On the hunt for their first league win of 2026, AS Monaco are fully focused on getting all three points when they face off with Le Havre on Saturday. Ahead of this key clash, manager Sébastien Pocognoli spoke at the pre-match press conference to respond to a variety of questions.
Meeting
Following their crushing 6-1 loss to Real Madrid, first on the docket was the meeting Pocognoli and the players had after this latest setback.
“This meeting was designed to move things in the right direction across all sports departments, raising awareness of the situation, even though we’ve been aware of it for several weeks. It’s meant to be a wake-up call, to encourage us to be even more rigorous collectively, because we aren’t always so in every situation. The meeting was therefore primarily focused on building cohesion and fostering greater solidarity and a positive attitude. There was certainly a spirit of goodwill to motivate everyone to continue doing more, to work harder on every detail, to persevere and to bring greater rigour to every aspect of our work,” he asserted.
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Real Madrid debrief
Pocognoli then provided some further analysis regarding the tough defeat vs Los Blancos, with him keen to point out the positives associated with the performance.
“My post-match analysis was truly considered calmly. After every defeat, you can always replay the match in different ways, whereas a victory can sometimes mask certain shortcomings. After the game, I said I didn’t regret our approach, and that’s true again today because we had the opportunity to play our game plan in the first half. We created chances and conceded two counterattacks,” insisted the Belgian.
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“It was certainly a bold move, but I look at the qualities of my squad. I don’t think we had the profiles to play a more defensive or controlled style. We would have had the same shortcomings whether we were playing higher up the pitch or lower down. So I think it was the right plan, and the players agree. You can sometimes adopt a more defensive approach and still concede quite a few goals.”
Positivity
Refusing to be deterred by recent results, Pocognoli explained his unwavering commitment to remaining positive despite the rotten form his side’s in.
“Maintaining a positive mindset helps prevent us from giving up when things get tough. I communicate this way to keep my confidence high while still being able to resolve the current problems, which I’m fully aware of. I also reflect on my performance after every match and training session. We need to stay positive and united because things won’t work if we each start going our separate ways, which isn’t the case with my players,” he told the media.
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“In training, you can’t see a team on a losing streak. That’s an important sign because I’ve seen locker rooms crumble, but that’s not the case today. I’m sticking to my convictions, and I repeat, I certainly would have done many things the same way. No one can take away my confidence, my positive attitude, which I try to instill wholeheartedly in my players because it’s important that everyone remains positive and ambitious to finish this season strong, a season where there are still quite a few objectives to achieve.”
Inconsistency
Pocognoli also shared his opinion about his team’s fluctuating form, which has seen them win only one of their last seven Ligue 1 games, an issue that has plagued him throughout his tenure.
“This is a question I’ve been asked a lot since I arrived. We’ve already discussed it, but I don’t think my players are showing more interest in one match than another. The situation is completely different from what it was a few months ago because we’re in a context where we need to react quickly. The match against Le Havre is crucial for getting back on track,” acknowledged the ASM boss.
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“There will be no laxity in how we approach the match, and a victory could certainly ease some tensions, but it would only be the beginning. We then need to ensure this momentum continues to create a positive spiral. We’ve seen that we can win against PSG only to lose afterward. Therefore, we must try to maintain emotional stability and keep our key players sharp; that would be a significant step forward.”
Le Havre
Looking ahead to Le Havre, Pocognoli offered his assessment of Didier Digard’s men, knowing they’ll pose a serious test, stating: “They’re an interesting team with a lot of quality and play a direct style of football. They have a fairly clear tactical system and a coach with a vision and mentality that he instills in his players. They are indeed a cohesive team, and the transfers made this winter will add quality. I expect a difficult away match, but that’s always the case in France. We need to focus on ourselves, our strengths and our weaknesses and develop a collective plan as effectively as possible.”
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Camara back
Fresh from AFCON glory with Senegal, Lamine Camara’s return this weekend is a timely addition for Les Monégasques, who have missed his contributions in midfield.
“Lamine will be available this weekend. He has a top-level mentality and is fully committed to AS Monaco. He is completely focused and not distracted. He is still young and therefore still needs to manage the emotional aspect. He has many areas to improve, but he has the potential for a great career. He brings balance to what we want to implement in each match, which is also true of several other players in the squad,” said the 38-year-old.
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Big week ahead
Eager to escape their rut and return to winning ways, reigning supreme over Le Havre would provide a much-needed boost for Monaco, particularly with a massive Champions League fixture against Juventus looming on the horizon next week.