© AS Monaco
This Saturday morning, AS Monaco began their series of pre-season matches with a narrow 0-1 defeat against Servette Geneva. The match, held at the Performance Center in La Turbie, was closely watched by President Dmitri Rybolovlev and General Manager Thiago Scuro. It provided coach Adi Hütter an opportunity to extensively review his squad.
The game started with a mixed team, not yet at full strength, combining regular starters and young prospects from the Academy. Despite good intensity and several chances in the first half, the Monégasques failed to score against Servette Geneva, the recent Swiss Cup winners.
At halftime, the score was 0-0. Adi Hütter used this break to rotate the squad significantly, giving playing time to a large part of the roster, including several young talents. Players who developed with the Elite Group last season, such as Jules Béry, Samuel Nibombé, Aurélien Platret, Ritchy Valme, Aladji Bamba, Romaric Etonde, and Sandro Bertolucci, had the chance to showcase their skills.
The intensive preparation of the past weeks was evident, especially among the younger players, who struggled to create clear opportunities against a well-organized Servette team. The only goal of the match was scored late in the first half by Geneva's Jérémy Guillemenot, securing a narrow victory for his team.
At the end of the match, Austrian coach Adi Hütter shared his thoughts: "It's always the same at the start of preparation; there's fatigue, which is normal. I'm a bit disappointed with the result, but we won't dwell on it. We aim to continue progressing in our style of play. We have many talented young players who are still adapting to our preparations over the past ten days, but they are improving. They are fighting for their place, and as a coach, I like that."
Despite the loss, this first friendly match was valuable for the coaching staff, allowing them to assess the players' fitness and performance in match conditions. The Red and Whites will now focus on another week of training, culminating in a second friendly against Cercle Brugge, scheduled for Saturday, July 13, at 10:30 AM at the Performance Center.
This will be another opportunity for Adi Hütter to refine his tactical choices and continue preparing his team for the upcoming season and the Champions League.
Thiago Scuro, the club's General Manager, commented on transfer market preparations: "The transfer market is just starting. We are still looking for a striker to give Adi Hütter more options, but it is important to note that we already have several very good players for this role. International competitions have confirmed this in recent weeks. We are very pleased with our squad."