Just two and a half years ago, Monaco were standing on the mountaintop of French football, having just won their first Ligue 1 title since the 1999-2000 season.
The club was praised for reaching the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League, and a young Parisian named Kylian Mbappé was hoisting an individual trophy of his own: the Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year award.
Fast forward to today, and the club is in a very different state.
Mbappé, along with many of the other young talents that graced the Stade Louis II from that title-winning campaign, has moved on to a new club.
The team is not competing in any European tournament this season after barely surviving the threat of relegation last spring.
The average age of the starting eleven, 26.1, is far more level than the rest of the country.
However, this doesn’t mean there aren’t any signs of potential success this season.
Despite currently sitting in 14th place on the league table, Monaco can claim to have one of the best attacks in France, specifically recently.
Through an overabundance of player signings over the last three years (the club bought eleven attacking players over that span), there is now an overall sustainable attack that can lead this team throughout the season.
This tactical analysis will cover Monacos front-line players, tactics, and movements.
Wissam Ben Yedder Scouting Report
As stated, Monaco have one of the better attacking groups in the country.
Leading this group this season is the 29-year-old striker Wissam Ben Yedder.
The Frenchman began his career at the local club UJA Alfortville in the French fourth tier.
He eventually signed with Toulouse, where he scored at least 14 league goals in four consecutive seasons before moving abroad to Sevilla for a €9 million fee.
In Spain, Ben Yedder continued his steady rise and finally returned to his home country three seasons later after Monaco activated his €40 million release clause.
The striker has also scored two goals in eight matches for Les Bleus.
At Monaco, Ben Yedder has already established himself as a top name on the team sheet every weekend.
He is a fast, well-rounded striker with fantastic ball control.
His style of play is direct evidence of his youth football background Ben Yedder played futsal throughout his childhood, including a short stint for the futsal French national team.
Monaco often uses quick attacks from midfield, and this pass from attacking midfielder Aleksandr Golovin is a good example.
Ben Yedder splits the centre-backs as the receiving end of the through ball.
