Wissam Ben Yedder had a goal and an assist as AS Monaco beat fellow European aspirants Olympique Lyonnais 2-0 on Saturday. Is his place in the side now guaranteed?
Ben Yedder was subject to some rotation under previous Monaco coach Niko Kovac, starting 13 of a possible 19 Ligue 1 Ubert Eats games before the Croatian was replaced in the Stade Louis II dugout by Philippe Clement.
The France forward has now struck six times since the new coach came in, as well as contributing two assists, but Clement, whilst effusive in his praise for Ben Yedder, says he needs to keep performing in order to play.
"I don't want to talk about my colleagues," Clement replied when pressed on the difference between Kovac's Monaco and his. "We all have different ideas.
"Wissam shows up. He doesn't just score. There is also all the work he does for the team. He works hard when we're out of possession and is always available to pick up a pass. However, for me, there's no such thing as a guaranteed starter - it depends on performances in training."
Monaco take on Amiens SC in the Coupe de France on Tuesday before returning their attention to league duty at home to FC Lorient next Sunday. Europe is the club's stated goal, and Clement was relieved to halt Lyon's three-game winning run.
"You can imagine I'm very satisfied after this victory against Lyon, a direct competitor," he said. "It's a well-deserved win. We're progressing with every game. It wasn't the perfect match, but we see more and more beautiful things every week."
