Monaco's Forward Line Shapes Up: Abline and Biereth Impress, Brunner Emerges, Balogun Uncertain, Fati Delayed

Monaco secured a hard-fought draw against Liverpool at Anfield, a significant achievement ahead of their Conference League playoff. Despite trailing 2-0, the team showed resilience, mirroring their performance against Cercle Bruges. They managed to equalize and even take the lead with Paris Brunner's fifth goal of the summer (3-2, 88th minute).

In their fifth pre-season match, the penultimate one before facing Coventry, coach Filipe Luis fielded the same starting eleven as against Getafe, a 4-4-2 formation that, while ambitious, proved somewhat vulnerable, especially in the absence of Denis Zakaria. The bold approach against Liverpool resulted in numerous attacks from the home side.

Emerging Formations

The team's overall defense was not consistently strong, particularly evident in Liverpool's second goal, a scramble initiated while Monaco had a two-on-five disadvantage (2-0, 29th minute). With key players like Zakaria and Folarin Balogun (World Cup participants), long-term absentee Takumi Minamino, and Paul Pogba (still struggling with fitness), a clearer picture of the starting lineup is emerging. The partnership of Sadibou Sané and Eric Dier seems to be favored in central defense over Thilo Kehrer and Christian Mawissa.

The attacking front, however, is showing promise. With Mathys Detourbet likely to occupy the right wing, there are currently five players vying for the two forward positions. This number could soon decrease to four if Balogun is sold, a move that appears increasingly likely. The contenders are Matthis Abline, Mika Biereth, Brunner, and Ansu Fati. The alphabetical order seems to reflect the current hierarchy. Abline and Biereth have started consecutively, while Brunner has scored immediately upon entering the game. Fati, expected to join training at St George's Park this week, has not yet featured in pre-season matches.

Alexandre Golovine, who converted the penalty that brought Monaco back to 2-1 against Liverpool (44th minute), has scored three goals in pre-season. Brunner has five, Biereth and Dier have one each. Abline, a new arrival, is still finding his feet and is yet to score. Speaking after the Anfield match, Filipe Luis commented on Abline: "These types of players are quite rare. Matthis is very fast, he attacks space and will give us opportunities that will make us difficult to defend against. His partnership with Mika was good today, although they need to improve. But we must be patient, he has just arrived, and we will help him become the top player he can be."

For Biereth, scoring against Liverpool after his last goal for Monaco on February 5th was a significant relief. "Mika gives everything he has; he runs, he presses, he supports his teammates, he can hold the ball, he can attack space. Even if he doesn't score, I'm happy with his work. It's because Mika and Matthis (Abline) did that hard work at the start that we came back later," Luis stated. Finally, there's Brunner, the surprise of the summer. "He makes my job difficult when deciding the starting lineup because as soon as he comes on, he scores in this preparation. He's hungry, he comes on with desire and energy. He has the mindset I want," concluded the coach.