Experience the thrill of the game

By Eduard Banulescu

Adi Hütter’s AS Monaco is unexpectedly one of the clubs that is attracting a lot of attention at the start of the 2024/25 season. The results in Ligue 1 and the Champions League are causing excitement. Hütter’s tactics and man management are the reasons for the positive results.

Why is AS Monaco once again one of the top clubs in Europe and how long can the team maintain this form? To find out, I’ll look at Adi Hütter’s tactics.

Career before managing AS Monaco

Adolf “Adi” Hütter had a moderately successful playing career. He represented Austrian clubs and played 14 international matches for his country. He was mostly used as a midfielder.

However, many modern fans may remember hearing his name, as he started out as a manager at the controversial RB Salzburg organization and the company surrounding it.

In 2014, Hütter became senior manager. The next season he became Young Boys coach and impressed so much that he then moved to the Bundesliga and coached Eintracht Frankfurt. The team’s highest honor during this time was participation in the DFL Supercup.

The profile Hütter built helped him land a job at Borussia Mönchengladbach before he was given the task of getting AS Monaco, once giants of European football, out of troubled waters. The 2024/25 year promises to be the most exciting of his managerial career if the team’s form continues.

One of the main reasons Adi Hütter has continued to find employment at such a high level despite the relative lack of titles is that his teams’ football is fun to watch. Typically, a team coached by Hütter plays dynamic football that promotes quick transitions, an attack-oriented approach and intense pressing.

In theory, this is what almost every top team wants to offer their fans. The question is whether a manager can achieve this with teams that have fewer financial resources.

To compensate, Adi Hütter’s philosophy calls for discipline and large repetitions of training exercises. When it works, he creates energetic teams that can apply tireless and intelligent pressure and exploit opponents’ mistakes.

Some of these aspects may change depending on the type of team he coaches. Adi Hütter can also be flexible in his tactical approach, encouraging overlaps and timed runs on the wings and is known for pushing players to their physical limits.

Formations and adaptability

Adi Hütter’s style is not tied to a single starting lineup. Instead, these changes are based on the strength of his squad and, more importantly, the strength of the squad his team will be competing against.

At Eintracht Frankfurt he was known for his three-man defense in the 3-4-1-2 or 3-5-2 system. At Borussia Mönchengladbach he preferred the versatile and very modern 4-2-3-1 formation.

What about AS Monaco this season? Hütter was able to easily switch from one approach to another. Instead, he has focused on getting his players to adhere to the tactical principles he preaches, whether playing in a 4-2-3-1, 4-4-2 or 4-2-2-2 system plays.

AS Monaco in defense

The key to AS Monaco’s style of play is the ability to press efficiently. Similar to other managers who have made a name for themselves in the Bundesliga, such as Jürgen Klopp and Peter Bosz, Hütter seems to believe that gegenpressing can be the team’s best playmaker.

This means that if the team loses the ball, the players try to win it back as quickly as possible by counter-pressing. The team achieves this by cutting off passing lanes and forcing turnovers. This season, Monaco has usually won the ball back within 8-10 seconds.

While Monaco tends to play with a very well-organized back four (although “three at the back” is also possible), this is a 20-year-old midfielder Lamine Camara, who tries most courageously to win the ball back. He averages 3.1 tackles and 1.4 interceptions per game. This allows his central midfield partner Denis Zakaria, a far more technical player, to support the team offensively.

The two central defenders Wilfired Singo and Mohammed Salisu are young players who can use their energy and physicality to outplay defenders. However, both also feel comfortable on the ball. Both have an average success rate of almost 85%.

Meanwhile, the high pressing, particularly from strikers Takumi Minamino and Breel Embolo, is intended to push the opponent into larger areas where full-backs Vanderson and Caio Henrique can intervene. Vanderson is a good tackler who has excellent positioning. His defensive prowess compensates for Caio Henrique’s tendency to move further forward and exploit his crosses.

AS Monaco in attack

Under Adi Hütter, AS Monaco relies more on a style of play with short, quick passes. This means the team has better control in transition and can maintain their defensive shape when the ball is lost.

The short passes also help the team move the ball quickly through the lanes that Takumi Minamino and Denis Zakaria like to operate in. Both players are known for their great tactical sense and technique, which allows them to operate in tight spaces.

While AS Monaco plays attacking, exciting football, this is not a chaotic approach. This season the team has been very adept at exploiting set pieces.

And most of their goals came from quick turnovers after stealing the ball from their opponents and using well-rehearsed attacking moves.

AS Monaco slightly exceeded xG, scoring 17.4 for 15 goals scored. While the last few weeks have seen a bit of a dry spell in Ligue 1, Folarin Balogun was previously the team’s top scorer with three goals. The American is Breel Embolo’s challenger for the position of top striker in the top 11.

This speaks for the depth of the squad at AS Monaco. In this context, we should also mention 19-year-old Eliesse ben Seghir, a talented attacking midfielder who can play in multiple roles. The Moroccan has scored two goals and assisted two goals, but also has the most shots on goal of any player in the squad. Together with Dennis Zakaria and/or Takumi Minamino, they get Monaco’s attack engine running.

What’s next for AS Monaco and Adi Hütter?

Adi Hütter’s tactics drive an extremely strong team. AS Monaco is aiming for a comeback in France and internationally and has the squad, management and enthusiasm to do so.

However, the last few weeks have also revealed the team’s weaknesses. In tense moments, players are still prone to making mistakes. And the large number of devices is already taking its toll.

Nevertheless, there is great potential here, and Hütter has to make the most of this season. If he succeeds, it could be a campaign that defines his career and Monaco’s progress as a club.