All clean sheets (7) recorded by Strasbourg this season have been recorded when playing. Undisputed holder, defender Alexander Djiku (26) is having an interesting season despite the sawtooth results of his team. Nicknamed “Van Djiku” on social networks in reference to the Liverpool player, the former Bastiais confided in Goal before facing Angers this Sunday (3 p.m.), as part of the 26th day of Ligue 1.
After five matches without a win, you have found success in Metz (2-1). Was the work week more pleasant than the previous ones?
Alexander Djiku: Of course , especially since it was 13 years since Strasbourg had not won the derby. It’s more than a victory, the supporters were delighted. When we returned to Strasbourg, there were about twenty of them welcoming us to the Stade de la Meinau despite the curfew. They had brought out the smoke, it was nice.
Do you feel able to go on Sunday against Angers?
We must continue because behind the teams win. Last weekend, all the bottom teams took points, the championship tightens. We had started well in 2021 with four games without defeat including three victories. I hope that we can do another series to put us back in the standings and make us shiver less until the end.
It is all the more important that you will face Lille, Monaco and Rennes behind. That heavy …
Exactly, we must not lose points on the way, especially at home where this season we are a little in difficulty unlike previous seasons [12 matches: 3 wins, 3 draws and 6 losses]. We will be keen to win Sunday against Angers.
How do you explain these difficulties at home? Does the absence of supporters weigh on your team?
We’re not going to lie to each other, it’s playing a little bit. Not at the physical level, because we know the stadium, we know the terrain, but mentally. The supporters gave us the strength to surpass ourselves, especially in difficult times. At the end of the match against Brest for example, I think that with the public we would not have missed the victory.
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<h3><strong><span>Did you expect to experience such a season in terms of results?</span></strong></h3>
<p><span>Honestly no, we did not expect that. Last season, we still finished tenth. We started with a good goal and the idea of aiming for the top ten places, but there were a lot of circumstances with the Covid. We lost a lot of points at the start of the season too, we had to catch them up and we’ve been doing pretty well over the last two months.</span></p>
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Recently you were nicknamed “Van Djiku” on social networks in reference to the Liverpool defender. What do you think ?
I saw this on social networks, it made me laugh a lot. Now you have to know if I am called like that in relation to my last name or my performance? At the moment, it can be my performances, it’s okay (smile). I also learned that a commentator had used it during a match, which is positive. Van Dijk is the best among central defenders, he has exploded in three to four seasons at the international level, so being compared to him is necessarily rewarding.
“I like Varane’s serenity and his reminders. He always tries to be clean, he’s really an example ”
I understand that Raphaël Varane also inspires you a lot. What do you like most about him?
I like his serenity, his reminders. He always tries to be clean and that’s why I like to watch him very often. Today he has become a mainstay of Real Madrid along with Sergio Ramos. He is also a pillar of the French team and he is truly an example.
You have in common the sense of anticipation since you are the L1 player who makes the most interceptions in the area this season (source Opta). What do you think of this statistic?
Frankly, I’m glad to have statistics like this. Before I didn’t focus on stats at all, but today I do. I like to observe what the opponent is going to do, to anticipate his actions. I take inspiration from the attacker’s gaze to anticipate the pass as well. In fact, I watch a lot of videos about the opponents I’m going to face on the weekend and find that helps me a lot. I watch the actions of their last two or three games to get a feel for their game.
Of course, I watched Loïs Diony videos because I know Stéphane Bahoken will not play. I looked at the sides too, with Capelle, El Melali or Cabot. Each time I know more or less the facilities of my opponents, I know their preferential sequences even if nothing replaces the ground. It’s a job that I impose on myself with the Wyscout application. I can watch the matches and study them. It’s part of my pre-game ritual.
In October, you joined the Ghanaian selection. How did you feel when wearing this swimsuit?
It was a great pride for me. The international experience is not nothing, it brings me a lot of things. We still have two matches in March to qualify for the CAN. I can’t wait to go back and win these two matches to qualify.
Have you been playing for Ghana for a long time?
Yes, I was called four-five years ago, but I had not yet found stability in a club. I first wanted to become an executive somewhere before joining the selection. We had to wait for the right moment, I was reaching maturity and it was time to go. Playing an CAN would be really nice, but first you have to qualify. Then we will think about qualifying for the World Cup. It would be a dream to play in a World Cup too, I hope we will do what is necessary to go there.
Source: Benjamin Quarez| Goal|
