The curse of Monaco continues as Robert Moreno and his team lose again

One could be forgiven for thinking that Leonardo Jardim has cursed Monaco. The former coach who has been sacked by the club twice in 12 months seems to have sprinkled something over the green grass at Stade Louis II.

In reality perhaps the other coaches who have stepped into his job have just been inferior. When Jardim was sacked the first time everyone was sceptical about Thierry Henry. The only managerial experience he had had up till then was as Roberto Martinez’s assistant with Belgium at the World Cup. But a full on club job is so different and so it proved and Henry was sacked within weeks and Jardim was back.

But when Monaco sacked Jardim again it seemed this time it was for a legit coach who had much more experience in Robert Moreno. Moreno had been in charge of the Spanish national side for a year. Still the same problem could be applied to Moreno as it did for Henry, no club managerial experience. And maybe it is showing.

The timing of bringing Moreno in was odd in the fact that Monaco had to face PSG in their first two games. The hardest start than any coach could have wished for in Ligue 1. Promise was shown as the club went to Paris and drew 3-3 in an absorbing match that was to be a false dawn. A few days later with the way the fixtures had worked out Monaco had to play PSG again this time at home, and there was hope. But PSG ran out 4-1 winners. Still there was no panic, losing at home by 4-1 is a disaster to any team but the champions. But then came the other games….

To put it bluntly Moreno is yet to win with Monaco and has lost the last two games against Strasbourg at home and then Nimes away. Both sides scored 3 goals each and Nimes were able to win despite being in 19th place It was only the club’s 4th win of the season.

Moreno’s win rate with Monaco stands at 28% and that is only because cup games are included. It s worth noting that Jardim’s win rate in his first stint with the club was almost 54% and his second stint was even 38%.

When Jardim was sacked Monaco were in 7th place and the Portuguese coach had steered the club out of relegation. Now they have fallen to 13th place. The club should be safe from the clutches of Ligue 2 given that they have a 10 point lead over the bottom three but what sad times these are for the club.

Will Moreno be given some time and possibly a summer transfer budget or will he be sacked before the end of the season? Could Jardim even come back for a 3rd term? If Monaco have learned anything it is this, bring in a coach that has some club experience if you are going to sack one with vast amounts.

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Monaco coach Robert Moreno labels his team a disaster as he searches for first Ligue 1 win

It’s fair to say that Robert Moreno’s time at Monaco has not got off to a good start and at the weekend he saw his new club lose to Strasbourg and labelled the match and performance a ‘disaster’.

Moreno is right it was and Monaco just seem a little off in the past few weeks as Moreno searches for his first league win as Monaco coach. It has been rumoured though that some players in the Monaco camp do not take criticism lightly, and that may well have been the downfall of former coach Leonardo Jardim who had actually turned around the clubs fortunes, it meant little as in the end he was sacked.

So is Moreno saying that he witnessed a disaster going to be a controversial moment and could it define his career as Monaco coach? Certainly if some players are sensitive then his words would not have gone down very well.

After losing at home 3-1 to Strasbourg Moreno said: “It’s a horrible feeling. We started the game well, but after the first goal, it was a disaster, it’s difficult to attack a team that sits back and waits for you.

Moreno continued: “There wasn’t a good feeling with the ball, passing it around, to attack the space. We lacked quality in our passing, in the preparation of the game, in my choices…What happens on the pitch is my responsibility. I must explain things better to my players. We’re not the worst in the world now. It’s my team. Win or lose, I think my players are the best.”

Moreno has had earned just 1 point from the three leagues games he has been in charge of, although two of those have already been against champions PSG. The more pressing point for Moreno and something he will need to work on is in defence. That was a part of the field where outgoing coach Leonardo Jardim was so good at, the defence became so solid that it helped Monaco win the title in 2017. This version of Monaco under Moreno have conceded 10 goals in his 3 league games in charge.

There is no denying the fact though that Monaco have made some really controversial choices in the past year. Sacking a good coach in Jardim twice, having to go through their nightmare patch with Thierry Henry in charge. Is Moreno going to be another coach that cannot work with the club? When he arrived Monaco were in 7th place now they have dropped to 13th. The good news perhaps is that they are just 4 points from a European finish.

But the club have just 1 win in their last five games and that does not bode well. Their next match is away to Nimes who are in 19th place and have won just 3 games all season. However Monaco have won just 2 games from their 10 away this season. The road looks like a long one for Moreno, how will he and the club fare by May?

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