Adi Hütter: "Very proud of my players after this qualification" | OneFootball

Obviously very happy with a 2-0 victory against Lyon and qualification for the Champions League, the Monegasque manager spoke at the post-match press conference.

A Hitchcockian scenario which meant a podium finish for AS Monaco! After beating Lyon 2-0, our Rouge et Blanc also took advantage of the defeats on the part of all their direct competitors to validate their return to the Champions League at the end of this 33rd round of Ligue 1. It was qualification which obviously makes Adi Hütter proud, as he expressed in a post-match press conference.🎙️

Everyone was happy in the locker room and I think we deserved this qualification. I am very proud of my players, my coaching staff and my performance team, who work with me every day, which is sometimes not easy. If we look at our last 10 matches, and at last season, we've only conceded up one defeat in Brest where we were unlucky.

Good evening, coach. What a result tonight, qualifying for the Champions League!

Before the match, we didn’t expect this victory to qualify us for the Champions League again. We first had to get the job done by winning, and that’s what we did during the match in a big match against Lyon. The fact that all the other results have gone our way is crazy and strange but I’m really happy as you can imagine.

Everyone was happy in the locker room and I think we deserved this qualification. I am very proud of my players, my coaching staff and my performance team, who work with me every day, which is sometimes not easy. If we look at our last 10 matches, and at last season, we’ve only conceded up one defeat in Brest where we were unlucky.

Is the fact that Denis Zakaria scored the determinative goal of the season symbolic for you?

You know, I have a special relationship with Denis. I knew him and coached him when he was just a teenager, at  18 at Young Boys Bern and then in Mönchengladbach. I think that if he came to AS Monaco, it’s partly because I’m there too. I have the feeling that he’s like my child, even if he’s now an experienced player.

His goal validated our success but the most important was the one scored by Takumi Minamino because we were struggling a bit. Lyon were playing well and we decided to switch from 4-4-2 to 4-2-3-1, I think that was a key moment for us in this match.

I'd like to thank the fans for their encouragement! It was important to see them tonight, and we were able to repay their trust. They have often been in large numbers in the away end during our trips and supported us during every home game. They therefore played an important role in this qualification. I loved the atmosphere tonight; it's a fantastic night for AS Monaco!

Adi HütterThe atmosphere at Stade Louis-II

This season has been difficult at times, but you’ve finally achieved your goal.

It’s a similar situation to last season, although they’re not comparable because we had played in the Champions League.The other clubs in the league have also invested heavily, both in coaches and experienced players.

When we look at our squad, we’ve also changed things, and some talented young players arrived this summer. We have played 11 more matches between the Champions League and the Trophée des champions in Doha, and in that context this success is therefore even stronger than last season. It’s true that we have experienced some ups and downs in our performances this season, but that’s normal given the youth of the squad. The pressure was there, but we managed it well.

A word about the exceptional atmosphere in the stadium tonight?

I’d like to thank the fans for their encouragement! It was important to see them tonight, and we were able to repay their trust. They have often been in large numbers in the away end during our trips and supported us during every home game. They therefore played an important role in this qualification. I loved the atmosphere tonight; it’s a fantastic night for AS Monaco!

Can you give us an update on Folarin Balogun, who was out tonight?

Folarin suffered a slight knock in training yesterday and wasn’t fit to play. His injury isn’t very serious. We’ll see if he can be available, but it won’t make sense for him to play if he’s not 100%. We’ll see, in any case, after the three days of rest we’ve granted him, because we’re going to celebrate this qualification first, before preparing for our final away game. My players deserve it.