"He manages to rise above emotions": former AS Monaco coach Philippe Clement presents the Prince's club's goalkeeping coach, Frédéric De Boever

Philippe, how did you start collaborating with Frédéric?

When I arrived in Bruges, he was working at the youth academy and I didn't have a goalkeeping coach. Guy Martens, the coach I had at Genk, had stayed there for family reasons. He told me that Frédéric was one of the very good ones. I spoke with the Bruges management and we decided to try it for a year, to see if it could work. It was really good. He showed qualities to work with both experienced goalkeepers like Simon Mignolet and young players. Simon was happy with Frédéric, the young players too because he knows how to develop them.

Why didn't he follow you to Glasgow Rangers, where you signed four months after the end of your adventure at ASM?

The club, the president and the sporting director of Monaco were satisfied with his work and there was a difference in salary between ASM and Glasgow (laughs) . It's a different life here. At first, he was a little annoyed with me, but I told him that if it wasn't financially possible, I would understand.

Does he like to have a say in choosing the number 1 goalkeeper?

Yes, he's very committed, and that's what I expect from my assistant coaches. I want an opinion, including from my goalkeeping coach. Coach, you don't always do what your assistant coaches say. They need to have clear arguments to make you change your mind. Frédéric is a very rational person. He always came with objective arguments. We can always talk about subjective things, but when you come with data, statistics, or exercises, it's different.

You're still in touch. How did he experience last season at Monaco, where neither Philipp Köhn nor Radoslaw Majecki managed to take on the number 1 role?

He wants the best for everyone, all the goalkeepers, but a head coach has to make choices and you have to adapt. Sometimes we don't have the same opinion, but he always remains loyal to the coach. He wants to create an environment where everyone stays motivated and confident. And that's not easy when there's a battle between the goalkeepers without a clear number 1 emerging. It's harder to create a positive atmosphere, but he did it. He manages to rise above the emotions.

It relies heavily on data…

Yes. Before he arrived, things worked differently in Monaco, and the players had to adapt. He doesn't just think about technique. With him, the goalkeepers run more than with other coaches. They're physically fit. He thinks about aerobics. For him, every detail is important.

Where do you see his room for improvement?

Once he has an idea in mind, it's very, very difficult to make him change it. From time to time, he has to be more open to other things (smile) .