Steve Mounié has been reflecting on yesterday's miserable trip to Leicester which saw Huddersfield Town emphatically suffer defeat in their first Premier League game of 2018.
Despite it being 0–0 at half-time, Claude Puel’s Leicester City came out strong in the second half and goals from Riyad Mahrez, Islam Slimani and Marc Albrighton meant the Terriers were leaving the King Power Stadium with nothing.
David Wagner has a very strong rotation policy, and so, after being on the bench against Burnley at the weekend, Mounié replaced Laurent Depoitre in the starting XI.
It was “tough”, but the West Yorkshire side will “keep going”
Mounié was asked how tough the match was in terms of fitness, due to the short turnaround of matches:
“We were prepared for this game because there was some rotation in the gym, so I think we had fresh legs, and everyone was well prepared for this game.”
It was a tough game. The first half we did it well, we had chances to score, but unfortunately, we didn’t. In the second half, it’s a great team in front of us."
He then went on to admit that Leicester "played very well today, and when we did some little mistake, we paid for this, so it is very disappointing about the result, but we keep going.”
Huddersfield made “mistakes”
The interviewer commented that in the first half, Huddersfield were the team on top and that it took a very good strike to separate the two teams:
“We needed this goal to change the game. Goals change the game.”
When you don’t score the other team take more confidence, especially when they are at home, so, we tried to keep the score, but some mistakes made us lose this game.”
When asked how much harder it was when they were 1-0 down, the Benin international responded:
“When you are 1 nil down you try to score a goal, to be back in the game, and Leicester love it because they take you in the counter-attack and it’s very hard because they have very good players, like Mahrez and Slimani.”
Mounié praised the Foxes unplayable tactics on the day:
"They counter-attack very well, and they did it. It was not easy, and the next game in the Premier League, we will try to win this one.”
The Terriers have two strikers who can “perform each week”
When the 23-year-old was asked how he assessed his own performance:
“I won some high aerial duels, but unfortunately I didn’t score. I think the performance, as a team, was good in the first half, and a little bit less in the second, but I keep working, and we will see in the future what happens.”
The interviewer commented about the competition for the starting shirt:
“There is not really a competition between me and Lolo [Laurent Depoitre]."
Mounié said he's aware that there are two possible choices for the striker role, and the decision who will start is down to Wagner:
"He will play the one who has got the fresh legs at the moment and I think it is good for the team to have two strikers who can perform each week.”
Mounié is “proud” of the fans
On the travelling supporters of Town, who remained signing until the end of the game despite the result:
“They are always fantastic, the travelling supporters. They are always there for us, and I’m very proud of them.”
I’m proud to have this kind of fan in Huddersfield, because they are great.”