AS Monaco’s fall from grace
The 2003-04 season was an unpredictable, yet memorable, year for Ligue 1 outfit, AS Monaco. For the French outfit, this was the most exciting season of all times as they won the French league title and made it to the Champions League final for the very first
time.
The group stages witnessed a record-breaking performance by Monaco as they won 8-3 against Deportivo La Coruna; this was one of the most exciting games that ever took place in the League’s history. The team, operating under Didier Deschamps, won the French
League title in 2002-03 and, for the first time, secured its spot in the UEFA Champions League final in 2004. AS Monaco was a delightful highlight that year.
Almost seven years after having their name written in the pages of history, The Reds and Whites are currently struggling against relegation. Ligue 1 points table tells a sad story. AS Monaco occupy the 17th position on the table, just a solitary point above
the relegation zone.
AS Monaco's downfall was caused by a series of problems which only increased over the years. Issues such as financial turmoil, departure of star players, mismanagement of the club and most importantly, inconsistency on the pitch, all played their part. Monaco
was once known to be the team of stars, holding the biggest names in the game. The aura has flickered out over the years.
The biggest contributing factor in the team’s decline was the departure of long serving club president, Jean-Louis Campora. Campora joined the club as President in 1976, and served the club well and brought great victories and opportunities to The Red and
Whites. After Campora left, Monaco were facing relegation to Ligue 2. Campora’s decades of hard work was undone in a single season by the new management. Financial problems finally got the team relegated, but the decision was then reviwed and Monaco regained
their place in the Ligue 1. Monaco has been named as ‘an athletic failure’ and ‘a bottomless money pit’ over the years, and rightly so.
After Campora left, leadership changed hands on regular intervals, with everyone failing to live up to expectations. In just a few years, 51 players were added to the squad while 66 left the side. The list of departures contained players such as Patrice
Evra, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Fernando-Morientes-c13689. The voids left by their absence can still be felt.
Didier Deschamps was an undoubted success at The Red and Whites. After he left, six different coaches have tried their luck but to no avail. The players have failed to show their potential on the field, putting up predictable shows, and clearly lacking confidence
in their defensive displays.
Recently, the command has been handed over to former Al-Nasr SC manager, Laurent Banide. Banide has come to a struggling phase with Monaco. It’s disappointing how a top-of-the-league side took just five seasons to nose-dive 19 places in the league. Even
the players fail to understand the decline, and are disappointed and demotivated. Stephane Ruffier, the goal keeper while talking to the Ligue 1 official website reporters said:
"We need to start putting the ball in the back of the net because we are creating the chances. It is just like last week and the 1-0 loss to Rennes, we should have won tonight. Saint-Etienne are not any better than us, perhaps they just have a little more
confidence. Yes I’m worried. I'm here for Monaco but the problem is I don't know what is going wrong. I do not have any answers."
Monaco’s chances of surviving relegation and making a comeback this term are slim. Banide faces a race against time to save not just AS Monaco but also his http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Job-c18684.
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