for a big battle.

AS Monaco, our biggest opponent?

I wouldn't say that because we respect each opponent. As I have already said, Brest had a fantastic season last year and are currently performing in the Champions League. They maintained good stability, the coach remained. Ludovic Ajorque has the same profile as Steve Mounié. Playing two competitions is totally different, it's another challenge for them.

So we respect this team a lot. We will not have to play the same way as against Angers, where this match was a big disappointment. Fortunately, we then reacted well in Bologna and then in Strasbourg and didn't give up. I was very happy with this reaction.

Favorable stats in the 2nd period

I prefer that we are better in the second half because it shows our good physical condition. This also proves that our preparation was successful in managing these two competitions as well as possible, while waiting for the Coupe de France. We also have a big rotation and today we have 18-19 top players who can make the difference at any time. Of course, as a coach, I want my team to perform well during the 90 minutes but it's not always easy.

The ability of players to bounce back

We cannot compare the two defeats against Nice and Angers. We dominated the first half in Nice before conceding a goal and being reduced to ten men before the break. It's true then that the first half against Angers was not good but in my opinion, we tried to come back in the second half, except that SCO was also very good.

After this match, during a meeting, we were clear in telling the players that if we managed to practice our style of play, it would be difficult for the opponents to beat us. On the other hand, if we don't do this, everyone can manage to take the three points.

Sur Soungoutou High

In Nice, he was not scheduled to start but Denis was injured on his last shot during the warm-up. So it's not easy for a young player to play in these conditions, and I made the decision to replace him at half-time.

I then had a good chat with him, he proved to me that he was a fantastic player by showing me in training and that he was capable of playing. He was very good in Bologna and Strasbourg. He knew how to show the reaction of a professional player. We will see if he will be aligned again tomorrow.