Lamine Camara: "It's up to us to play a great match in Marseille" | OneFootball

Performing well since his return to the pitch, the Monaco midfielder was at a press conference 48 hours before the trip to Marseille at the Vélodrome stadium (Sunday, 8:45pm).

He’s been getting stronger and stronger since his return to the pitch. Once again, he was monstrous in midfield during the victory over Galatasaray (1-0) and Lamine Camara will want to continue his momentum this Sunday against Olympique de Marseille (8:45 pm), for the 16th matchday of Ligue 1, in order to help AS Monaco leave with all three points. This is certainly the mindset with which the midfielder appeared at the press conference. 🎙️

His feelings after his injury

I’m making a good comeback thanks to the staff who helped me during this time. We worked hard, and I’m happy to be back and able to help the team. I hope I can keep this momentum going!

Lamine has been very impressive since his return from injury; I'm very happy with him, especially since he's so ambitious. Players like him inspire me to push myself every day to help them, and I predict a bright future for him!

Sébastien PocognoliOn the return of Lamine Camara

The match against Olympique de Marseille

I would say that OM is a collective force. Mason Greenwood is a top player who can’t be given any leeway because he’s been performing well in the league, but I’m focusing more on the team. We’ve studied them, we’ve seen how they play, how they operate, so it’s up to us to put in a great performance.

The atmosphere at the Stade Vélodrome

We’re used to playing in all types of stadiums, so I don’t think it’ll be a problem. We have experienced players and we know it’s a big match ahead of us at the Stade Vélodrome, as it was last season (2-1). The most important thing is to focus on the pitch; we will take this match very seriously.

Denis is a player I admire greatly, and I love playing with him, so I hope he'll stay by my side for a long time! He brings me serenity, confidence, and his experience. When I start to get frustrated or cross the line, he's always there to help me refocus on the game

Lamine CamaraOn playing with Denis Zakaria

His partnership with Denis Zakaria

Zak’ and I have been playing together for two years now. I feel really good alongside him, but things are going well with the others too. Like Jordan (Teze) who played next to in midfielde against Paris Saint-Germain (1-0), but also Madou’ (Mamadou Coulibaly) who has been playing some very good matches.

Denis is a player I admire greatly, and I love playing with him, so I hope he’ll stay by my side for a long time! He brings me serenity, confidence, and his experience. When I start to get frustrated or cross the line, he’s always there to help me refocus on the game. If he leaves, I know I have to stay to cover, and if it’s my turn, he knows. We understand each other perfectly!

I'm convinced he can still make great strides this season, especially with the ball at his feet and his presence in the box. He has the qualities to score goals and provide more assists. So we're going to try to use him, not just off the ball, but also with it.

Sébastien PocognoliOn the role of Lamine Camara

Areas for improvement?

It all comes back to my personality. Sometimes I can be all over the place, and when the coach asks me to press, I do what he says. But yes, what I need to correct is that I sometimes get angry too easily on the pitch. I’m going to keep working on that!

The contributions of Paul Pogba

Paul, everyone saw how important he is in the locker room! He’s very humble and truly a key figure in the team. His attitude every day made me think, “Wow, that’s the Pogba I’ve seen on TV.” He’s always there for us, especially us younger players! We’re going to learn a lot and improve by his side. During the last match against Galatasaray, as soon as we scored, he called me over. He said, “Lamine, you need to control the game with Denis, keep pressing, keep possession of the ball.” He’s always there, and I hope it continues like this.

His role in Sébastien Pocognoli‘s system

I respect the coach’s instructions; if he asks me to go beyond my usual role, I do it. When he needs to push the team forward or asks me to take set pieces, I’m there to help. I enjoy shooting from distance and scoring goals, and the coach gives me that freedom and especially asks me to cover when our attacking midfielders are tired. As you said, I win back a lot of balls, but now I just need to capitalize and provide assists, or even finish off attacks myself.

I was happy because France is a great nation, with great players. It's going to be a great match, but for now, the World Cup is a long way off. To be at the World Cup, you first have to perform well at club level. With Maghnes? Yes, we talk about it all the time. Last time, I gave him a little shove in training, I told him, "Get ready for this," so he'll start to get scared (smiles).

The World Cup draw

I was happy because France is a great footballing nation, with great players! It’s going to be a great match, but for now, the World Cup is still a long way off. To be at the World Cup, you first have to perform well at club level, so I want to focus on AS Monaco. With Maghnes (Akliouche)? Yes, we talk about it all the time. Last time, I gave him a little smack in training, I told him, “Get ready for this,” so he’ll start to get scared (smiles).

Regarding the Africa Cup of Nations

Frankly, I haven’t set any goals because the AFCON hasn’t started yet. Besides, the squad list hasn’t been released yet (it will be official this Saturday, December 13th). The favorites? Senegal is among them, along with DR Congo, Morocco, Algeria, and other teams—we’re not going to hide it. But I’ll start thinking about it after the match against Marseille. We have to take Sunday’s game very seriously because we know it’s very important for us!