MHSC – Auxerre: “We went and won it with a lot of heart and talent too”, said a satisfied Michel Der Zakarian

Michel Der Zakarian heureux de la prestation de ses joueurs. Midi Libre – Alexandre Dimou

Le coach montpelliérain s'est réjoui des valeurs qu'a montré son équipe pour battre Auxerre (3-2), dimanche 22 septembre.

Michel Der Zakarian (entraîneur de Montpellier) :“We went to snatch it with a lot of heart and talent too at times. I think we had trouble starting the match, we were tense, we had trouble letting go. Unfortunately, we conceded this goal once again at the start, which put us in even more difficulty, because they had other situations behind. Fortunately Dim (Bertaud) made some saves too, it's a good thing for us.

After the second half, even at the end of the first half, there were set pieces, situations that we didn't finish. But little by little, we got back into the game and the second half, I think it was very good. We put in a lot of intensity, we put in accuracy and that allowed us to score three nice goals.

The players had to let loose even more, to play because we also have qualities to show. And they did it well in the second half. It was more accurate in the passes, faster, there was much more intensity than in the first half.

There is always a latency period, there is always a moment of loss of concentration after a goal. On their second, we relax and on the cross, I don't know if they are talking to each other well, Dimitri (Bertaud) and Modibo (Sagnan), he has to move forward and these are mistakes. But we were able to raise our heads and score the third.

It's our role to make choices, that's all. Afterwards, it's the players who show the answer. I always expect when I put someone on the field, that he brings his qualities, that he puts in what it takes to bring something positive to the team and be effective.

That's the lot of our job. When you're a coach of a team and you can't win matches, the press always gets involved. We want the coach to leave, for there to be change. Whether in France or abroad, it's the same.

Issoufou got injured because I think that unfortunately, he is a kid who tensed up. He makes a lot of efforts and sprints that he repeats in training. He tensed up knowing that he was going to start the match. It's a shame for him. Becir went off because he had cramps. Since the Saturday of the match before Rennes, he hasn't trained. He also had the heart to play the match with us and for us to win it.

Rabby Nzingoula was good. He won a lot of balls. I think that technically, he has the ability to do even better in his choices. He lost a few balls too, where he could have done better. He has a big heart, he is dynamic, he repeats the efforts. That is what we expect from players, from all players. Each with their quality.

I am very happy for Akor Adams. He is also criticized a lot, everyone denigrates him. He does everything he wants to do. Sometimes, he misses things, but he is also good. He has been scoring a lot of training goals for two weeks, he is dedicated. He is rewarded today.

Dimitry Bertaud, it is my choice, quite simply. I felt that we had conceded a lot of goals and that something needed to happen so that we would stop conceding goals. Even if we conceded two tonight. He had a good end to the season with us. That's why I put. I had already hesitated last weekend."

Christophe Pelissier (Auxerre coach) : "There is a lot of anger. It is frustrating because we are leading at half-time. It has been three games where we have conceded three goals. It is impossible to win in Ligue 1 when you concede three goals on average. There must be an individual reassessment.

We must be better in the aerial game. We are beaten in the athletic dimension. We must rectify that with more will and determination. We are falling back too much when we have control. We must play. We want to manage a result when we do not know how to do it. It's infuriating, especially since we're putting Montpellier in conditions that they appreciate, like on their third goal.

When you go on a four-game losing streak, you know you're at the bottom. There's no point looking at the standings. My priority is to know how to play a match without conceding three goals. The problem is our defense. The quality of the players needs to improve. We need to get to the same level as Ligue 1. We're not there defensively. We need to be more solid, more aggressive and focused. Every time the opponent crosses, a player comes running and scores.

We have to make these players progress. The injuries of Jubal (44th) and Traoré (46th) hurt us but we have to be able to compensate for these absences.

We are well positioned in the first half. In the second half, the match turns on a set piece, or even two set pieces. We have to be stronger than that in the defensive sector."