Henry makes Ligue 1 return with freefalling Monaco

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PARIS, Oct 19, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Thierry Henry returns to Ligue 1 for the
first time in 19 years this weekend, tasked with dragging a crisis-hit Monaco
away from the relegation zone after a miserable start to the season.

The Arsenal great came through the youth system at the principality club in
the 1990s, and is now mirroring the start of his playing career with his
first job as a head coach, after a two-year spell as assistant to Roberto
Martinez with the Belgian national side.

The 41-year-old has a difficult job ahead of him, with Monaco occupying the
relegation play-off spot and only above the bottom two on goal difference,
and he knows that his immediate job is just to arrest the slide.

“How do you define success? It’s difficult. At a big European club success
is winning the Champions League,” said Henry ahead of his first game in
charge at Strasbourg on Saturday.

“At other clubs, it’s winning the league or helping players get better.

“Long term, it’s really far away when I know the situation we’re in here
and what we need to do.”

Leonardo Jardim was sacked as Monaco boss last week after a hugely
successful spell in charge which saw the club win the French title in 2017
and finish as runners-up to Paris Saint-Germain last season, but the constant
changes of playing personnel eventually got the better of him.

Monaco have gone 10 matches without a win since beating Nantes on the
opening weekend of the Ligue 1 season, including home defeats by Angers and
Rennes in recent weeks.

Their fans will be desperately hoping that Henry, who scored over 400 goals
in a glittering playing career, can coax the best out of under-performing
youngsters like Youri Tielemans and Aleksandr Golovin.

“For me, a coach is supposed to make people better first and foremost,”
1998 World Cup winner Henry said.

“Improving players for me is already a success, but then you have different
types of success.”

– PSG eye perfect 10 –

PSG host Amiens on Saturday eyeing a record-extending 10th straight win to
start the season after Kylian Mbappe’s four-goal heroics inspired a 5-0
thrashing of Lyon before the international break.

The teenager ran riot at the Parc des Princes that day, saying that he
“should have scored more”, and Amiens will be hoping Mbappe, Neymar and
Edinson Cavani are distracted by Wednesday’s Champions League clash with
Napoli.

The French striker has already scored 10 goals in just seven matches for
PSG this term, and even featured on the front cover of Time magazine earlier
this month.

The capital-city giants broke the 82-year-old record held by Olympique
Lillois for most consecutive victories at the start of a French top-flight
campaign, and coach Thomas Tuchel gave the players who were not on
international duty the week off as reward.

With the title already all but in the bag, it could be tempting for PSG to
take their foot off the pedal and focus on European matters, but the runaway
leaders have shown no signs of that so far, netting 32 times.

With Lyon and Monaco both out of sorts, Lille have taken the early
advantage in the race to qualify for the Champions League — Christophe
Galtier’s men sit second, eight points adrift of PSG and three clear of
Marseille.

Player to watch: Florian Thauvin

The 25-year-old winger has been in red-hot form since the start of last
season, and his Marseille side make the short trip to take on Patrick
Vieira’s Nice on Sunday. Thauvin, who has scored 44 league goals since
returning to France in 2016 after an ill-fated spell at Newcastle, will be
looking to make a point after an underwhelming display in France’s friendly
draw with Iceland.

Ligue 1 fixtures (all times GMT)

Friday

Lyon v Nimes (1845)

Saturday

Paris Saint-Germain v Amiens (1500), Caen v Guingamp, Dijon v Lille, Nantes
v Toulouse, Reims v Angers, Strasbourg v Monaco (1800)

Sunday

Montpellier v Bordeaux (1300), Saint-Etienne v Rennes (1500), Nice v
Marseille (1900)