Adu Keeps Cool About Monaco Starting Chances

Monaco has won 4 out of the last 6 after scraping past Auxerre 1-0 on Saturday. Nikola Pokrivac provided the game’s difference. One player who didn’t influence the game was USA prodigy Freddy Adu, who sat the bench.

He spoke of the win’s value to the team, now two victories on the trot, and how they’ve come to this place. Up to 10th in Ligue 1, the principality club is making a run up the French league table.

“Last night was an important win for us,” the US international explained. “We are playing fantastic soccer, and more importantly, we are on a two game winning streak. Confidence is high.”

The win took Monaco above rivals Auxerre in the league table, and Adu paid tribute to the importance of the clash.

“Auxerre are a good team and forced us to be at our best,” he explained. “It was a battle, but the red and white were able to come away with three points for the second weekend in a row. With the league as tight as it is, these three points will be very valuable.”

Adu is quick to praise coach Ricardo Gomes. That Brazilian has had to deal with the loss of his star player, Jeremy Menez, to Roma early in the season and a rough patch in the early months.  

“Ricardo has made a lot of changes since the beginning of the season, and a lot of different guys are in the mix now,” said Adu. “The chemistry and understanding between the players on the field is getting better and better. After a slow start to the season, the team is really settling into a rhythm and we are beginning to hit our stride. I am excited to be a part of it.”

Despite the shakeup Ricardo has initiated, Adu has yet to truly profit from it. The Ghana native has yet to start a league match, and has seen limited time off the bench. Now that the team is performing well, Adu will find it even more difficult to pry his way into the starting lineup, but he’s staying optimistic.

“I am still waiting for my first league start, but it will come,” Adu asserted confidently. “I am sure of it. I will continue to work hard in practice and show what I can do. We have a lot of quality players here at Monaco, but I am confident in my own ability. I am very optimistic about my future as well as that of the club.”

But it was back to a team mentality after those brief comments. Adu is focused on Monaco’s performance over his, and looked forward to what he hopes will be a rewarding couple weeks ahead.

“The next couple weeks will be very important for us,” he said. “We need to go into the winner break on a high note. We have to close out the first half of the season with some good results. Allez Monaco!”

--Zac Lee Rigg, Goal.com