Monaco manager Sébastien Pocognoli: ‘I want to put a soul and character back into this team.’ | OneFootball

AS Monaco’s ultras were silent at the start of Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League encounter against Galatasaray. By the end of the match, they were celebrating with their players, the victory building a bridge that needed repairing. 

Monaco’s form has been inconsistent since the start of the season, and so the club’s ultras announced ahead of the game that they would be going on strike. They would be silent for the first 15 minutes, they wouldn’t bring tifos, and they would hang their usual banners upside down.

The banners that were on display called for the club’s management to step down. In their communiqué ahead of the 1-0 win over Galatasaray, they had notably called for CEO Thiago Scuro to step aside. Sébastien Pocognoli recognises the anger, but hopes that performances, such as the one against Galatasaray, can heal the relationship.

Pocognoli looks to create ‘positive spiral’ at Monaco

“I understand. What I will hold onto is the communion [between the players and the fans] at the end of the match. [The fans] pushed us, and that really helped us. It is very positive. In the end, it is the attitude on the pitch, the respect for the shirt that will bring the pieces back together. I really want it to work, not only for the players, but for everyone. I want to put a soul and character back into this team,” said Pocognoli in a press conference attended by Get French Football News.

He continued, “I won’t accept my team – or me personally – letting up, even if it isn’t easy, given the circumstances in which I arrived. We need to keep working and build from this match, and to be consistent and then we can start a positive spiral.”

GFFN | L. Entwistle – reporting from Monaco