According to Sky Sports, Monaco have suspended head coach Thierry Henry until a decision is made on his future. The Arsenal legend has struggled to turn things around in the principality, with his team currently 19th place in the Ligue One table.
Henry has won just five times since joining Monaco three months ago. With the team two points from safety in the French top-flight, it seems that the former France international is set for the exit.
Reportedly, Monaco have decided that they wish to reappoint predecessor Leonardo Jardim, which would be a shock considering how he left the club.
Team was in a mess before Henry’s appointment
When Henry arrived at the club, he faced a massive challenge. The team had been decimated in recent years, as Monaco continually sold their star players and expected Jardim to find replacements.
The Portuguese boss had done an excellent job until this season when not only did the lack of quality show in the team, he also had to endure an injury crisis. In the end, the club dispensed with his services, as they believed a change would help the team out of the relegation zone. It has not, now it seems they regret their decision to fire Jardim.
The move was a gamble all round
Monaco hiring Thierry Henry and the Frenchman agreeing to take the job was a gamble all round. Henry had never been a boss. The closest he had been to being a boss was as assistant head coach to Roberto Martinez with the Belgium national team.
He has no managerial experience, so to take on the monumental job at Monaco was a brave decision. Henry had been linked with a number of managerial jobs in the past. However, his best role since retiring from playing so far has arguably been as a Sky Sports pundit.
The decision to appoint Henry was also a gamble from Monaco. It seems like a sentimental appointment. He had started his playing career at the club, so there was that attachment. Maybe Monaco believed that Henry’s character and legend was enough to lift the players.
Unfortunately, it seems it has not been enough, as the team’s fortunes have hardly sawed since the Frenchman’s appointment as head coach. In fact, some would argue that the team has been putting in worse performances than under the highly-rated Jardim.
Monaco can still survive the drop
Monaco have been poor for most of the season. However, the good news for the team from the principality is that they have been cut off at the bottom of the Ligue One table. They are just two points away from the relegation play-off spots and three points from safety.
The fact that Monaco are odds of 7/4, fifth favourites for relegation this season suggest that not many believe they will actually suffer relegation.
However, it is not impossible that Monaco could still suffer relegation, with or without Thierry Henry in charge of the team. Henry’s suspension suggests it will be without him in charge at the minute.
The former Arsenal star always seemed eager to get into management. However, despite his obvious football knowledge, maybe it was too soon for him. It was definitely not the right set-up to start his managerial career.
If as expected, Henry loses his job, no doubt he will look back at his spell in charge of Monaco as a tough, but a good learning experience. When he returns to management, the will be wiser and hopefully be able to make better decisions.
Will Thierry Henry recover from his time at Monaco to be a successful boss in the future?
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