Niko Kovac: "We need to do more"

Despite match statistics that were in their favor (9 shots to 4 and 71% possession), AS Monaco failed to break down a visiting Lens side, losing 2-0. Niko Kovac’s men will now have to bounce back against Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday to hope to progress to the Champions League group stage. The Croatian coach spoke this evening at the post-match press conference to give his thoughts on this latest Ligue 1 Uber Eats match.

Niko Kovac : “It was our worst match of the season. We didn’t have a lot of chances. It reminds me of some from last season. We must not give up. It’s not been a good day for us. We have to get back to basics, to have the right state of mind, to have passion and to fight for each other. This is what was lacking today. To maintain the same level of performance as last season, we have to do even more because our opponents now have more of an idea about us. To be successful again, we will have to fight harder. In football, nothing is taken for granted. It’s necessary to work hard. It is not enough to show up and say that you are AS Monaco to win. We need to do more. If, on the other hand, we can get back to espousing these values, we will be a very good team again. We will do it by believing in ourselve; I’m sure it will come off.”