Monaco’s fitness peak makes the difference as they grow physically | OneFootball

Monaco’s physical transformation is wearing teams down and deciding matches after the break, as seen in Sunday’s 2-1 win over OM. It was also their first late concession in Ligue 1 since mid-January.

L'Équipe notes a clear shift in second-half authority. They have won seven in a row, leading at half-time in only three.

Maghnes Akliouche says that capacity to repeat efforts has improved, crediting hard training and calling it important.

Folarin Balogun typifies it, scrapping early, then striking late. He has scored in the last six league games, five of those after the interval. On Friday, Sébastien Pocognoli said the group are growing physically and that the run is feeding belief, adding that if the vibe is good, many things fall into place.

Early-season fitness issues and injuries partly cost performance director Yann Le Meur his job, and he was replaced recently by Javier Arnaiz. Lukas Hradecky, back from two knee sprains that cost almost five months, says the squad is now as complete as it has been and, with no Europe, competition in training is higher.

Christian Mawissa notes greater intensity, with more running and longer sessions. Staff have added varied, playful drills that build cardio without players fully noticing.

Sustaining this pace is the next test, not least with Akliouche and Balogun having crossed the Atlantic during the break. Pocognoli says they cannot calculate too much after slaloming through absences and workload, and will try to stay coherent and make the best choices.

Source: L'Équipe