“He is getting better”: Golovin has recovered from injuries and leads Monaco to the Champions League

Winning goal against Nice and amazing pass against Rennes

The current season is not very successful for Russian footballers playing in the leading European national championships.

Alexey Miranchuk is content with the role of a reservist at Atalanta.

Alexander Kokorin practically does not enter the field at Fiorentina.

Denis Cheryshev firmly settled in the reserve of Valencia.

And Andrey Lunev played only one match for Bayer.

Against this background, a successful segment of Alexander Golovin in Monaco causes restrained optimism.

The midfielder missed a lot of time due to injuries, but in early March he finally returned to the general group.

In the last six meetings in all competitions, he has one goal and three assists.

At first, he successfully came on as a substitute in the return game of the 1/8 finals of the Europa League with Braga and, having performed an excellent finisher, helped Axel Disasi to level the score.

True, this did not allow the Monegasques to break into the next round.

And in the last three rounds of the French championship, the 25-year-old football player did not leave the field without a productive action.

In matches with Troyes and Rennes, he assisted his partners, and in the confrontation with Nice, he distinguished himself.

The Russian successfully played on finishing shortly before the break and scored his debut goal since the beginning of October last year.

It is noteworthy that he hit the “eagles” gate for the fourth time in his career.

More often than not, he did not upset any opponent.

It is not surprising that the fans of the team for the first time in the season recognized Golovin as the MVP of the meeting.

He won 67% of the vote.

“I am glad both for the victory and for my goal, we won a very important match.

There is always an increased interest in the meetings between Monaco and Nice, this is a derby, so there is a certain excitement before the games.

Both teams are trying to win to please the fans.

Plus, this time a lot was decided from a tournament point of view.

It was a 6 point game.

Of course, we had to win and it's great that we managed to do it, ”Alexander did not hide his joy after the final whistle.

He was one of the best in the previous two meetings of the national championship.

In the game with Rennes, the native of Kaltan cut a diagonal of 30 meters exactly on the move to Wanderson, who had only to substitute his foot.

And in the confrontation with Troyes, he performed an ideal serve from the flank, which was transformed into a decisive goal by Kevin Folland.

The trust of the head coach and warm attitude in the club

The advanced statistics of the athlete are also pleasing, if we take the last five matches of the championship.

So, he made 15 key passes (three on average), although before that he had only 19 in 17 (1.1).

True, and he received much less time.

The passing accuracy rate was almost always in the 80% region, and in two games it was even higher (Metz - 89.2% and Nice - 84%).

For a performer operating on the edge of the attack, these are excellent numbers.

The Russian is not shy about going into dribbling.

In a meeting with Troyes, he even pleased the fans with Zidane's feint.

Finally, Golovin is traditionally good at destroying.

He is actively involved in pressing and, if necessary, enters the fight in the opponent's half.

In the specified segment, the Russian made a total of nine tackles and four interceptions.

The degree of importance of the midfielder for the team is also clearly demonstrated by the schedule for scoring points in the spring.

With his return to the main team, Monaco won five consecutive victories in Ligue 1 and joined the fight for bronze and a ticket to the Champions League.

Moreover, a successful series began with a home defeat of PSG - 3: 0.

Five rounds before the end of the championship, the Monegasques share third place with Rennes and Strasbourg and are six points behind Marseille.

The schedule of the remaining matches for the wards of Philippe Clement is quite comfortable.

Of the unpleasant rivals, only the current champion Lille can be singled out, which is not in the best condition, and leading the battle for getting into the European cups Lens.

At the same time, it is important that Golovin in the club focuses exclusively on football and does not face pressure for political reasons, as, for example, domestic legionnaires playing in the Czech Republic.

“Sasha is doing great.

Everyone still treats him well, despite the politics, from the staff to the sports and coaching staff, the club president and the owner.

As everything was positive, it remains so.

He did not encounter any domestic problems due to sanctions, ”said his agent Alexander Klyuev.

Fully trusts the Russian and the new mentor, who led the team in January.

He bluntly stated: Alexander is able to become the “joker” of the team at the finish line if he manages without new injuries.

“He has all the qualities for this.

He may be a top player, but a more powerful "engine" is required.

He's getting better and really good in training.

Alexander is working on getting back into action stronger physically.

But it all takes time, ”beIN Sports quotes Clement.

Regular injuries and untapped potential

Injuries really became a real scourge for the Russian after moving to France.

In the current season alone, due to various health problems, he missed a total of 14 games in all tournaments.

In the fall, the midfielder healed his thigh, but did not have time to really return to duty, as he began to experience discomfort in the abdominal muscles.

Then the athlete in February managed to get sick with the coronavirus for the second time.

Finally, he was out for a couple of games due to pain in the adductor muscle.

In 2020, Golovin missed four months altogether due to a hamstring injury.

In the 2018/19 season, his debut as a legionnaire, he also constantly ended up in the infirmary.

In total, in less than four years, the midfielder missed 43 meetings and spent 284 days on sick leave.

Moreover, in CSKA, Alexander regularly entered the field and rarely fell out of action.

Numerous injuries really prevent the player from revealing himself in Monaco.

But as soon as he is completely healthy, he immediately becomes the leader of the team.

For example, in the second half of the previous season, he scored five goals in Ligue 1 and provided eight assists.

As a result, according to the latest indicator, they managed to share the first place in Monaco with Wissam Ben Yedder.

At the current time, he has 12 points in the “goal + pass” system (4 + 8) in all tournaments, but there is time to improve personal statistics.

It remains to be hoped that health problems will finally be in the past, and in the fall Golovin will shine brightly with the Monegasques in the main European Cup.

The removal of the Russian team from international competitions should also go into his hands.

The midfielder will get more time to recover, which means he will visit doctors less often.

In this case, the native of Kaltan is quite capable of going to a stronger championship, because in May he will be only 26 years old.

At the same time, the midfielder's contract expires at the end of June 2024, that is, the club still has time to profitably sell it.

Interest in the legionnaire never disappeared.

For example, at the beginning of the year, information appeared in the media that English Everton and West Ham were going to acquire him.

Monaco vice-president Oleg Petrov did not confirm it, but stressed that everything would depend on the offer.

The talent of the performer is also highly appreciated by many European experts.

For example, the former coach of the Russian national team Fabio Capello called him one of the most capable players in the country.

“Very creative player.

His playing style and right foot control is somewhat reminiscent of Luka Modric.

If Golovin is healthy and in good shape, he is the leader on the field, ”Sport24 quotes the words of the Italian.