Monaco Pair Young And Licata Draw Praise

Pre-season predictions suggested that Monaco would struggle to score many goals this term. The tip seemed sound in the early weeks of the season, as Frédéric Nimani was the only player finding the net regularly for les Monegasques.

Things have changed over the last month, though. Park Chu Young, a late summer signing from FC Seoul, appears to be settling in very nicely at the Stade Louis II, while forgotten man Alexandre Licata is making the most of his chance in the principality, having been exiled at Bastia on loan last season.

The contribution of this duo has not gone unnoticed by the head coach of the club, Ricardo. "Even if he has only just started to play in Europe, Park has experience," les Monegasques’ trainer explained to local daily newspaper Nice-Matin, “He is an intelligent player, who links well with Licata. They are a duo at ease in front of goal and in perpetual motion."

Speaking specifically of Licata, Ricardo stated, "I didn’t think there was much to him at first but, in Spain (on a preseason training camp), he showed he was there. His problem was that there was [Djamel] Bakar and [Juan Pablo] Pino ahead of him, even before the arrival of Park.

"But I noted that he worked very hard and had a lot of bravery. He also played a good game against Olympique Lyonnais in a friendly... he kept the faith."

This duo are likely to start together in attack when Monaco travel to Burgundy to face Auxerre this evening.

--Robin Bairner, Goal.com