Monaco's comeback win over PSG was a triumph for Niko Kovac

In the wake of Monaco’s dramatic 3-2 win over PSG on Friday evening, a plethora of narratives have unfolded. After two goals by Kylian Mbappé in the first half, PSG seemed to be cruising to an eighth straight win in the league, having scored 24 goals and conceded just once in that run. Monaco, though, had other ideas. Two goals from Kevin Volland and a late penalty, converted by substitute Cesc Fàbregas, sealed the result.

The sending off of Abdou Diallo, who appears to have regressed to a disconcerting level, did not help PSG. However, before making caveats about fitness, Covid-19, international breaks or any of the other issues facing Thomas Tuchel this season, credit should go where credit is due: to Monaco and their manager Niko Kovac for his decisive substitutions. PSG had absentees, but the hosts were also missing players who, while lacking the star power of their opponents, are perhaps even more important to their team’s ability to function at its best.

Unable to call upon Wissam Ben Yedder, Ruben Aguilar and goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomte (who broke his hand in training earlier in the month), Kovac initially showed faith in the 4-4-2 that had worked so well in recent matches. But Monaco’s press was far less effective without Ben Yedder, and Fodé Ballo-Touré was at sea against Mbappé and Ángel Di Maria on the left flank. Things were not looking good for the hosts and the narrative of “PSG succeed despite the odds” looked far more likely than “Monaco stun leaders.”

However, Kovac brought on Fàbregas and Caio Henrique, a tidy left-back who has been one of the club’s revelations of the season. Playing Fàbregas as a No 10 and Volland as a lone striker seemed like a gamble, but it paid off handsomely. Monaco’s performances this season have been uneven and Kovac does not appear to be wedded to any one tactical system – which may suggest indecision on his part – but the results speak for themselves. This was their third win in a row and it takes them up to fifth in the table, level on points with Lyon and Montpellier, just two behind Lille and four behind PSG.

No matter the system, Kovac has instilled in his players – both young and old – a renewed sense of determination and drive. Whether it’s improvement from youngsters such as Benoît Badiashile and Youssouf Fofana (perhaps the best central midfielder in Ligue so far this season) or getting decorated veterans such as Ben Yedder and Volland to buy in to his ideas, Kovac has cut an inspirational figure on the touchline. There is every reason to believe that Monaco can continue this good vein of form.

While Kovac’s arrival looks like a masterstroke for the club’s new sporting director, Paul Mitchell, the pressure is mounting on Thomas Tuchel. PSG have already lost three league games this season – as many as they did in last season’s truncated campaign – but they are also squarely behind the eight ball in Europe. Failure to beat RB Leipzig on Tuesday will likely mean elimination from the Champions League, barring a shock win by Istanbul Basaksehir over Manchester United. Such an outcome would most likely cost the German his job, if the club’s recent past is anything to go by.

It is difficult to lay all of the blame for PSG’s stumbles at the feet of the manager. PSG’s ageing and injury-prone squad has been particularly stretched by the relentless rush of fixtures this season, especially when considering the player’ various international commitments. Add in Covid-19, a season-ending injury to the reliable Juan Bernat, and the failure to properly replace Thiago Silva in defence, and the results are not entirely unexpected.

The Champions League debacle is more worrying, but Tuchel has kept his team ticking over domestically while also developing young players such as Mitchel Bakker and Kays Ruiz-Atil. Moise Kean also looks to be closer to being the player who sparkled at Juventus. Also, if there were ever a match he would have wanted his players to look past, it would surely have been this one; a loss to Monaco is a black eye, but a defeat to Leipzig could be fatal for his time in Paris.

The bottom line is that football is a results-based business and, even if circumstances this season have largely been beyond Tuchel’s control, his squad has more than enough talent to have shown the cutting edge and discipline needed to do better in Europe. With the credit for last year’s run to the final of the competition worth less by the day, if things do end prematurely for Tuchel, this result will scarcely matter, reinforcing the club hierarchy’s obsession with the Champions League.

Talking points

• Lille looked ripe for an upset against Lorient this weekend given that they were missing influential defender José Fonte, leading scorer Burak Yilmaz, Renato Sanches and Zeki Çelik. With Jonathan Ikoné also on the bench, Christophe Galtier was missing half of his first XI, but it mattered little. Jonathan David and Yusuf Yazici turned in bravura performances, both scoring in a 4-0 win that powered Lille back to second place. David still has more to do to justify his €27m price tag, but getting off the mark will do his confidence a world of good.

• Lyon won for the third time in four matches. Their 1-0 smash and grab at Angers was not one for fans of eye-catching football, but Rudi Garcia’s team are now unbeaten since the close of the transfer window. It has not all been smooth sailing for the club’s most coveted assets – Houssem Aouar wasn’t fully fit and was seen walking down the tunnel before the end of the match, while Memphis Depay flitted in and out of the game. However, the team seem to be playing with more determination, if not attacking cohesion, than six weeks ago. With Rennes seemingly feeling the effects of playing in Europe, Lyon look well placed to make their place in the top three a permanent one.

• You can go home again – if you’re Hatem Ben Arfa. The former Rennes man, now at Bordeaux, returned to Roazhon Park for the early kickoff on Friday and scored the only goal of the game. The result says more about Rennes’ lack of a game-breaking player than anything else, but will offer a bit of nostalgia for the winger’s glory days at Newcastle and Marseille. Ben Arfa looks poised to have the sort of talismanic influence for Bordeaux under Jean-Louis Gasset as he did for Nice under Claude Puel.

Ligue 1 table

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