PENDING: Lacombe seeks League Cup boost for Monaco

Ailing French football giants Monaco’s last trophy was the 2003 League Cup and their coach Guy Lacombe will be hoping that they retain their interest in this season’s competition when they host Lorient on Tuesday in their last 16 clash.

The club from the principality are on a dreadful run of form and the players confidence is draining away, with just one win in their last 10 league matches, have failed to score in their last six and crowds which were always low historically are plumbing new depths.

Just over 5,000 turned up for Saturday’s 2-0 home defeat by Valenciennes – who are also in action on Tuesday at home to Second Division Boulogne – and captain Stephane Ruffier understands their anxiety.

“The number of spectators is already not much, and what is more when things are not going well they kill us,” he said.

“But I understand their concerns. Two successive home defeats is not normal.”

Ruffier is praying that this malaise at home will not be repeated against Lorient, but he is lost as to what the solution is.

“We are playing at home as if we are walking along a precipice and I don’t know why,” he mused.

“Of course if I knew, I would have the answer.”

Lacombe, formerly coach of among others Rennes and Paris Saint Germain, is similarly bereft of answers as to the slump.

His own position is hardly failsafe despite still having the support of the directors, but the 55-year-old 1984 Olympic gold medallist as a player – who guided Monaco to last season’s French Cup final – has been warned that ‘the haemorrhaging’ must stop.

Lacombe, who coached unfashionable Sochaux to a League Cup trophy and won the 2006 French Cup with PSG, has to hope that his expensive summer signing from Standard Liege, Congolese striker Dieumerci Mbokani, rediscovers his goalscoring form and then indeed the French coach could say ‘Thank God’.

A former Monaco coach Jean Tigana takes his present side Bordeaux to the intimidating stadium of highflying St Etienne also on Tuesday and the former French midfield legend will be looking for an improvement on what he describes as their average displays so far this term.

The 55-year-old – a member of the French midfield of the 1980’s known as the ‘Magic Square’ – sees his side in ninth place after 10 league matches and going into the cup match on the back of a disappointing 2-0 home defeat to First Division newboys Brest.

Tigana – who replaced Laurent Blanc after he accepted the French coaching post – has had to cope with a misfiring attack, they have netted just nine times in 10 league matches.

But also he must do without captain Alou Diarra, who has also skippered France in their last three Euro 2012 qualifiers, as he is provisionally suspended for shoving a referee.

“It is certain that with Alou things would have been different,” said Tigana.

“His strong point is that he motivates everybody.”

Fixtures

Tuesday (kick-offs 1800 GMT unless stated):

Montpellier v Ajaccio, Valenciennes v Boulogne, Monaco v Lorient, (1845) Saint-Etienne v Bordeaux

Wednesday:

(1500) Guingamp v Marseille, (1645) Lille v Caen, (1800) Auxerre v Bastia, (1845) Lyon v Paris SG