Reactions 14 February 2021, 16:57

Niko Kovac: "We still need to learn"

Disappointed with the result even if satisfied to have saved a point come the end of a draw (2-2), the coach of the Rouge et Blanc reflected on the match against FC Lorient, a side of which he had been wary of before the meeting.

AS Monaco remain undefeated in 2021. At the end of a very tough match against FC Lorient, who had gone ahead twice, the Rouge et Blanc of Niko Kovac dug deep to earn a draw and a point (2-2). It was a result obtained thanks to a double from Wissam Ben Yedder, who was again decisive, and one which went some way towards reduce the feelings of frustration on the part of the Monegasque coach.

I told the players to be careful, Lorient are on a good run with ten points from the last twelve and a win against Paris. Ligue 1 is not an easy league, you have to stay 100% focused from the first to the last minute.

Niko Kovac Manager, AS Monaco

Hello Niko. Today, can we say that it is one point more gained, rather than two points dropped?

Yeah, I agree, we scored that second goal in added time. We didn’t play the same way as we have recently. All in all, a point is better than none at all.

Why did the team not manage to play as usual?

Lorient played very well, as they have during their last few matches. Their last few games have shown that they are on the right track now. My team did not show the same quality it has lately. Lorient played very well, scoring on their only two chances.

Was the team a little too disjointed?

It’s difficult to come up with the answer to a question like this right after the match. I told the players to be careful, Lorient are on a good run with ten points from the last twelve and a win against Paris. Ligue 1 is not an easy league, you have to stay 100% focused from the first to the last minute. And too, while the schedule is no excuse, it’s never easy to play at 1 p.m. After seven straight league wins, this streak had to end someday. Despite everything, I wanted to congratulate my players for the determination they showed in the last minutes of the match.

We have some matches that are more difficult than others. You have to fight until the end. This can be an important point when we review things at the end of the season to see if we've achieved our goals. This draw is proof that we are a team that needs to learn, that is still young.

Niko Kovac Manager, AS Monaco

Was it important for you to leave Wissam Ben Yedder on until the end?

Yes, we did everything to equalize today. We only had two attackers on the bench, we didn’t have as many opportunities to make attacking changes as usual. Like I said before, I’m happy for him. He showed again why he is a great player. He’s scored two goals, we are happy for him and for the team.

Perhaps this will be an important point at the end of the season?

Yes that’s for sure. We have some matches that are more difficult than others. You have to fight until the end. This can be an important point when we review things at the end of the season to see if we’ve achieved our goals. This draw is proof that we are a team that needs to learn, that is still young.

AS Monaco concede very few shots but concede a lot of goals. Is that your feeling?

When I look at the goals, I tell myself that there is not much we can do. These are small mistakes and it leaves me a little surprised that our opponent scored with just these two shots. We must continue to work together to prevent this from happening again.