Monaco (AFP)
Monaco, which has three wins in four L1 games, relies on its prolific attacking duo Slimani-Ben Yedder to win their first away win on Friday in Nantes, opening the 11th day.
The numbers are starting to become consistent: with Monaco, WBY is 8 goals in 8 games. Islam Slimani has 5 goals and 7 assists in 7 games.
The Blues striker scores every 71 minutes (565 minutes played). "On the decision-making and technical quality in the surface, it is at the level of the best in the world," says Leonardo Jardim.
The African champion striker is decisive every 52 minutes (625 minutes played). A 31-year-old, who is on loan from Leicester and has an option to buy 10 million euros, is currently the 2nd best passer in Europe. Behind the Manchester City Belgian, Kevin De Bruyne.
To popularize the success of this "beautiful marriage", Jardim said: "One is strength, power and depth, the other, the technical finesse coupled with a great sense of purpose."
- Slimani: "Confidence and pleasure" -
He also knows perfectly Slimani he directed at Sporting. "It's a team player, who goes on the bench, gets out and knows how to score," he says, and I asked (the leaders, ed) a player different from Ben Yedder, from Slimani's profile. For the club it was not a very important investment. "
Badly in Leicester, having played little with Algeria during the CAN, Slimani was however an unknown. "Few people believed in me but it suited me," smiles the player now. "When you're confident, you find pleasure," he says, "the coach knows how to use me and how to put my trust in. It's very important to feel that. . "
And Slimani continues: "He knows he can count on me, I'll always be there, the collective always comes first, then the individuality comes out."
With 5 passes for WBY, he watered the former Sevillan. "We are complementary, with different profiles and experience," said the Algerian.
But that's not all. "They are friends and their common culture helps to make the connection," says Jardim. "They get along well in life," Tiémoué Bakayoko continues. "They see each other, are often together in the locker room.In the field, what they do is impressive.In so few games, few have done it.In training, they are also looking."
- Like Falcao-Mbappé? -
Their duet is becoming the tube of autumn. And gradually, he leaves the club of his defensive marasmus (worst defense of L1 with 21 goals).
Already, they are compared to the best duets in the history of the club. Without going back to Douis-Cossou of the title of 1963, there was Anderson-Ikpeba (19 and 13 goals) in 1997, Trezeguet-Simone (22 and 21 goals) in 2000, and Falcao-Mbappé (21 and 15 goals) in 2017, all champions.
To this we must add those of the years Deschamps: Nonda-Prso (26 and 12 goals) in 2003, Morientes-Prso (or Adebayor) (10, 8 and 8 goals), with captain Giuly (11 and 13 goals) in support.
When told that they are making Falcao forget, Slimani replies: "We are only doing our job, we are not there to make anyone forget."
And then, Jardim would like to see them better outside, where Monaco has never won. "Offensively, we can not do what we do at home," he says, "we'll try to change the dynamics."
For that, it relies on a global work. "The media put forward scorers and decisive smugglers, he concludes.It's normal, but internally, we know that offensive collective work begins with good construction."
© 2019 AFP