PROFILE | Denis Zakaria – Monaco’s Swiss army knife proves the missing piece of the puzzle | OneFootball

The question of leadership on the pitch has been a point of contention in recent years at AS Monaco, and given the youthfulness of the club’s squad and the strategy implemented, it is one that is arguably more pertinent than elsewhere.

Wissam Ben Yedder wore the armband for many years before departing at the end of his contract in the summer, however, he was never a vocal leader. Often described as a “technical leader” internally, his position as captain felt like a default, given his importance to the squad as the scorer of the lion’s share of the goals.

A new leader

His leadership qualities were, however, called into question and Monaco’s capitulation towards the end of the 2022/23 season, during which the club missed out on all forms of European football, has been attributed to a lack of leaders in the dressing room.

That need for leaders was addressed in the summer of 2023. As revealed by now-former manager Philippe Clement, he wished to sign Denis Zakaria himself, but to no avail. He did come just months later and just weeks after Clement’s departure. Whilst he did not wear the armband, at least during his first season, he was that vocal leader, that steady head that this youthful Monaco side needed on the pitch.

The Swiss leadership qualities are vaunted by his teammates. “Denis is a good leader. He brings unity to the team,” began Mohammed Salisu. “As captain, he knows when to talk with the young players, and knows when to put more pressure on them. This is my first time in such a dressing room; there is such great unity.”

For many, the captain’s armband is something of a hollow symbol – if there are leaders in the dressing room and they are empowered to lead, that is enough. Zakaria did that in his first season at Monaco as the club secured a second-place finish, guiding them back into the Champions League.

A career revived after Chelsea stint

When Ben Yedder departed, there was a clear candidate to inherit the armband, even despite the arrival of Thilo Kehrer in the summer, a player with similar leadership qualities and of a similar age. “It is a big deal to be named captain. It’s not every day and it is a privilege. I’ll be speaking more, helping my teammates but these are things that I did without the armband as well,” said Zakaria upon his appointment as captain, just one year after joining the club.

For Monaco, Zakaria has been the missing piece. The talent has been there but there was a balance that was previously missing. There were experienced players, granted, but neither Ben Yedder, nor the likes of Guillermo Maripán or Kevin Volland, all of whom have since left the club could be considered guiding figures or leaders in the dressing room, even if they all played big roles in the club’s success over the years.

But Zakaria’s arrival has also been highly beneficial to the player in question. He struggled to get a look in during a chaotic loan spell at Chelsea before returning to Juventus, where he had no future. Entering his prime years, he was looking to get his career back on track.

“My career revived? Certainly. It is never easy to have a season where you play so little. To have a season where I’ve played in almost all of the matches, it has done me a lot of good mentally and especially physically,” said Zakaria towards the end of last season.

Zakaria’s absence felt

It was a season in which he rediscovered his rhythm. Whether it be as a centre-back in a back-three or in his more familiar midfield pivot, he stood out for his languid style and ability to burst through the lines with seeming ease and proving a valuable asset in allowing Monaco to beat the press. “Couteau suisse” – Swiss army knife in English, is the term used to describe a versatile player in French – it is a term that suits Zakaria in more ways than one.

He completed the second highest percentage of take-ons in Ligue 1 last season, the ninth most across Europe’s top five divisions, and also ranked inside the top 10 in Ligue 1 for pass completion. Those are generally good markers of the ability of a sentinelle and Zakaria ranks highly.

He has become so important both in and out of possession and his absence is very often felt. With Zakaria this season, Les Monégasques have won 66% of their games in all competitions, that goes down to 44% when they are without him and to just 33% in Ligue 1 (two wins out of six).

A healthy binome

Soungoutou Magassa is an able deputy, albeit an inconsistent one, owing to his age, but in certain encounters, it is also notable that Lamine Camara has looked less at ease with his captain at his side. Camara has, generally speaking, performed excellently since making the move, mitigating the departure of Youssouf Fofana, and that can be attributed to Zakaria’s calming presence and ability to guide the Senegalese midfielder, who is in his debut season at the highest level. A captain makes others around him look better and Zakaria certainly does that.

In many ways, he is the conduit of Adi Hütter’s ideas. Having worked with the Austrian at three different clubs, at Young Boys, Borussia Mönchengladbach, and now Monaco, the pair share a special and close relationship. Such a relationship between the captain and the manager, far from a given in the world of football, does allow for the healthy functioning of a club, fosters unity, and allows for the clear transmission of ideas, meaning that they are better implemented on the pitch.

It has shown in results with Hütter currently holding the record win percentage for a Monaco manager. A complementary binome, Zakaria and Hütter have been the protagonists of the Principality club’s return to the forefront of European football. Monaco are known for making careers, but the example of Zakaria shows that the club is in the business of reviving them too.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle