FEATURE | This season may be Axel Disasi’s last at Monaco, but it’s also his best

This is taken from the GFFN 100, our leading 150-page FREE publication ranking the best 100 players in France, see the full list and read every profile right here.

Few would have envisaged Axel Disasi on a Qatari football pitch at the beginning of the calendar year. But there he was, alongside Raphaël Varane, Ibrahima Konaté and Eduardo Camavinga in Les Bleus’ defence. An amateur piano player, Disasi has hit all the right notes on the pitch this season, culminating in a surprise late call-up to Didier Deschamps’ World Cup squad – a significant milestone in a career on an undoubtedly upward trajectory.

International and club teammate Youssouf Fofana often mocks the AS Monaco centre-back for being a one-trick pony when it comes to his hidden piano-playing talents. Whilst his repertoire on the keys may be limited to playing the intro to Requiem for a Dream, he is a lot more versatile on the pitch. It is this versatility that booked his ticket on the flight to Qatar. Before the tournament, the former Stade de Reims defender had never been called up by Les Bleus. He earned a pre-selection in September but, ultimately, it was his Monaco centre-back partner Benoît Badiashile that got the nod.

However, between then and November 10th, two things changed that went in Disasi’s favour. The first was Deschamps’ decision to move to a back-four, and not just any back-four, but one that consisted almost entirely of centre-backs. Varane, Jules Koundé, and Dayot Upamecano were all shoe-ins, despite the poor performances of the latter in blue. However, with Deschamps turning his defensive conservatism up a notch, there were positions up for grabs for some of France’s fringe centre-backs. With so few full-backs being picked, positional versatility became a more decisive factor, and that’s where an opportune injury, from Disasi’s perspective, struck.

Monaco teammate Ruben Aguilar suffered a foot injury in late September. The right-back, who has one cap for France, was fighting to be fit again to feature for Monaco before the World Cup, but in the meantime, someone would have to deputise. Les Monégasques were fighting on two fronts. It was clear that, despite his enthusiasm to do so, Vanderson wouldn’t be able to play every minute at right-back between September and the World Cup in November. Djibril Sidibé had left in the summer, leaving no natural right-backs in the squad able to rotate with Vanderson, who was being asked to play Europa League football on Thursday and Ligue 1 football on Sunday for nearly two months. That’s where Disasi stepped up.

Although Philippe Clement sought to play down comparisons to Lilian Thuram, a player who played in central defence at club level, but as a full-back at international level, Disasi nonetheless boasts an undeniable versatility. The Belgian manager reiterated that Disasi is best at centre-back, but as he has shown for Monaco, and now France, he is more than capable of playing at right-back.

Whilst he doesn’t provide an overwhelming amount of attacking thrust, he has taken his accrued knowledge from playing at centre-back and reapplied it to his new role. Disasi is rarely caught out, his positioning is often impeccable and his distribution is measured, calm and although risk-averse, it is reliable. It is perhaps because of that, that Disasi’s notable progression has passed under the radar. He isn’t talked about as an elite Ligue 1 centre-back. In fact, Badiashile is often the recipient of major plaudits, but Disasi’s underlying numbers are phenomenal and evidence his indispensability to this Monaco team.

Click Here: Rodri Jersey Sale

No one in the top five major European competitions has played more minutes than Disasi this season (1350 minutes); he has made 33 interceptions, the fourth-highest total across the top five major European divisions; he has won 77.8% of his aerial duels, ranking him third in Ligue 1; and he has made 24 blocks, the fifth highest in the French top division.

His stats are backed up by a visual serenity on the pitch, and palpable maturity off it. No Monaco player fronts up to the media more than Disasi, and it doesn’t take long to see why. He is eloquent and level-headed, and bar a momentary lapse after Monaco’s defeat to Marseille in November, for which he later expressed remorse, he hasn’t put a foot wrong in this regard.

Disasi isn’t the most aggressive defender, unlike Badiashile who looks to press into the midfield, he likes to sit back and read the game, waiting for the play to evolve, and is attentive to any developing threats. His reading of the game serves him in an attacking sense as well. He already has two goals this season, as well as an impressive tally of four assists. Caio Henrique’s service into the box so far this season has been impeccable, and Disasi has more often than not got on the end of the first ball, either taking a shot himself or cushioning it for a teammate to hit home.

Increasingly confident and competent in defence as well as attack, Disasi is now beginning to attract admirers. He has already caught the eye of Deschamps, who had no qualms about giving him his international debut in the middle of a World Cup. This in itself gives insight into how Deschamps perceives him, based on a very limited impression.

But other clubs are now circling too. Paris Saint-Germain were said to be highly interested in the summer, whilst Tottenham Hotspur have also been linked with making a move for the France international. The player himself revealed on RMC’s Rothen S’enflamme that he would favour a move to the Premier League, stating that it would be his “championship of choice.” His presence on the biggest stage, even if his only start came in an inconsequential group stage loss to Tunisia, will likely do wonders for his profile.

However, any club must dispel any notion that he’ll come on the cheap. Monaco were reportedly demanding more than €50m for Badiashile last summer, and given that Disasi has arguably outshone his centre-back partner this season, it seems highly unlikely that the Principality club will accept anything less for their World Cup star. This may well be Disasi’s last season in Ligue 1, but it looks set to be his best, and Monaco will be hoping to make the most of his footballing and musical talents while they still can.

Luke Entwistle | GFFN