Monaco-Nice is a unique football match. A highly intense match where victory is essential for morale. Saturday’s derby will be no exception. Both teams, predicted to have a successful season, surprisingly find themselves at the bottom of the L1 standings. ASM, at the bottom, hosts the Eagles of OGC Nice, who are showing slight improvement after their victory against OM but are still in 17th place.
The club from the Principality is going through a crisis that began, when everything seemed fine, on the evening of a defeat against Porto in the Champions League final in Gelsenkirchen on May 21, 2004. Didier Deschamps was then a magical coach. With a few tricks, he had united the team. The eleven or sixteen players became one. An eternity!
Why? Because… there are no clear answers. The answers remain questions just like for someone in a deep depression. Why can’t players or coaches (Guidolin and Boloni) acclimatize? Why are wrong choices constantly made? Why is Marco Di Vaio so clumsy? Why do Gaël Givet, Lucas Bernardi, Flavio Roma, survivors of the famous final, seem bewildered and unmotivated? Why does Vieri’s casting mistake seem to repeat with the Czech giant Koller? In the game of questions, several titles come up: “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?”: Critics will say players are just here to take advantage of the principality’s money and sunshine. “Weakest Link”: Observers (fans or journalists) have persistently found scapegoats: players but also Didier Deschamps, Francesco Guidolin, Laszlo Boloni, the successive coaches, and Gérard Brianti and Michel Pastor, the directors. The word crisis is often used. This time it can be ideally used. Laurent Banide has the heavy task on his fragile shoulders of having to restore this club. And nothing better than a win against the Nice neighbors on Saturday.
Crisis. In Nice, they don’t know it. Even when the Eagles were chasing their first victory and occupying the last spot in Ligue 1, President Maurice Cohen was determined to reassure his coach Frédéric Antonetti. Players’ ears sometimes burned. Supporters don’t hide their disappointment at Matt Moussilou, Nice’s big transfer. They regret some departures. Generally, the Red and Black house remained solid. There was never a fire. A touch of referee bad luck, a tough schedule, last-minute defeats: Nice suffered the full brunt of football’s ups and downs, which, they say, balances out at the end of the championship. Luck finally smiled on the men of new captain Abardonado last Sunday against Olympique de Marseille. The referee didn’t forget to whistle a penalty at the end of the match. OGC Nice wins 2-1, moves out of the relegation zone. It gives them a bit of calm for the trip to the Stade Louis II.
They will be supported by their fans who will fill the stands of the stadium in the Principality. This place where they haven’t known defeat since the 1996-1997 season. The young supporters have always returned to the Côte d’Azur capital with smiles and full of pride for having defeated this neighboring club which once reigned over the region, shone in France and Europe. They still thrill at the feat of October 2, 2004, when the very fleeting and now slim star Victor Agali scored a double. They still thrill at the header goal of young Brazilian Ederson in the League Cup semi-final. It offered them a trip to the Stade de France, a take-off of the Eagles toward the nationwide recognition of a club and its supporters.
All this must be forgotten. The past doesn’t count, or very little. At 8 pm on Saturday, the players will have only one goal: to win. It’s imperative for ASM, a bit less for OGC Nice. Even though if the red and whites win by two goals, the standings roles would reverse.
The absentees:
ASM: Koller, Monsoreau, Grax, and Kallon, Nimani (injured), Plasil (suspended)
OGC Nice: Cédric Varrault, Florent Balmont, and Cyril Rool (suspended) and Veigneau will start on the bench following an agreement reached at the Nice defender’s loan.
The Nice squad:
Lloris, Grégorini, Kanté, Apam, Yahia, Scotto, Fanni, Gace, Echouafni, Diakité, Ederson, Vahirua, Traoré, Koné, Moussilou, Bellion, Camara, Larbi
The numbers
0: the number of points earned away from home this season by Nice in six trips.
3: the number of home defeats for ASM in five games.
3: the number of goals scored by the Brazilian Ederson from Nice. The midfielder will be one to watch during this derby as he often shines against the club from the Principality.
20: The ranking of ASM. The away ranking of OGC Nice. The home ranking of ASM.
1996: Year of Monaco’s last home victory against Nice. It was on October 19th, a little over ten years ago. Monaco won 4 to 1, with a double from Ikpéba and Anderson against a goal from Debbah.
