2024-11-27 08:40:00
We can be on the podiums of the Champions League and Ligue 1 and yet have a problem with attackers. AS Monaco, which is preparing to host Benfica Lisbon on Wednesday November 27, is proof of this.
Third in the new Champions League formula, second in Ligue 1, everything seems to be smiling at AS Monaco at the moment. Only one reason for concern: the clumsiness of its center forward, Breel Embolo.
AS Monaco number 36 has been going through a phase of doubt since the start of the season. Monegasque fans believed it clicked at the end of October, when their favorite finally opened his account with two goals in two matches. But since then, he has fallen back into his ways, whether with the Swiss national team or with the Principality club. The powerful 1.87m striker has never looked so awkward in front of goal.
A linear progression…
Until then, the 27-year-old striker had enjoyed a career without doubt. Born in Yaoundé on February 14, 1997, Breel Donald Embolo moved to Europe at the age of six, thanks in particular to his uncle Zélé le Bombardier, a famous musician who popularized bikutsi and helped the Embolo family settle in Switzerland .
Breel Embolo took his first steps in local clubs such as Nordstern BS or BSC Old Boys before joining the FC Basel training center. He signed his first professional contract at just 16 years old and made his first team debut in March 2014, the following year.
Regularly called up for the Swiss youth team, Breel Embolo also joined the Nati among the seniors, despite the assiduous courtship of his native Cameroon. A heartbreaking choice, even if it favors the country that formed it. Since 2015, he has played three Euros and two World Cups with Switzerland. During the last World Cup in Qatar, he also crossed paths with his native country. In a wink of fate, it was he who scored the winning goal against the Indomitable Lions.
See alsoAngry Cameroonians yes, but not against Breel Embolo!
After shining in his training club, Embolo joined the Bundesliga, playing successively for Schalke 04 (2016-2019) then Borussia Mönchengladbach (2019-2022). He joined AS Monaco in 2022 following a €12.5 million transfer and quickly established himself as a key player in the team. For his first season with the club, he wore the Principality jersey 42 times and scored 14 goals.
…until a serious injury
However, during preparation for the following season, he ruptured his anterior cruciate knee ligament during training with Monaco and was kept off the field for eight months.
Since his resumption, he has appeared more clumsy in front of goal, even if his return coincides with the long period of invincibility recorded by Monaco between April and October. The Swiss striker is fighting against recurring physical problems which prevent him from taking off.
Despite his current difficulties, Breel Embolo remains a valued executive internally. Described as a positive, hard-working personality, he is never the last for a game of Uno or video games with his teammates, as recounted in the club’s digital newsletter.
For the moment, his coach Adi Hütter maintains his confidence in him, emphasizing that the goals are only the visible face of Breel Embolo’s impact within the team. The Swiss striker creates chances and knows how to make decisive passes, far from being obsessed by his current shortage.
“I always believe in my attackers but it doesn’t matter if they score less because our number 10s or our defenders on set pieces can be decisive. For other teams, it’s difficult to defend well against us because it’s easier to do it when only one player scores 20 goals”, recalled the Austrian coach at a press conference before the Champions League match.
However, his credit cannot last forever. Especially since his main competitor at the forefront of the Monegasque attack, Folarin Balogun, has just returned from injury. If he wants to keep his place, Breel Embolo would be well advised to improve against Benfica Lisbon.
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