Claudio Ranieri has said his Monaco side must toughen up if it is to challenge for the Ligue 1 title this season, after his team lost its second straight game, 2-0, at Lille onSaturday. The club, which is bankrolled by Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev, spent more than $200 million on new players over the summer. Ranieri lamented his squad’s lackof familiarity with the league’s physical demands.
“What we need to correct is our mentality,” Ranieri said ahead of Friday’s home clash with Evian Thonon Gaillard. The loss droppedMonaco to third place in Ligue 1, three days after the principality club conceded its first defeat of the season in a League Cup match at Stade Reims.
“Our opponents have been moreaggressive. We will have to be more aggressive,” Ranieri said. “This happened because many of our players are just discovering Ligue 1, and they need time to adjust to the way they can respond [to theleague’s physical nature]. [Joao] Moutinho, for instance, has been suffering against aggressive opponents. He needs to adjust and understand how we play in France.”