The crisis hits Monaco after a new setback in Montpellier

Before this 18th day of the Championship, AS Monaco was going through a difficult period, with only one victory in its last seven matches in all competitions and no success in Ligue 1 since December 7. The Monegasque team hoped to take advantage of its trip to Montpellier, a red lantern plagued by defeats, to finally relaunch its season. But facing a more combative Hérault team than usual and a Mousa Al-Tamari in great form, Monaco once again had to settle for a disappointing result this evening.

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After an error from Kassoum Ouattara, Al-Tamari equalized for Montpellier in the 55th minute. Lecomte then made a good save by repelling a header from Magassa (73rd), before Al-Tamari achieved an individual feat by dribbling past Mohamed Salisu and hitting the near post against Majecki (82nd). Despite nine minutes of added time, Montpellier held on and won their first victory (2-1) since November 10. For its part, AS Monaco suffered another disappointment. The Rocher club also leaves the possibility for Marseille, which hosts Strasbourg on Sunday, to widen the gap.

Hütter is not yet talking about a crisis

This defeat brings to eight the number of matches without a victory for Monaco since December. Before the match, coach Adi Hütter firmly refused to speak of a “crisis”. “ You can use this word. It's true that we are in a difficult situation at the moment, you are right, but I have never used that word. Crises in life are not made for sport. We're not happy, yes. We must do better, yes, but we are capable of achieving it. We have to stay positive, communicate in a positive way and believe in our style of play to get out of this as quickly as possible. “, he declared at a press conference. “ It doesn't make sense to always talk about what's going wrong. It's not the first time I've been in a bit of trouble, but I have experience and she tells me to stay cool and believe in my players », added the Monegasque coach. But it is clear that despite the technician's words, recent results can only prove him wrong. The club, struggling in Ligue 1, also experienced another disappointment, this time in the Cup. This Tuesday, during the first evening of the round of 16 of the Coupe de France, Reims eliminated Monaco after a penalty shootout (1-1, 3-1 tab). Despite Monegasque domination, particularly in the game, Monaco was too clumsy, particularly during the fateful session. This early elimination is reminiscent of last year, when Monaco lost on penalties in the round of 16 against FC Rouen.

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For the Austrian, the difficulties encountered by his training, for some time now, have been identifiable: “ We are in difficulty and we have explanations. Some could be taken as excuses, like the penalty not called on Minamino in Reims. It's difficult to accept and we were unlucky. But we scored our chances at the start of the season but that is no longer the case and that is a concern. We don't concede big chances but I also have the impression at the moment that every situation ends in a goal for the opponent. We need to change this immediately “. This evening again, the statistics seem to go in his direction. The MHSC thus only had 4 small shots on target, for 2 goals. While opposite, Monaco had 26 shots on goal (11 on target), for only one goal. Defensive and offensive problems, which the Monegasque coach will have to quickly resolve, if he does not want to see the ” crisis » definitely settle down.