Soccer

Takumi Minamino is in a Good Place at AS Monaco

Playing the best football of his career, Takumi Minamino aims to help AS Monaco compete for the Ligue 1 title and perform well in the UEFA Champions League.

by
Colin Morrison
September 27, 2024

GLASGOW — In the global game that is soccer, ambitious clubs are constantly searching every continent for footballers they hope can help them fulfill their ambitions. Such is the case with Takumi Minamino.

From the perspective of individual players, this offers the opportunity to ply their trade in various leagues throughout their careers. Even if success has been experienced with one club, footballers move on. A new challenge in a different country can inspire a player to hit even greater heights.

Timing is important, too ― sometimes all it takes is the right coach or manager to get the best out of a particular athlete.

That said, Minamino seems to be in the right place at the right time. After close to a decade playing in various European leagues, the attacking midfielder known as "Taki" to his teammates, is now beginning his third season with AS Monaco. After a high-quality 2023-24 campaign for Les Rouge et Blanc (The Red and Whites) in Ligue 1, Minamino's goal is to maintain that standard and see where it takes him and his club this season.

Minamino's Journey to Monaco

After breaking through and catching the eye of European scouts while playing for the J.League's Cerezo Osaka, the Osaka Prefecture native departed his homeland in 2015 for Europe.

Red Bull Salzburg was his destination. Signed in January of 2015, Minamino went on to play five-and-a-half seasons for the Austrian club. In a highly successful spell, Minamino was involved in six league title-winning campaigns and five Austrian Cup wins. Minamino was also exposed to elite-level competition continent-wide as RB Salzburg competed in either the UEFA Champions League or UEFA Europa League in each of his seasons at the club.

In all, Minamino played 199 times for RB Salzburg, scoring 64 goals. Perhaps the most important time during his trophy-laden spell in Austria was the second half of the 2014-15 season. During this time RB was coached by Adi Hutter ― more on him later.

Minamino's strong performances in Austria attracted the attention of English Premier League giant Liverpool. However, things didn't really work out for Minamino in England. He was unable to become a regular starter at Liverpool and spent the second half of the 2020-21 campaign on loan at fellow Premier League club Southampton. Despite not starting regularly, Liverpool kept Minamino under contract until the end of the 2021-22 season. He featured 55 times for Liverpool and scored 14 goals. His half-season loan at Southampton yielded 10 appearances and two goals.

The Monaco Adventure Begins

It was time for a change of scenery. Monaco came calling with a bid of £15 million GBP (about ¥2.9 billion JPY, or nearly $21 million USD), which was accepted. Minamino's first season in the French top flight was underwhelming. He featured in 18 Ligue 1 matches, scoring once as Monaco stuttered to a poor sixth-place finish.

After that unacceptable 2022-23 season, Monaco brought Hutter in to coach the team. Reunited with the manager he first worked with in Europe, Minamino was a different player during the 2023-24 campaign.

Trusted by Hutter, and playing mainly just behind the central striker, Minamino excelled. Minamino appeared in 30 of the 34 Ligue 1 fixtures and scored nine times. That effort helped Monaco to a runner-up finish ― its highest Ligue 1 finish since 2017-18.

Minamino's contribution also saw him named Monaco's Player of the Season by the club's supporters.

After some warmup fixtures ahead of the 2023-24 season, Hutter was asked about Minamino's place within the structure of his team.

"I've known Takumi since he was only 20 when he played in Salzburg," the Austrian-born coach said, according to AS Monaco's official website.

Hutter continued, "He's a fantastic player. [And] he has proven in recent games that he can really help the team. I think he can really thrive in this system, and I think it's easier for a player to adapt when he already knows the coach."

Challenges the 2024-25 Campaign Will Bring

Domestically, the only way to improve upon last season's second-place finish is to win the league title. The problem for Monaco, and all other Ligue 1 clubs, is that Paris Saint-Germain FC (PSG) is the current dominant force in French soccer. Backed by incredible wealth from Qatar, PSG is looking for its fourth consecutive league title. Over the 34-game season, it will be difficult for any club to play better than PSG.

