Coaches’ Reactions to Lille-Monaco Draw in Ligue 1

Paulo Fonseca, the coach of Lille after the draw in Monaco (0-0) Sunday in Ligue 1: “I think we should have won this match. The first half was very balanced, Monaco only had one chance. It’s the only one in the game. On the other hand, in the second half, we created three chances. The difference was made in the last 30 meters. We expected a difficult game. Monaco defended low. It was even more difficult. But we dominated.

We played to win. I’m not looking for an excuse, but the ground conditions were very bad. With us, at the Stadium, it’s different. For a good show, you need a good pitch. It was impossible to play faster with a pitch like that. From now on, we look behind and in front. Monaco have two very difficult matches (Lyon and Rennes away). We must continue on the next match, against a very great team from Marseille. »

Philippe Clement, Monaco coach: “It’s a good operation for the classification. We played to win. But it was crucial not to lose, especially in view of all the unavailable players: Ben Yedder, Maripan, Volland, Camara, Diatta. The young players had a very serious, very committed match against a team that created a lot of chances. I’m happy with them. They show more and more that they are ready to play. We haven’t conceded, it’s been a long time. This clean sheet is very important. But we did not play only with this will.

I’m also happy with the return of Embolo, whose impact on the game we missed for eight weeks. For the moment, it remains a risk to make him play. But it is calculated with the medical staff. I hope we can use it in the last three matches. Nübel? He had been good against Montpellier even if we took four, good at Angers and very efficient today. It is important.

(Regarding the condition of the lawn) I was surprised to learn an hour and a half before the game that we could not water it. I was not happy but it was a ministerial decree. Throughout the region there is a big problem with water. »