Nene key to Monaco revival
Reuters - Thursday 29 October 2009, 10:08
PARIS - Monaco have turned their fate
around after a couple of below-par seasons and they would not
have done it without Brazilian midfielder Nene.
Having finished 11th and 12th in 2009 and 2008, Monaco lie
second in the Ligue 1 standings and will hope Nene can maintain
his excellent form as they travel to leaders Girondins Bordeaux
on Saturday.
The Brazilian, who failed to make an impact in his first
season at Monaco in 2007/08, was loaned to Espanyol last term
and came back strong to top the scoring charts in France with
nine goals from 10 matches.
"Everybody likes him in the squad and not only because of
what he brings to the team on the pitch," coach Guy Lacombe
told L'Equipe on Thursday.
"Of course, he has his temper and I watch him very closely,
but he is a good lad and he works very hard."
The left-footed Nene, who netted a last-gasp double to give
Monaco a 3-1 win at Boulogne last weekend, joined Monaco from
Celta Vigo in 2007.
"He has always been very strong," former Monaco manager
Ricardo told L'Equipe.
"Technically, he can do outstanding things, he is a great
player. I am not surprised that he burst into the limelight in
Ligue 1.
"In his first season (at Monaco), his problem was that he
failed to adapt because he was coming from Spain, where
defences are less rigorous. He just thought his talent would do
the trick."
Nene, however, could have to make do with the absence of
one of his favourite attacking partners, South Korean Park
Chu-young, who is a doubt with a foot injury.
Olympique Lyon, who trail Bordeaux by two points and Monaco
by one, will be at arch-rivals St Etienne on Saturday hoping to
bounce back from back-to-back league defeats against Sochaux
and at lowly Nice.
"We must stick together. That is what we failed to do
against Sochaux and at Nice," France midfielder Jeremy Toulalan
told his club's website.
Paris St Germain, who had three players diagnosed with H1N1
virus last weekend, travel to Sochaux on Sunday with Ludovic
Giuly, Jeremy Clement and Mamadou Sakho cleared to play.
After their game at Olympique Marseille was postponed, PSG
are 13th and have one game in hand.
OM lie fifth five points off the pace and take on Toulouse
on Saturday, wary of the Andre-Pierre Gignac threat.
"He is Toulouse's number one striker. He is a permanent
danger to a defence," said Marseille defender Laurent Bonnart
of the France striker.