AS Monaco’s resurgence in France’s Ligue 1 table continued with a 3-0 away win against Caen on Friday night. The result sees Leonardo Jardim’s side 3rd in the league with six games still to play. They are four points adrift of leaders Paris Saint-Germain and three points behind second team Lyon, but boast the best form in the division at a perfect time – with four wins and two draws from their last six.
Such form could see Les Rouges et Blancs cutting back further on the deficit in time to win the title, but can they pull it off? Their recent form says so, as they are unbeaten in their last eight league games, and have lost only two games from 24. Their consistency in the last few months has come as a real surprise given how they’d started the season.
Monaco were all the way down in 10th near the midpoint of the campaign, dropping points in 10 of their first 15 games played, but have turned things around considerably to threaten a title-chase at the business end of the campaign. They finished second to Paris Saint-Germain in their first season back in the top-flight after relegation to the second tier, and have 18 points to fight for.
Their rise up the table is all the more impressive given they allowed their two best players to leave – with Radamel Falcao joining Manchester United on a season-long loan with a view to a permanent deal, and James Rodriguez being signed for £70M by Real Madrid. Therefore, for Jardim to have his side on track to potentially top the table is an incredible achievement.
Monaco’s defensive record has been key to their form, with a league-high 17 clean sheets earned so far, and the least amount of goals conceded (22). Monaco have only conceded more than one goal in five games from 32. No side has managed to score more than once against the title-chasers since November 2014.
It has been 15 years since Les Rouges et Blancs last won the French Ligue 1 title, and prior to their return to the top flight in 2013, Monaco suffered years of mediocrity – finishing between 8th-12th in the three campaigns that preceded their relegation in 2011. They spent a lot of money to rise again in the league, but are now impressing under a completely different philosophy despite losing two of their expensive acquisitions.
Can Monaco win the title this season?
