AS Monaco coach talks Flick, Yamal, Lewandowski, Olmo – ‘One of the best in Europe’

Following a streak of five wins in five matches in La Liga, expectations will be high for Barcelona as they open their UCL campaign on Thursday, with an away game against AS Monaco.

Speaking ahead of the game, Monaco coach Adi Hutter talked about the prospect of facing Barcelona while discussing more and more German coaches venturing into different leagues.

Adi Hutter on facing Barcelona

It must be noted that Monaco and Barcelona faced each other not too long ago in the Joan Gamper trophy, with the French outfit securing a comprehensive 3-0 victory.

When asked whether or not he would repeat that tactic, Hutter said (h/t Mundo Deportivo), “I’m not going to reveal the tactics. What I can say is that it won’t be a similar game.”

“I think that, in a way, it was good for Barcelona to lose that game. They have now scored in five consecutive games (…) and have only conceded four goals,” he added.

Hutter did admit that he watched Barcelona’s most recent game against Girona, where the Catalans came out 4-1 victors.

“I watched up to the 85th minute and it was a clear victory. I don’t want to say that they won easily, but they did well. They deserved it,” he said.

Talking about the prospect of facing Barcelona, Hutter highlighted many aspects that make the Catalans a great team, including the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Lamine Yamal and Dani Olmo.

“I don’t fear any opponent, but I have a lot of respect for one of the biggest clubs in the world (…). Everyone knows Barcelona. They have Robert Lewandowski up front, who I faced in the Bundesliga,” he said.

“They also have Lamine Yamal, who scored two goals (on Sunday), with a tremendous left foot, a talented young player, a top player; Dani Olmo, who I also know from the Bundesliga and is top, one of the best in Europe; also Raphinha,” he added.

When asked about his game plan to stop the in-form Yamal, Hutter denied the possibility of man-marking the young Spaniard.

“When I was a player, many of my coaches were in favour of man-marking opponents even when they were going to the toilet. No, seriously, what we want is to stop him as a team, I’m not the kind of coach who orders man-marking,” he said.

Adi Hutter on Hansi Flick

Adi Hutter also shed light on the growing trend of more and more German coaches venturing abroad to showcase their coaching skills.

Indeed, the likes of Hansi Flick, Thomas Tuchel, Jurgen Klopp and Hutter are some examples of German trainers coaching abroad.

Talking about the growing trend, Hutter acknowledged the quality Bundesliga has to offer, but admitted he always had the desire to coach in the French league.

“Bundesliga is a great league, with quality, one of the best in the world. I wanted to coach abroad, in the French league, which is very different, of a very high quality, quite physical. I am happy to be here,” he said.

Talking about Flick, Hutter heaped praise on the Barcelona coach for his successes at Bayern while predicting other German coaches to follow suit.

“Hansi Flick won six or seven titles in one year with Bayern Munich. Coaching the German national team opened the doors for him to Barcelona. Maybe other coaches from Germany, Austria and Switzerland will also follow our path,” he said.

Finally, Hutter explained what makes Flick’s Barcelona different from Xavi’s Barcelona last season.

“I know Flick and you can quickly see a style that plays with high lines, aggressively. And that is flexible and presses the opponent high up, something that I also like,” he concluded.