FC Augsburg vs. Monaco: 5 Things We Learned

In the thick of their preseason preparations, Monaco fell to a second consecutive friendly defeat to German opposition.

Following on from their 3-2 defeat to Bundesliga 2 side Fortuna Dusseldorf, where Radamel Falcao notched his first goal in the club’s colours, they were beaten 1-0 by top-flight club Augsburg. 

Sascha Molders scored the only goal of the game as early as the 14th minute, and Claudio Ranieri’s men struggled to find any consistent rhythm and appear very much a work in progress.

The Italian switched sides at half-time, having started Falcao, Joao Moutinho and Jeremy Toulalan as well as a number of last season’s Ligue 2 heroes. 

Having drawn a blank but also conceded, the focus of the second half was on the defence.

The back-line was one of a number of identifiable weaknesses for the Principality side.

Defence

Going into the start of the Ligue 1 season, Monaco will be boasting an almost entirely new defence from the one that helped Les Monegasques to promotion from the second tier last year. 

Following the arrival of Fabinho from Rio Ave (h/t ESPN FC), four of their recruits this summer have been defenders.

If you count Gianluca Pegolo, who is expected to arrive from Siena imminently, that is five. 

All of those signings can justifiably expect to start regularly, in which case Ranieri has a brand new defence to construct from his new additions.

On the evidence of Molders goal, they are still a way off being complete.

Communication

The problem with so many new arrivals, especially when they are of such varied nationalities as Monaco’s signings have been thus far, is communication.

It takes time to find a suitable medium through which every member of the side can communicate—and communicate effectively.

A large slice of the current side is French, but with the likes of Falcao, Joao Moutinho, James Rodriguez and Fabinho all having Spanish and Portuguese in common, it will make discussion with some of the side’s key players a challenge.

The Principality outfit’s effective communication depends greatly on the adaptability of those key players. 

Should they be indulged in speaking their mother tongue and not learning French, like Thiago Silva and some of his highly priced teammates at Paris Saint-Germain, Ranieri risks his foreign stars alienating his domestic talents.

Chemistry

Naturally, any new side takes time to bond. After all, that is what preseason is for.

Falcao, Moutinho, Rodriguez, Toulalan and Eric Abidal were never going to immediately hit it off and produce scintillating football from they moment they took to the pitch together.

Instead, patience is needed as the team forge an understanding with one another and start to build a sense of team spirit.

This coming season in Ligue 1 will not be easy for Les Monegasques with so many new star names.

Although they are undoubtedly some of the best players in Le Championnat, the league takes some getting used to.

It will be the better part of a year until we can see the true value of Monaco’s side because it will take that long to create the necessary sense of unity to challenge at the top of the table with the likes of PSG.

Leadership

Interestingly, Ranieri has opted to change captains this season. Last season’s leader, Valere Germain, has been replaced by Abidal and Toulalan will be vice captain.

Against Augsburg, ASM started the game with Abidal wearing the armband but then Germain took over for the second period.

Getting used to a new leader is also something that will take time.

Although the French international was raised through the club’s youth academy and made his debut at the Stade Louis II, a lot has changed in the Principality since.

The 33-year-old needs to reacquaint himself with the club and get a feeling for the new identity that it has and to learn how best to communicate with his new teammates.

Abidal is an exemplary football player, but being captain takes a lot of skill and it is a responsibility that the former Barcelona has not always had in his career.

Uncertainty

Until all of the above come together and Monaco start to gel as a unit, there will continue to be the uncertainty exhibited on the pitch against Augsburg.

There were encouraging passages of play, but there are also far too many stoppages.

Ranieri’s side have yet to develop any fluency, which is natural for a team assembled at high cost who are only three matches into their preseason preparations.

In all likelihood, this will be carried over into the season—at least in the beginning.

Once the side start to communicate better, the newer members of the squad will have grown accustomed to the Italian’s methods and tactics. Once Abidal settles into his role as captain, the chemistry will start to improve.

But to think that Monaco were going to be assembled at high cost and immediately go head-to-head with PSG for the Ligue 1 title at a furious pace is wrong.

On this evidence, Monaco have a long way to go until they reach that level.