System, culture and more… All you need to know about Sébastien Pocognoli! | OneFootball

Here's what you need to know about the 38-year-old Belgian coach, who has just arrived at AS Monaco to take on the role of coach for the next two seasons.

He has just signed with the Principality club and will lead his first training session at the Performance Center on Tuesday, before making his debut on the bench in Angers on Saturday, October 18 (7 p.m.). So, before his baptism by fire in Ligue 1 McDonald’s, here’s ten points on Sébastien Pocognoli, who has had a remarkable season with Union Saint-Gilloise, winning the Belgian league title. 🗓

Born on the same day as a former coach 🎂

For starters, the 38-year-old coach was born on August 1st, like Bastian Schweinsteiger, David James, and former Monaco coach Leonardo Jardim, who was at the club from 2014 to 2018, and again in 2019. The man who managed 270 matches on the Rouge et Blanc bench notably won the club’s 8th league title in 2016-2017, and reached a Champions League semifinal that same season. Inspiring!

Former international and second Belgian coach 🇧🇪

Before taking over as coach, Sébastien Pocognoli played as a left back between 2004 and 2021. His nearly 17-year career saw him compete in several major European leagues, such as the Jupiler Pro League, the Eredivisie, the Bundesliga, and the Premier League. A professional player with 376 appearances, he also earned 13 caps for Belgium between 2008 and 2016, participating in the Beijing Olympics, where he finished just outside the top three. He will also become the second Belgian coach of AS Monaco, after Philippe Clement.

He worked alongside several Monegasques… 🇲🇨

During his football career, the man nicknamed “Poco” worked alongside eight former Monegasques. Among them, Yannick Carrasco, Nacer Chadli and Youri Tielemans with the Belgian national team, Dieumerci Mbokani, Serge Gakpé, William Vainqueur and Frédéric Bulot at Standard de Liège during his first stint between 2010 and 2013, as well as Sergio Romero at AZ Alkmaar from 2007 to 2010.

…And managed a youngster from the Academy! 👶

At the end of his career, the Seraing native in eastern Belgium immediately became a coach, leading the Union Saint-Gilloise U21s in 2021-2022, the KRC Genk U18s the following season, as well as the Belgian U16 and U18 national teams in 2023 and 2024. Having played only two matches on the U16 bench, he was nevertheless able to coach Matthias Wamu, a member of the Elite Squad and in the professional squad for the Derby against Nice, in a friendly lost to Italy in April 2024 (3-1).

There were a lot of expectations, I told the players that they had to manage them, that the pressure would be on me and not on them. After the Belgian Super Cup final, which was my first official match, we enjoyed the moment, then we got straight back to work the next day!

Coach of the Year for his first time 🏆

Appointed to lead Union Saint-Gilloise for his first experience on a professional bench in July 2024, Sébastien Pocognoli quickly added to his list of achievements, winning the Belgian Super Cup against Club Bruges (2-1), and most importantly, the league title! It was a historic achievement, as the Brussels club hadn’t won the title since… 1935. This earned him the title of Coach of the Season, in addition to helping Union qualify for the Champions League for the first time in their history. They then secured a prestigious victory away to PSV Eindhoven on Matchday 1 (1-3).

A rare precocity 🎯

Like Fabian Hürzeler at Brighton or Liam Rosenior at Strasbourg, “Poco” is part of this new generation of precocious and ambitious coaches. At just 36 years and 347 days old, he became the youngest coach to win the Belgian Super Cup, before becoming the third youngest in the history of the Belgian top flight since World War II to win the national title, at the age of 37 years and 297 days.

He’s already beaten a Ligue 1 team 🔙

Indeed, he’s already had the opportunity to cross paths with a Ligue 1 club. Last season, RUSG defeated OGC Nice (2-1) in Matchday 6 of the 2024-2025 Europa League. It was a victory secured at the very end of the match thanks to a brace from Franjo Ivanović, and which saw his team impress with its discipline and intense transitions.

A demanding style based on the human element 🤝

Tactically, the Belgian coach advocates a modern and bold style of football. Adhering to a 3-4-1-2 system, he doesn’t hesitate to adapt his game plan to suit his players. His style of football is demanding, based on grit, positive aggression, and forward play. But beyond the system, Sébastien Pocognoli places the emphasis above all on the human element. “For me, players are artists. And for an artist to put on a good show, they must be comfortable mentally and physically,” he explained to RTBF in October 2024.

The game I like to play is a dominant one, with and without the ball. High pressing, counter-pressing, but also real mastery in possession.

Inspired by the greats 🇳🇱

During his career, he was influenced by several figures in world football, starting with Louis van Gaal, his coach at AZ Alkmaar. “He taught me the most, tactically and technically. He had a very direct way of communicating, which shocked me a little at first,” he told Walfoot. The former left back also draws inspiration from the career of Vincent Kompany, now coach of Bayern Munich, with whom he played for the national team, describing him as “a source of motivation” in front of RTL Info cameras.

Finally, behind the coach lies a curious and passionate spirit. As a child, Sébastien Pocognoli dreamed of becoming… an archaeologist, fascinated by history and ancient civilizations. “I’ve always been interested in travel, culture, and adventure. Humanity inspires me. That’s what I love about my job: mixing cultures, learning from others. I’m all for sharing and communion between cultures… and it’s in this milieu that I feel good. We enrich ourselves through contact with others; prejudices scare me because they are dangerous,” he explained to RTBF.