Ranieri praises Monaco´s ´good start´

Monaco head coach Claudio Ranieri was thrilled to begin his side’s Ligue 1 campaign with a hard-fought 2-0 win at Bordeaux.

Ranieri led Monaco to the Ligue 2 title last season and has set his sights on returning the former French powerhouse to the Champions League with a strong performance in the top flight this term.

The Italian’s side needed late goals from Emmanuel Riviere and new signing Radamel Falcao to get the job done in Bordeaux on Saturday, and the veteran coach was pleased to make a winning start to life in Ligue 1.

“I was very curious to see my team against Bordeaux – they are a good team, with strong players who play a very compact style of football,” Ranieri told L’Equipe.

“This is a good start for Monaco because it is the first game in Ligue 1 against a great team.

“The first half was very good, the second was 50-50 but in the end what makes the difference was Riviere.

“I want to wait for the other matches against other teams to see our behaviour.”

Monaco captain Eric Abidal said making a good start was vital for the side.

“This is the beginning of the championship, it is important to get a good away win,” the former Barcelona star said.

“The season will be long, we have a difficult match against Montpellier (at home next Saturday).

“It’s always good to start (with a win), especially for foreigners because it allows a very fast adaptation.”