Philippe Clement has set Monaco on the path to a Champions League place

After their inspirational performances in the run-in last season, when the league title was in play until the very end of the campaign, Monaco and Niko Kovac seemed like a match made in heaven. Kovac had shaken off the disappointment of his spell with Bayern Munich and was getting a tune out of Monaco’s young players, such as Youssouf Fofana, Aurélien Tchouaméni and Sofiane Diop, as well as veterans Kevin Volland and Wissam Ben Yedder.

Their league form was patchy at the start of this season and a cruel elimination in the final qualifying round for the Champions League did Kovac no favours, but his players were learning how to deal with the dual demands of European and domestic football. Despite leading them to top spot in a tough Europa League group, Kovac was dismissed by the club mid-season in a decision that, for many, smacked of impatience.

In came the Belgian manager Philippe Clement, who was relatively unknown in France. He was a vastly experienced and successful player, having made his name as a hard-nosed defender at Club Brugge and racked up 38 caps for his country. After calling time on his playing career, Clement worked his way through the youth ranks at Club Brugge, ultimately becoming assistant manager. His first spell as a manager, however, did not come at the club where he had spent nearly 20 years, but at Waasland-Beveren, who appointed him in 2017.

He did not stay for long. Clement’s impressive start to the season with Waasland-Beveren earned him a move to Genk, where he won the league title the following season and developed talents such as Ruslan Malinovskyi, Leandro Trossard and Mbwana Samatta. Rather than experiencing European football with Genk, he returned to Club Brugge and won the title for a