Sébastien Pocognoli: "AS Monaco's sporting project attracted me" | OneFootball

Having arrived in the Principality over the weekend to sign a contract with AS Monaco until June 2027, the new coach of the Rouge et Blanc was presented to the press this Tuesday, along with CEO Thiago Scuro.

He arrives with a good reputation behind him despite his young age, and with a lot of determination. Named champion of Belgium last season with Union Saint-Gilloise for his very first season on a first team bench, Sébastien Pocognoli is the Rouge et Blanc‘s new manager. So before his debut on Saturday against Angers (7 p.m.), the 38-year-old manager was presented to the media. 🎙️

His arrival at AS Monaco

Everything happened quite quickly! I arrived in the Principality a few days ago to speed up the acclimatization process with the team, the stadium, the city, and to meet the staff and the injured players. I’ve saved a lot of time; I have to be responsive at all levels given the very short timeframe. In any case, it’s the sporting project that attracted me! The fact that the Club is interested in a young coach like me is bold, and I like it.

We started our discussions about the style of football Sébastien was playing at Union Saint-Gilloise. An aggressive style with a lot of intensity in pressing the opponent and a desire to move forward quickly. Then, his leadership qualities and vision for how to make the team play were essential. We also had the opportunity to present to him what AS Monaco is and he told us how he sees the process for developing the team. It was therefore a combination of factors that led to and facilitated our decision.

It gave me a lot of confidence that there was this interest from AS Monaco, that a big French club was attracted by a young coach who works in Belgium, I found the approach very interesting. During my playing career, I had been followed by French clubs, including Monaco, but when they came to see me to decide whether to recruit me to Genk, I received a red card that day, so the deal didn’t go through. So today I have a second chance, it’s good (smiles)!

What he wants to bring to the Club

We share a desire to bring renewal and freshness to the pitch. Good things have been achieved in recent years, but I want to bring my principles, which are necessarily aligned with those of AS Monaco, and that’s why I was chosen. I also want to bring my personality and playing style to the pitch, to mentor the young players alongside the leaders of this squad, and play an enjoyable game that will showcase the strengths of the entire squad.

His inspiration, Louis Van Gaal

To sum up, Louis Van Gaal is rigor defined, making an impact both personally and on the pitch, and with strong attention to detail. He was very rigorous! With him, I felt better every day, and when he left, I felt worse. That’s when I realized how important a coach is in the development of a young player. All the coaches I’ve met have given me something. Sometimes you think, “I wouldn’t do that,” and sometimes you think, “That inspires me.” Not one of them left me with a bad memory.

Leaving Union Saint-Gilloise

I understand the reactions, the fact that there’s disappointment, because between Union and me, it was a wonderful marriage, and not just over this last year but over three periods, as a player, youth coach, and then as a professional coach! I gave my all before leaving, and I think that sometimes taking care of where you are means leaving at the right time. And I felt it was the right time to leave. It was a considered choice, not a whim; it was logical. I realize everything that’s happening to me. Last year, we were champions for the first time after 90 years. I know that everything goes very quickly, but I believe in the flow of things, in life, and I don’t ask myself too many questions. Today, I’m just happy to arrive here with a lot of humility!

His playing philosophy

There are two aspects: the collective and the individual. My role is to establish a structure where the defenders are dependent on the work of the attackers. This is what my team did very well last year, line by line. Combined, this resulted in one of the best defenses in Europe last year. Then again, it’s always difficult to talk about oneself, but those who know me and work with me know that I like discipline and hard work. In footballing terms, I like to get forward! A big buzzword is “intensity,” but you still have to produce it in a certain way. I hope to provide more answers in the coming weeks, and that they will be positive.

On his approach

I think we have a squad that can play with several systems. In any case, I intend to adapt to the strengths we have. At Union Saint-Gilloise, it’s a system that worked well last year. AS Monaco has been used to playing with a four-at-the-back system, which is also very interesting. So we’ll see how we play, but we have a fairly hybrid squad, so that’s a strength and it opens up several possibilities. If it’s a three-man defense, obviously the wingers will play a key role, both in possession and when they lose the ball.

We want to thank Sébastien for accepting this challenge, because it's not an easy situation to change clubs in the middle of the season. That's why we're all working—Carlos (Avina), the staff, and I—to integrate him and his assistants as quickly as possible, because we have important fixtures ahead of us. At this stage, we have our season and our objectives under control. I think the process is also about working on player development, so with Sébastien we have a certain security to reduce risks. Afterwards, of course, there is always a risk, but we are ready to manage this risk and build a good season with the resources we have at our disposal.

Playing Principles and Young Players

Getting your ideas across is a process. In the short term, you have to know how to move quickly and effectively to ensure you have medium- and long-term prospects. In any case, I wouldn’t have any problems using young players at the right time. That’s the Club’s goal, and I’m proof that we can trust youth. But I’ll be sure to seek advice from my management and the Academy, of course. I myself started my career at the age of 16, and I know how important it is to get off to a good start, because I didn’t play for a year afterward. You just have to choose the right moment, because it’s a matter of responsibility.

About Ligue 1

It’s a league I know well and have followed since I was a kid. The same is true for AS Monaco, which has always been one of the big names in this league. I know the club well, so I’m not entering unfamiliar territory, but I’m going to learn about the specifics of the club and the region. In any case, I didn’t need to gather much information, as I prefer to get a feel for the environment myself.