Monaco also has UEFA Champions League fixtures to fulfill. These will add to the demands placed on Hutter's squad. The expansion of UEFA's flagship club tournament means Monaco faces eight fixtures between now and January in the tournament's league phase.

Monaco has already played its first match in the Champions League ― a 2-1 victory over Spanish powerhouse FC Barcelona on September 19. Minamino logged 69 minutes in what was a famous win for Monaco.

That victory over Barcelona gives Monaco a springboard to progress beyond January in Europe's premier tournament. Its remaining fixtures in the league phase see it face Benfica (Portugal), Red Star Belgrade (Serbia) and Aston Villa (England) at home while trips to Inter Milan (Italy), Arsenal (England), Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia) and Bologna (Italy) round off the league phase.

Finishing in the top eight of the 36-team league would automatically earn Monaco a place in the last 16. If it finishes between places nine to 24, a playoff to reach the last 16 would need to be negotiated. Finishing somewhere in the top 24 is achievable.

How Monaco Has Started the New Season in France

Ligue 1 began its 2024-25 campaign on August 17. On that date, Monaco recorded a 1-0 victory over Saint-Etienne.

It followed that win with an impressive 2-0 defeat of Lyon away from home. A 1-1 draw with Lens followed on September 1 before another comprehensive road win: 3-0 at Auxerre on September 14.

Monaco racked up another home victory on September 22, defeating Le Harve 3-1 at Stade Louis II.

It's four wins and one draw sees Monaco currently occupy joint first place in Ligue 1 on 13 points. PSG and Marseille are also on 13 points. There's a long way to go, but a potentially exciting three-horse race may develop.

Minamino's Start in the 2024-25 Ligue 1 Season

Minamino's season began in exceptional fashion. Playing on the right of a four-man midfield in Hutter's 4-4-2 formation, Minamino scored the only goal of the game against St Etienne in mid-August.

He followed that up by playing just behind striker Breel Embolo as Hutter employed a 4-2-3-1 formation for the trip to Lyon. Minamino played the same role within the same tactical setup against Lens.

For the trip to Auxerre, Minamino started on the bench. He was called into action after 64 minutes, again playing in the position just behind the striker.

Minamino was back in the starting lineup against Le Harve. Hutter reverted to the 4-4-2 formation for this game. Once again Minamino was asked to operate on the right of midfield where he played for 61 minutes.

Based on this sample of five league matches, it seems like Hutter will switch between his two preferred formations ― depending on the tactics of the opponent. While Minamino may be rested at times to keep him physically fresh, he is seen by Hutter as one of his key players. Therefore, he should play in the majority of matches.

*Japan's Takumi Minamino (right) competes against Indonesia on January 24 in Doha at the 2024 Asian Cup. (KYODO)*

Some Words From Takumi Minamino

Before a ball was kicked this season, Minamino spoke to Monaco's official website. When asked if he was currently enjoying the best form of his career, he said: "I hope so! In any case, I want to continue to be as decisive and I keep my fingers crossed that this 2024-25 season will be another memorable one for me."

Minamino was also asked about playing under Coach Hutter. He responded by saying, "He's also one of the reasons I'm playing well. Tactically, he's changed a lot of things and I find myself more in tune with his football philosophy."

With the bar set high from the 2023-24 season, and the new season's challenges coming thick and fast, fans of Minamino in Japan and around the world have plenty to look out for between now and May 2025.

The player is happy at Monaco, playing for a coach he knows and respects. Last season was good for Minamino and Monaco, this one has the potential to be great.

Author: Colin Morrison

Morrison is a freelance sportswriter. Find his stories on SportsLook. Writing since 2016, his byline currently appears on FightsATW.com where he covers boxing. Morrison has previously written for NYFights.com and spitballingpod.com. His main areas of interest are boxing, soccer, golf and rugby union. Morrison is from Scotland and can be found on X (formerly Twitter) @Morrie1981.