Player Analysis: Sofiane Diop

The best sides tend to exhibit a perfect blend between the youthful exuberance of their youngsters and the experienced heads of their veterans.

It displays a good balance for the squad, with a reliable support system the youngsters could benefit from. But things inevitably start falling apart when the experience starts showing signs of expiration - leaking mistakes and costing sizeable goals.

Suddenly, the reliable becomes unreliable, and doubts start to tinker in the minds of many with apprehension manifesting in the dressing room.

This is when you’d see the phrase “thrown in the deep end” start circulating around the media, as teenagers without prior senior experiences are entrusted with the responsibility to turn things around. This was the predicament Monaco found themselves in back in 2018/19.