02-05-2025
Michel Der Zakarian confirms SM Caen departure
Months after being sacked by Montpellier HSC, Michel Der Zakarian will once again be out of a coaching job in the coming weeks.
The 62-year-old was appointed manager of SM Caen in February, with the goal of trying to dig them out a deep hole in Ligue 2 and help them avoid relegation. That did not happen with the club from Normandy, already assured of going down into Championnat National with a mere 21 points from 31 matches.
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Der Zakarian said that he may not have resigned if not for their relegation.
'I might have been tempted to continue, but in Ligue 2,' he said.
The former FC Nantes, Stade de Reims, and Montpellier boss has only won one of his nine Ligue 2 matches in charge of Les Vikings, suffering a humiliating 4-0 defeat last Saturday at soon-to-be-promoted FC Lorient.
Caen, owned by French captain Kylian Mbappé (26) have two more matches in Ligue 2 this season, but even if they win them both they will still finish at the bottom of the table.
Before coming to Caen, Der Zakarian was in charge of Montpellier but was sacked following a 5-0 defeat in Ligue 1 to Olympique de Marseille. Montpellier are also guaranteed to finish dead last in Ligue 1 this season.
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When asked if he might retire from coaching after a rough campaign, Der Zakarian responded,
'Personally, I don't want to finish on two consecutive failures in one season. Even though I consider that Montpellier is not necessarily a failure on my part, because there have been things that have not been correct. I'm always hungry for football.'
This season, Caen have conceded 55 goals, five more than the next closest team in Ligue 2.
Friday will be his last opportunity to claim a domestic home triumph as their manager with Caen hosting SC Bastia in Normandy at Stade Michel-d'Ornano.
GFFN | Joel Lefevre
