In the wake of AS Monaco’s 3-1 defeat against Olympique Lyonnais, Philippe Clement denied that his managerial position was under threat.
At the beginning of the season, the club would have been looking to secure Champions League qualification, as they did last year. However, Les Monégasques have run out of steam at the wrong time and have just one win in their last five matches. That victory came against already-relegated SCO Angers, whilst in that time, Monaco have conceded 10 goals in matches against Montpellier, Lens and Lyon, scoring just one of their own.
Monaco’s fourth-place, synonymous with a place in next season’s Europa League, is now coming under threat. Lille have the chance to close the gap to two points in the case of a victory against Marseille on Saturday night.
This week, rumours have arisen of a potential departure for Clement this summer. Belgian journalist Sacha Tavolieri said that Clement “doesn’t expect” to take charge of Les Monégasques beyond the summer, adding that a return to Club Brugge was on the cards.
However, in a post-match interview, transcribed by La Diagonale, Clement has sought to quash rumours about his future. “The question of my future isn’t being asked. I still have one year left on my contract. I want to stay at Monaco, but we have to grow as a team, and recently, we haven’t proven what we have previously proven. We have to work hard these next two weeks if we want to continue to play big matches,” he said.
GFFN | Luke Entwistle
