Rony Lopes has lifted the lid on Thierry Henry’s short stint as Monaco manager, claiming the manager wasn’t given a fair ride in Ligue 1.
The former Arsenal striker was chosen to take over at Monaco following a dismal start to the 2018-19 campaign under Leonardo Jardim, who ironically was given the job back later in the term.
This spell for Henry will definitely not go down as one of the highlights of his career, but one of his former players insists that he was treated unfairly, and could have been ‘fantastic’ had they allowed him to continue.
‘The time with Henry was a very hard campaign because it was a moment in the season when we had 17 injured players,’ Lopes stated. ‘We played in the Champions League with five strikers who were 18 years old.
‘Even if they are good players, they do not have the experience to play games like that. It was a hard season for them. I have never been in a situation like that in my life.
‘I think people don’t really know what happened with Thierry. In my opinion, the club did not give him enough time. The training sessions were really good and the ideas were bright, engaging and good.
‘When he had the players back fit, and the team starting to be how he wanted, the club sacked him. I did not agree with that. If they had given him more time, he could have been a fantastic coach for Monaco.’
Thierry is now currently plying his trade in Canada with Montreal Impact, where his MLS side started with four points from their opening two games, although play is of course suspended following the Coronavirus outbreak.
It would be great to see Thierry succeed in management, and I smell a fish on the dealings that Monaco took in sacking and rehiring Jardim, but maybe more will be revealed on that in time.
Does Henry have what it takes to succeed as a coach?
Patrick