I think there are a lot of good leaders, I met them today. Others will become so in the future, alongside me I hope, but Denis (Zakaria) is a very good captain! I also appreciated his public thanks to his former coach, because it is proof of his total commitment.

In any case, there are many similarities between the Belgian top flight and Ligue 1, where it is very physical with very athletic profiles. The Pro League has developed very well in recent years, especially since the creation of the Play-offs, and Belgian clubs are achieving good results on the European scene, so the competition is developing well, with some surprises in the Champions League and the Europa League. This bodes well, even if Ligue 1 remains one of the top five European league, so the level is certainly higher in all aspects of football.

His knowledge of the players in the squad

The footballing world is small, and I finished my playing career fairly recently, so I still have certain connections in certain locker rooms that allow me to build relationships with quite a few players. But I didn’t want to take advantage of that, because I want to discover each player’s personalities and character for myself. That’s the mindset I arrived with.

AS Monaco’s areas for immprovement

I don’t really want to talk about what my predecessor did well or poorly, but rather to focus on my ideas and bring a certain discipline to the pitch accordingly. What is certain is that there are things to improve, as at all clubs. The most important thing for me is to bring my principles, and things will improve automatically. Especially since I also want to build on the good things that have been done in the past.

On the squad

I challenge all my players, but the really good ones often like to be challenged! I do it first and foremost for them and for the team. In any case, everyone will have their chance to shine if everything is put put in place on a daily basis to do so, and I will push them in that direction. On the captains? I think there are a lot of good leaders, I met them today. Others will become so in the future, alongside me I hope, but Denis (Zakaria) is a very good captain! I also appreciated his public thanks to his former coach, because it is proof of his total commitment. I hope it will be the same with me, because my captains at Union did the same thing, and that the integrity will be the same. I expect them to push others, and I will help them with that.

On the first training session

It went well, even though the players are returning from a few days off with a new coach, so there was a lot of intensity because they wanted to show off. I even had to calm them down a bit because you can’t push too hard, but there was good momentum and good intensity. The most important thing, though, is that they’re coachable, even though it was only their first training session, so we’ll see tomorrow (smiles). But it’s a good squad, and you can feel this right away!

About the coaching staff

It’s very important for me to explain the process. The two assistant coaches I’m working with are Kevin Mirallas and Arthur Kopyt. Arthur was my coach when I was still a player in the Belgian second division. He was the one who gave me the pre-match briefing, and now he does it for my coaching staff. He rose through the ranks to the highest level last season, where I gave him a lot of responsibility, and he took advantage of it to get where he is today, so it’s a great story! I’ve known Kevin for a long time, playing for the Standard de Liège youth teams..

These are two people who supported me last season at times when I needed it. And when we talk about integrity, they are still by my side today. In any case, there is a very good staff in place here, and we will try to give them responsibilities too, so that the whole thing matches well and works.

He arrived last year when we were playing very good football but we couldn’t score. And for me, a coach must know what he’s good at, but he must also surround himself with the right people. So Kevin arrived with his humanistic approach and his attacking sensitivity, and he brought that spark! These are two people who supported me last season at times when I needed it. And when we talk about integrity, they are still by my side today. In any case, there is a very good staff in place here, and we will try to give them responsibilities too, so that the whole thing matches well and works. At Union I arrived without a staff, so I can adapt and that’s not a problem for me.

The Club’s Ambitions

It’s not really different from what I experienced at Union Saint-Gilloise this season, where they also had to manage the back-to-back league and Champions League titles. Not to mention the championship title to defend every weekend and the challenge of not resting before or after European competition. And from that point of view, we started the season very well. It’s the same here, except it’s AS Monaco, so the attention will be greater in France because they’re a big club! It’s a routine I enjoy and it’s a great challenge, so it’s up to me to do my best.

Regarding low blocks in Ligue 1

The ability to play in transition will depend on us, because if we play the ball well, opponents will have to chase us. It’s not necessarily by being low down the pitch that there are opportunities to play in transition; it can happen at different times. We’ll need to bring more structure and discipline, shifting the lines to respond to low blocks, that’s for sure. To achieve this, we’ll have to train week after week, but there are already many very good players in tight spaces.

Je parle Français majoritairement, même si à l’Union Saint-Gilloise je switchais souvent en Anglais, même si je faisais parfois des fautes. Sinon j’essaye de m’adapter à la langue du joueur, donc aujourd’hui j’ai parlé le Néerlandais avec Jordan (Teze) et Frédéric (De Boever), mais aussi en Espagnol avec Ansu (Fati), même si j’ai fait également des fautes, mais il a bien aimé.

On the different languages ​​spoken

I speak French mostly, although at Union Saint-Gilloise I often switched to English, even if I sometimes made mistakes. Otherwise, I try to adapt to the player’s language, so today I spoke Dutch with Jordan (Teze) and Frédéric (De Boever), but also Spanish with Ansu (Fati), even if I also made mistakes, but he liked it. And I speak a little German from my time with Hannover in the Bundesliga. Sometimes a little word is good, but overall I speak French, because we’re in France and I think it’s important, including for the players, to understand the language of the country.