Ligue 1 2019/20: Monaco vs Montpellier – tactical analysis

This past Friday’s Ligue 1 fixture saw two European qualification hopefuls go head to head, as Monaco hosted Montpellier. Monaco went into Friday’s game trailing Montpellier by two points. However, thanks to a 52nd minute headed Islam Slimani goal, via a successful corner kick, Monaco earned an important 1-0 win which takes them up to fifth place in Ligue 1, now one point ahead of Montpellier, who sit in sixth place. 

Friday’s game saw Monaco earn their third straight Ligue 1 victory. Robert Moreno’s men now sit just three points behind third-placed Rennes. With 13 games left to be played in the 2019/20 Ligue 1 season, the battle for the third UEFA Champions League place, as well as the automatic Europa League group stage qualification awarded to Ligue 1’s fourth-placed side, is as competitive as ever. 

This tactical analysis piece will examine the key elements of both Monaco and Montpellier’s tactics from Friday’s contest. We will provide a tactical analysis of the key differences in both Monaco and Montpellier’s offensive and defensive shapes from this game, as well as the differences in both sides’ respective tactical methods in attack and defence from this fixture.

Lineups and formations

Robert Moreno lined up his men in a 4-3-1-2 shape in-possession for Friday’s fixture. Monaco’s front three of Slimani, Wissam Ben Yedder, and Stevan Jovetić would interchange their exact position within the front three quite a bit, however, the shape of one forward playing slightly deeper in the ‘10’ role behind the other two, who played more advanced roles, remained consistent throughout this game. 

Youssouf Fofana occupied the holding midfield position for this game. As a result, the 21-year-old rarely ventured forward. Instead, he provided defensive cover and operated as a deeper source of creativity as Monaco attacked. Fofana’s role in the midfield allowed his midfield partners Aleksandr Golovin and Tiémoué Bakayoko to venture further forward.