Monaco coach Adi Hütter “Words alone are not proof that you are an expert”

Before that, reporters from the French sports bible L’Equipe went to Vorarlberg in search of clues, where Adi Hütter is supporting a youth project. And where (as in the rest of football Austria with the exception of Red Bull Salzburg) one can hardly imagine such impressive opportunities as those in Monaco.

The impressive new training center is located above Monaco on French soil. With panoramic sea views. But Hütter is not here to enjoy the holiday atmosphere. Whether he will stay beyond the summer – as the club wishes – will be negotiated in January.

COURIER: It is often said on the rumor mill that the Premier League is your goal. Is that so?

Adi Hütter: It’s no secret that England is exciting. But I really appreciate AS Monaco. It is a large, traditional club with great opportunities. Our training center fulfills every wish a trainer’s heart desires, with three well-maintained playing fields and a seven-story building with a restaurant, lounges and fitness rooms. I live just five minutes away in La Turbie. The place belongs to France.

Have you already had contact with Prince Albert?

He always comes to our games. The prince is a football fan. He is generally very enthusiastic about sports. After all, he even took part in the Olympic Games as a bobsledder. In February he wished me a happy birthday.

Is there anything you miss about Monaco?

To be honest, not really, maybe even more of a home advantage, like the clubs in Marseille and Nice have, for example. Our Champions League games are sold out. In the championship, however, we often only have 5,000 to 8,000 spectators in the small Stade Louis II. But you know that when you work here, as Monaco only has 38,000 inhabitants, many of whom are often not even here. But 1,000 fans regularly accompany us to away games. I also noticed that we enjoy a lot of sympathy in France. For some football fans who root for their local club, Monaco is the second most popular club.

Austria’s Champions League representatives Salzburg and Sturm received a beating from their French opponents. Did that surprise you?

The teams in Ligue 1 are physically very strong, the games are played very quickly and with high intensity. It’s not for nothing that the French Ligue 1 is one of the top 5 in Europe. There are many talents. More than in Germany.

Their team is also exceptionally young.

In the Champions League, my team was the fourth youngest even before the veteran and captain Zakaria was out. It’s good for the boys that they can play internationally. They don’t complain about the extra workload. But things will be tight at the beginning of the new year. With up to 16 games in just under two months.

Your squad includes players from 13 nations. How does communication take place?

What language do we speak in the cabin? So it depends on who is talking to whom because the players come from so many different countries. Basically, English is spoken throughout the club. Unlike me, my assistant coaches Christian Peintinger and Klaus Schmidt had French in high school. Of course I already understand the football terms.

Speaking of technical terms. In this country, Hans Krankl isn’t the only one who considers some of the formulations to be absurd and even completely unnatural.

A change in words is taking place in football German. It used to be called counterattacking, now everyone is talking about switching. I’m not one of the younger people anymore either. I think the technical term residual defense is okay. But asymmetric left defense? No. This is going too far for me. Empty words alone are not proof that you are an expert.

Pressing is currently considered the magic bullet. As the measure of all things. Do you see it that way too?

A lot of people talk about pressing or counter-pressing – but I don’t see it. Standing tall alone is not enough. I tend to be in favor of proactive football. Or to put it another way: pressing, yes. But not at any price, but adapted to the situation.

As a coaching veteran who has been working abroad for ten years, are you still interested in football events in your home country?

Of course I follow the Austrian Bundesliga. Especially my hometown club Altach. The fact that the top Viennese clubs Rapid and Austria are at the forefront again can only be good for Austrian football as a whole.

With the 67-time national player Martin Hinteregger, a former Hütter protégé who had already ended his career decided to make a comeback to professional football after a two-year break.

Martin is special. I like him. If he enjoys football, his comeback will be very good for both sides. For Martin and Austria Klagenfurt.