Thierry Henry loses first game as Monaco boss and has man sent-off against Strasbourg

THIERRY HENRY endured a miserable first match in charge of Monaco as his side slumped to a 2-1 defeat at Strasbourg which drops them to second from bottom of the Ligue 1 table.

Henry spoke of his desire to restore belief in a side that has now won just once in 10 domestic starts this season, but goals from Adrien Thomasson and Lebo Mothiba shattered his high-profile return.

Thierry Henry was in pensive mood ahead of his big night taking his first game for Monaco

Strasbourg made it a horror debut for Thierry Henry as Monaco boss

Monaco were forced to battle for the last 24 minutes with 10 man after the sending-off of Samuel Grandsir and Youri Tielemans scored an injury-time consolation from the penalty spot.

Henry sought to make an immediate impression with four changes for the trip to the Stade de la Meinau and they made most of the early running against their mid-table opponents.

Stevan Jovetic fired a dangerous free-kick which was well saved by Strasbourg goalkeeper Matz Sels in the 16th minute, but Monaco’s fragile confidence would take a blow moments later.

A swift Strasbourg counter-attack ended in Thomasson placing a weak header through the hands of the returning Seydou Sy, who should have done better with the effort.

Thierry Henry is back at Monaco – the club where it all started for the legendary footballer

Thierry Henry has a bog job on his hands to drag Monaco away from the relegation zone in Ligue 1

Monaco captain Radamel Falcao had an effort ruled out for offside shortly before he was forced off injured, but the visitors still showed plenty of intent, with Moussa Sylla bringing another good save out of Sels.

Henry will have had few harsh words at the break after a promising first-half display, which concluded with Alexandr Golovkin just failing to connect with a Jovetic cross in front of goal.

Strasbourg were clearly clinging on to their lead and the Monaco pressure continued early in the second period, with Kamil Glik coming close before substitute Grandsir was dismissed for a high tackle on Anthony Goncalves.

Grandsir’s red card changed the momentum of the game and Strasbourg effectively sealed victory on the counter attack six minutes from time, when Mothiba chipped Sy for his sixth goal of the season.

The first goal of Henry’s reign arrived deep into injury time with Tielemans’ spot-kick, but it will have come as scant consolation for the Arsenal great who now knows the size of his task.

Henry has signed a three-year contract with Monaco and will be joined by Arsenal coach Patrick Kwame Ampadu, dad of Chelsea ace Ethan, as part of his backroom staff.

Speaking about the appointment, Henry said: “In the first place, I thank AS Monaco for giving me the opportunity to coach the team of this club which is so special to me.

“I am very happy to come back to AS Monaco and extremely determined to meet the challenges ahead.

“I can not wait to meet the players to start working together.”

The 40-year-old started his professional career at Monaco where he made over 100 appearances before moving to Juventus.

After an unsettled time in Italy, Henry was transferred to Arsenal for around £11million to re-unite with former manager Arsene Wenger.

The striker spent eight years with the Gunners scoring 174 goals in 254 appearances – and held the record for the most goals scored for one club (until it was beaten by Wayne Rooney in 2016).

After securing his status as a “legend” at Arsenal, Henry moved to Barcelona in the summer 2007 where he won two La Liga titles amongst numerous other trophies.

Henry finished his career at New York Bulls – with a short loan back to Arsenal – before retiring in 2014.