Football Season Guide

Monaco finished 3rd in Ligue 1 last season in what was a satisfactory campaign for Adi Hutter’s side. There was certainly room for improvement, with Monaco’s away form notably disappointing as they won 6 and lost 7 on their travels. Furthermore, early promise in the Champions League was not realised. The principality side were strong in front of goal, which was reflected by the fact that they scored 63 times in the league. Look for more of the same this season from a coach who has a forward-thinking mentality. Monaco have made headlines this summer thanks to a couple of major signings. The most obvious of these is Paul Pogba, who returns to the professional game after a prolonged ban after a positive test for a banned substance. How he impacts the side depends on how seriously he treats his return. He could be an incredible signing or an incredibly expensive flop. Similarly, Ansu Fati has arrived from Barcelona with a reputation for being injury prone but a history of excellence at his best. He has not been at this level for several seasons, so it’s doubtful he will become the game-breaker Monaco hope. This could be important if Maghnes Akliouche is sold, which seems possible at this point. Monaco’s other notable arrival in the summer has been Eric Dier, who has arrived on a free transfer from Bayern Munich, where he had a strong spell. If he can bring that level to Monaco’s defence, he will be a major asset. This is a squad that still looks stacked offensively, with the likes of Mika Biereth, Folarin Balogun and George Ilenikhena providing strong competition for places in attack. With Eliesse Ben Seghir, Takumi Minamino and Aleksandr Golovin (surprisingly) still at the club, there is plenty of creativity and imagination in the midfield. Deeper in the midfield, there is also solid competition, with the highly rated Lamine Camara providing the legs that Pogba and Denis Zakaria can work around. Similarly, there have been no profound changes in the defence, although prospect Chrislain Matsima has been allowed to leave.