Friday morning's training session began under grey clouds, a light mist hanging over La Turbie as players filtered onto the practice pitch. The victory in Athens was still fresh—just forty-eight hours removed from that commanding performance—but attention had already shifted to domestic matters.

Strasbourg. Saturday. The final match before the international break.

Demien stood at the center of the tactical area, observing as players moved through their recovery protocols. The exertions from the Champions League were evident in their movements—subtle signs of fatigue that most wouldn't notice but were impossible for him to overlook. Evra slightly favored his left hip, Morientes stretched his hamstring a bit longer, and D'Alessandro jogged at a more measured pace.

Michel approached with the medical report. "Everyone's cleared, but fatigue markers are elevated for the Athens starters."

Demien nodded, already processing the implications. "Rotation," he said. "Not wholesale, but targeted."

The session shifted to tactical work, with Demien implementing adjustments he had been considering since the final whistle in Athens. Ibarra would start at right back, giving Givet some much-needed minutes. Prso would replace Morientes at center forward, and Plašil would come in for Bernardi in midfield.

"Strasbourg will sit deep and counter through the middle," Demien explained as the training team mimicked the opposition's expected approach. "They'll try to draw us forward and exploit the spaces we leave."

The patterns were rehearsed methodically—pressing triggers, defensive transitions, set-piece alignments. Every potential scenario was anticipated and prepared for. This was the foundation of Demien's philosophy: leaving nothing to chance and controlling the controllable aspects of performance.

"When they drop their midfield line, that's when we play between," he instructed, pointing to the space that would open if Monaco maintained patience. "Not around. Between."

D'Alessandro absorbed the instruction with keen focus. The Argentine's performance in Athens had been exceptional, but Demien knew that maintaining that level required careful management—both physical and mental.

"You'll play sixty minutes tomorrow," he told D'Alessandro during a brief water break. "No more. We need you recovered for what comes after the international break."

The player started to protest but thought better of it. "As long as I'm back for the Deportivo match."

"That's the plan."

The session concluded with targeted work for the rotated players—Prso's movement against Strasbourg's expected back three, Ibarra's positioning when Rothen cut inside, and Plašil's defensive responsibilities during midfield transitions. These small details would determine whether rotation became a strength or a vulnerability.

Later that afternoon, in the analysis room, Demien reviewed Strasbourg's recent matches with the coaching staff. Their 4-3-3 formation was fluid, with wide forwards tucking in to create overloads in central areas. Their pressing was sporadic but aggressive when triggered.

"They'll want to disrupt our rhythm early," Demien noted, freezing the footage to highlight their high press against Lyon. "We play through it, not around it. If we bypass their first line cleanly, the rest will open up naturally."

The final team meeting before the match was brief—key points reinforced, individual instructions clarified, and expectations set. Demien never wasted words before matches, preferring clarity over motivation and precision over emotion.

Saturday arrived with weather that matched the tactical challenge—persistent rain turning the Stade Louis II pitch slick and unpredictable. Perfect conditions for an upset if Monaco's concentration wavered.

In the locker room, the atmosphere was focused but not tense. Players prepared with their usual routines—Giuly arranging his shin pads just so, Rothen methodically lacing his boots, and Roma visualizing with his eyes closed and hands clasped. The rotated players exhibited heightened concentration, eager to prove themselves—Prso bouncing on his toes, Ibarra checking his positioning notes one last time.

Demien's pre-match instructions were characteristically precise. "They'll give us the ball and then try to counter through the middle. We control the tempo. We control the spaces. Everything else follows from that."

The match began exactly as anticipated—Strasbourg conceded possession but maintained a compact defensive shape that denied Monaco clear paths to goal. Their pressing was selective, triggered by specific cues rather than blind aggression.

Monaco circulated the ball with purpose, probing for weaknesses without forcing progression. Alonso orchestrated from deep, always providing an outlet with his positioning, and his distribution broke Strasbourg's lines with calculated precision.

The first clear chance came in the seventeenth minute—Rothen cut inside from the left, combined with D'Alessandro, and fired a shot that skimmed the outside of the post. The crowd's collective intake of breath reflected the narrow margins at this level.

