Laurent Nicollin, the president of Montpellier, decided to part ways with his coach Michel Der Zakarian after the heavy defeat against OM this Sunday, at the end of the eighth day of Ligue 1 (0-5). Without specifying who will take over in the coming days.
Montpellier in the midst of a crisis. President Laurent Nicollin decided to react quickly after the slap received against OM this Sunday, at the end of the eighth day of Ligue 1 (0-5). A few minutes after the final whistle, the boss of the Hérault club announced on DAZN the ousting of his coach Michel Der Zakarian. “I told him that it was stopping tonight and I went to see the players to tell them that thanks to their work, they had blown up a coach,” said Nicollin.
The 51-year-old leader then appeared at a press conference to confirm the news. “Just to tell you that I have terminated Michel De Zakarian’s contract. He is no longer the coach of Montpellier,” explained Nicollin. “Given the performance and the attitude that I saw this evening, I felt obliged to intervene and stop our collaboration. It is not out of joy, because he is someone that I appreciates it enormously. But in life, it’s the club above all.”
No successor named yet
“There is nothing planned for the future at the moment. Nothing was anticipated,” clarified the president of the MHSC. “I’m ashamed to have taken 5-0 against OM, for my club and my supporters. I told my players this evening, they blew up the coach. It’s up to everyone to realize that if we don’t do anything, we go straight ahead. I hope we will have a different state of mind on Sunday against Toulouse, I don’t know, it won’t be me. something. That’s what I feel, I hope I’m not wrong. It’s never easy, especially when you like people. But that’s the life of football, when there is. no results, it’s easier to change a coach than twenty-five players.”
Aged 61, Michel Der Zakarian had been in office since February 2023, after having already coached Montpellier between May 2017 and May 2021. After a very difficult start to the season, the Hérault club now occupies last place in the ranking after its heavy defeat against Marseille. With six defeats in eight days, the worst defense in L1 (twenty-six goals conceded) and only four points on the clock.
