Denis Zakaria: "We must approach this match against Orléans with seriousness."
Keep going in the Coupe de France. A tense first round saw a win over Auxerre For the only match between two Ligue 1 clubs in the round of 64 (1-2), the Rouge et Blanc are playing away from home again, as they travel to face US Orléans, currently third in National 1, on Saturday afternoon (15:30). Progress will of course be the main goal for the Principality club, as Denis Zakaria expressed to the media pre-match. 🎙️
On the team’s recent results
We are AS Monaco, things need to be better, and we are aware that this is not enough. The whole team needs to do better, and we are working hard to change things, including our place in the table because we know we’re not where we should be. It’s never pleasant as a captain to be in this situation, but there’s a second half of the season in which to do better, and we have the desire to succeed.
(Regarding the incidents of the match against Lyon) We shouldn’t hide behind refereeing errors or things we can’t control, even though it’s true that they didn’t help us. We’re trying to work as hard as possible and be the best we can be in the areas we can control. It’s frustrating, but the team remains positive, and we know things can turn around.
On his current form
I feel good, I’m training well, and I’m trying to contribute as much as possible to the team. It’s been a complicated first half of the season with injuries and suspensions, but I’ve bounced back. As a professional, I know these things happen in football. I’m here now to help as much as I can and have a better second half of the season. I’m giving it my all; I don’t cut corners in training.
The work being done on a daily basis
We train together every day. The group gets along well, but we are inevitably unsatisfied with recent results. The desire is clearly there every day, my teammates aren’t slackers, everyone is working hard. That’s the most important thing because that’s the only way we can change things. We have this determination, we show it in training, and now it needs to be reflected in the results..
𝐀𝐮 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐢𝐥 pic.twitter.com/tEcCPuOvbD
— AS Monaco 🇲🇨 (@AS_Monaco) January 7, 2026
This Coupe de France match against Orléans
The Coupe de France is a competition we take as seriously as Ligue 1 or the Champions League. It’s important for us this season, and we’re going into it with the desire to win and go all the way. I know Orléans plays in National 1; they’re a good team if they’ve made it this far. For example, we faced Rouen two years ago and saw that it wasn’t easy against teams from a lower division. Therefore, we need to approach this match seriously, just like a Champions League game, and with the desire to advance to the round of 16.
The coach’s personality
He’s a very, very good coach. Many others would have already lost their heads with these results, but that’s not the case with him, and I’m quite surprised by that. He’s confident and very ambitious. He shows us that every day in training with his desire to always do well. He’s the coach we needed in a situation like this.
Injuries to the squad
When you look closer, there have been many injuries from contact and tackles that are beyond our control, and others that are muscle-related, but again, those are things we can’t manage. We’re certainly not going to let it become a source of anxiety; we’re just trying to be as professional as possible to avoid injuries and perform at our best.
However, we shouldn’t single out any one person because there’s been a lot of bad luck and this feeling that everything is going against us. I arrived in 2023, and we didn’t have this many injuries, even though the same people were here. So we can’t blame them when things were working well before.