Strasbourg's first dangerous counter arrived minutes later—a quick transition down Monaco's right caught Ibarra slightly out of position. The cross found their striker unmarked at the far post, but his header flashed wide when he should have at least hit the target.

A warning.

Demien made a small adjustment from the touchline, signaling for Plašil to drop five yards deeper when Monaco lost possession, providing additional cover behind Ibarra. The Czech midfielder understood immediately, shifting his positioning with seamless precision.

The first half continued in this pattern—Monaco probing, Strasbourg resisting, with occasional counters creating moments of danger that were efficiently neutralized. At halftime, with the score still 0-0, Demien gathered the team in the dressing room.

"They're sitting deeper now," he observed. "The spaces are appearing behind their midfield, not their defense. Be patient. Find the pockets, then play forward."

No dramatic changes, no tactical overhaul—just refined details that would make the difference as fatigue set in.

The breakthrough came in the fifty-fourth minute, exactly as prepared for—Alonso found D'Alessandro between Strasbourg's rigid lines. The Argentine turned quickly and threaded a pass into Prso's intelligently timed run. The striker's finish was clinical—low and hard across the goalkeeper into the far corner.

1-0.

Demien didn't celebrate; his focus was already on the next phase—how Strasbourg would respond, what spaces would open as they pushed for an equalizer, and what adjustments Monaco needed to exploit them.

The expected push came—Strasbourg committed more players forward, took more risks in possession, and left more spaces in transition. In the sixty-seventh minute, D'Alessandro made way for a fresh Morientes, just as planned. The Argentine had been influential again, though not quite reaching the heights of Athens.

Strasbourg's increased aggression played perfectly into Monaco's hands. When their midfielder was caught in possession while attempting to force a forward pass, Monaco countered with devastating efficiency—Alonso to Rothen, Rothen driving forward before finding Morientes in the right channel. The striker still had work to do, cutting inside one defender before unleashing a shot that gave the goalkeeper no chance.

2-0.

The remainder of the match was controlled, professional, and largely uneventful. Monaco managed possession with maturity, denying Strasbourg the opportunities they desperately sought. When the final whistle blew, the scoreboard confirmed what had been evident for some time: Monaco 2, Strasbourg 0.

Another clean sheet. Another three points. Momentum maintained heading into the international break.

In the locker room afterward, players moved with the satisfied weariness of professionals who had met expectations. Nothing spectacular, nothing flashy—just another example of the consistency that was becoming Monaco's hallmark.

"Good performance," Giuly acknowledged, the armband still on his sleeve as he addressed his teammates. "Now some of us will represent our countries, while the rest recover. But we all return with the same focus."

As players dispersed for media duties and recovery protocols, conversations naturally turned to the international break. Morientes and Alonso discussed Spain's upcoming qualifiers against Armenia and Finland. Prso confirmed his call-up for Croatia's crucial match against Bulgaria. Evra and Rothen compared notes on France's preparations.

"What about you?" Prso asked Squillaci, who was methodically removing his shin pads.

"First call-up," the defender replied, unable to hide his pride. "France U-21 against Yugoslavia."

"Deserved," Evra said, clapping him on the shoulder. "At this rate, the senior team is next."

Demien observed these interactions from a distance, noting the growing camaraderie and the natural leadership emerging from different corners of the dressing room. This was another difference from the timeline he remembered—this squad was bonding faster, believing earlier, and developing a collective identity that would be crucial for the challenges ahead.

As the room gradually emptied, Michel appeared with the final medical reports. "Everyone is clear. No issues to report to the federations."

Demien nodded. "Good. Let's hope they all return that way."

The concern was legitimate. International breaks always carried risks—different training methodologies, tactical approaches, and recovery protocols. Players returning with injuries or fatigue was a persistent threat that no club coach could completely control.

"Ten days," Michel said. "Then we reset."

Demien looked at the tactical board, where Saturday's formation was still outlined in marker. Ten days without matches. Ten days of disrupted preparation. Ten days for momentum to potentially dissipate.

But also ten days to refine, recover, and plan.

"We don't reset," Demien replied. "We build."

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