Eric Dier reacts to the loss to Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu
They were powerless against the Madrid steamroller. Pegged back very early in the match, the AS Monaco players ultimately succumbed to a heavy defeat against Real Madrid on Matchday 7 of the Champions League (6-1). It was obviously a disappointment, and one that Eric Dier sought to analyze in the mixed zone post-match. 🎙️
Good evening, Eric. What happened tonight?
It’s difficult to explain right after the match, but it simply wasn’t a good performance from us. We’re obviously very disappointed, and there’s not much else to say. We just need to try to understand what went wrong, especially since when you lose by that score, it means a lot of things didn’t work. We now need to process this and move forward. I’m obviously very disappointed in myself, but everyone needs to do some self-reflection; that’s the most important thing.
Were you surprised by the level of your opponent?
We weren’t surprised by the quality of this Real Madrid team; everyone knows them and was aware of their capabilities. We had a few chances in the first half, which was quite open. Unfortunately, we left ourselves too exposed after halftime, and we conceded goals due to silly mistakes. Their counter-attacks really hurt us.
How can you defend against a player like Kylian Mbappé?
In my opinion, football isn’t an individual sport; it’s always about collective play, and it’s often characterized by mistakes. Even if you’re a very good team, you’re bound to make mistakes, and when you’re struggling, you’re even more vulnerable. We now need to show a different attitude, both individually and collectively. But the best news is that we have another match in four days.
How can we explain the team’s performance?
It’s sometimes difficult, when you’re on the inside, to find rational explanations for what’s happening, especially since we’re currently going through a difficult period. When everything is going well, it’s easy to make the right choices and show character. But we need to show that character precisely in these kinds of situations.
Was the challenge too great tonight against Real Madrid?
No, I don’t think so. It’s never too great a challenge, and we’ve shown in the past that we can perform well against very strong teams. But our performance was simply not good enough today. We need to learn from these kinds of matches as a team.
Fin du match.
90' I 6️⃣-1️⃣ #RMAASM pic.twitter.com/z5GBB0DlJk
— AS Monaco 🇲🇨 (@AS_Monaco) January 20, 2026
What do you need to change to reverse the trend against Juventus?
When you lose 6-1, you obviously have to change a lot of things. We need to be better in every aspect of the game. How do we bounce back? The advantage is that we have another match in a few days against Le Havre in the league to show a different side of ourselves. Again, when everything is going well, it’s very easy to have the right attitude, show personality, and demonstrate character, but it’s precisely in these difficult moments that it seems the hardest. But we have to face this challenge.
