Arsenal FC v AS Monaco
Hello and how are you?
Wednesday the 11th of December will see a visit to the barracks of the Mighty Cannon from the Monégasque as we play our next CL game against AS Monaco FC at 8.00pm ( western European time).
Well I think the damp squib that was the Fulham game has left a slight gloomy bitterness in Goonerverse but the games are coming thick and fast this December so I’m sure we shall be keen to put our riverside experiences behind us as we do battle in another crucial CL game.
What initially springs to mind in reaction to a visit from Monaco? What does a team like that conjure up in our minds? The place they come from? I’ve never been there, all I know is that’s its on the French Riviera and a few kilometres from Italia, it hosts the Monaco Grand Prix, some of the the 1966 film Grand Prix with the interesting Saul Bass graphics and montages was set there, its a microstate, of course Grace Kelly, Jacques Demy’s film La baie des anges, millionaires and more millionaires and even more millionaires, sunshine with clear blue skies and sunglasses and yachts and a few billionaires. I’m sure it has many other sides to its society and multifarious narratives to explore? Do you have any experiences with Monaco?
Despite being a principality, Monaco has no UEFA status, even stranger is that they aren’t a French team and yet are in the French league. The are 2nd in Ligue 1 at the time of writing this, second to PSG who we saw off on their visit to Ashburton Grove earlier this autumn.
Founded in 1924 they play their home games at the Stade Louise II, a stadium smaller than Craven Cottage, which has a capacity of 16,360, yet that number is half the country’s population. They’ve won Ligue 1 eight times and have also been runner up eight times and have won the Coupe de France five times and have been runner up five times. The were also runners up in the old Cup winners Cup and in relatively more recent years, the Champions league.
Monaco used to have this terrible manager who was senile and always dithering, especially in the transfer market, as well as being an abject failure, who somehow (probably by luck or corruption) managed to attract top-named footballers to the club and nurtured some second-rate players through the youth system, blokes who didn’t amount to much and are now forgotten; Emmanuel Petit and Thierry Henry. Anyway, this manager geezer was known for respecting to almost voyeuristic levels the tactics and game play of Stoke City. He didn’t amount to much and ended up coaching Sunday league, his name is Arsène Wenger. I know, I asked the same question: Arsène who?
Anyway, back to the Champions league, I’m sure you already know the Mighty Cannon is at the moment in lucky seventh in the table, whilst visitors Monaco are in 8th. Even though they’ve scored twelve goals so far, they’ve leaked seven, so they’d better watch out at corners! The people at stats HQ have given The Arsenal a 73.3% chance of winning and Monaco on 7.9%.
The game will also see the return of Arsenal academy favourite Folarin Balogun, who I’m sure wont be giving us any favours. Adi Hütter the Monaco manger has a 58.93% win rate. Head to head with Monaco its, won one, lost one, both back in the 2015 CL campaign.
Well that’s it, lots of bits and pieces that I’m sure have made you feel like going off and swimming to the bottom of the Mariana trench instead of reading this.
Even so, here’s to a great game for us and lucky horses!
COYG and keep on keepin’ on!
Mills