Four must-watch fixtures in Europe this weekend

#4 Strasbourg vs AS Monaco

Henry begins his first steps as a manager at AS Monaco

A fixture in French Ligue 1 which normally wouldn’t normally make waves, owing to the relatively minor pedigree of both clubs as compared to the bigger heavyweights in European football.

This fixture however takes extra significance owing to the fact that it marks the managerial bow of France, Arsenal and Barcelona legendary striker Thierry Henry as the 41-year-old takes his first step to being a full fledged first team coach having acted as assistant to Roberto Marinez in the Belgium national team for the last year.

Henry is widely considered as one of the greatest strikers in history, and rightly so, as he scored a plethora of goals during his illustrious playing career which saw him win all trophies in football across his spells with some of the biggest clubs.

AS Monaco have reached new heights in recent years under the astute coaching of Leonardo Jardim, with the Brazilian leading the principality club to an unlikely Ligue 1 triumph in 2017 at the expense of money bags PSG, as well as a semi-final run in the UCL of the same season, helping youngsters such as Kylian Mbappe, Benjamin Mendy and Fabinho go on to achieve superstardom.

However, they have derailed in recent seasons, and currently find themselves languishing in 18th place in Ligue 1, just goal difference away from the relegation places having picked up just six points from a possible 27.

The club has turned to Henry to bring them out of the doldrums, as he returns to the club where he began his professional career.

Henry had the privilege of playing under some of the greatest managers in history, including Fabio Capello, Pep Guardiola and Arsene Wenger, and he has cited the latter two of having a profound impact on his career, helping him appreciate the more tactical side of the game, which is knowledge he will bring to the fore as he attempts to rebuild this Monaco side.

Must watch scale 5/10