Dwelling isn’t an option for Ajorque

Ludovic Ajorque appeared tired but focused less than 24 hours after FSV's bitter Bundesliga opening defeat at Union Berlin. The French attacker had anything but a perfect opening day with Mainz in the capital, where of all people our reliable goal-getter in the second half of last term missed two penalties and hit the crossbar with a header – a difficult start to the 2023/24 season, but possibly also the wake-up call they needed, hoped the 29-year-old.

Redemption in Rhine-Main derby

Ajorque revealed that he always sleeps badly after matches “regardless of the result or the way the game went.” He went on to confirm that it was no different on Sunday night, with moments from the game flashing to mind. “I think it’s normal to be in the doldrums after missing two penalties for the first time in your life. But the defeat was much worse for us as a team.” However, he sees quibbling over or dwelling on what happened to be the worse of two possible choices:  “It’s part and parcel of playing football. You’ve just got to deal with it. I could let it hang over me all week long, or I could just chalk it down as a negative experience, so I can prepare for the next game, where I want to perform to the best of my ability. I definitely prefer the second option and am looking forward with a positive mindset,” said the striker, who arrived in January this year. “The season’s kicked off and the upside is that, every weekend, we have the chance to play better and be successful,” remarked the Frenchman. The Rhine-Main derby against Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday afternoon (15:30 CEST) has been in the back of his mind for a while now. 

“I could let it hang over me all week long, or I could just chalk it down as a negative experience, so I can prepare for the next game”

Nevertheless, coming to terms with what happened during the match at the Alte Försterei was the first order of business the day after returning from the capital. The Zerofivers started poorly into the match, conceding twice within the opening ten minutes. “Going behind after a minute is always tricky. It was a little bit of a shock. Then the second goal came shortly after that, so we were always chasing the game. We know what the problem was,” said Ajorque, going on to mention that this wasn’t least emphasised by the team’s performance after half-time: “We were more aggressive. We started better, pressed better and were stronger in the tackles. Not playing like that from the beginning was annoying. Maybe it’s better to have a result like that at the beginning of the season. It serves as a reminder of what it takes to win games in the Bundesliga.”

French wisdom regarding derbies

The Zerofivers would ideally like to show a better side to themselves this weekend in their first home game in more than three months against Frankfurt. A French expression comes to mind as Ajorque looks ahead to the challenge: “In France, people say: ‘You don’t play in derbies, you win them.’ It is clear what lies ahead for us. We lost 3-0 in Frankfurt in May and we know what we need to do differently in order to get our own back. We are going to need everything that was lacking in the first half against Union throughout the whole 90 minutes on Sunday.”

The attacker would once again like to play an important role and take on responsibility. He received unanimous support after his penalty misses in Berlin, explaining: “We always lose as a team, and it was important to get that out of our system together in the dressing room in Berlin. Most of all, I was annoyed with myself and I told the team that. Nobody put the blame on me. We stick together, that’s what Mainz 05 is all about. I got to know that within the first few months,” says Ajorque, praising the well-oiled structure of the club. He reflects once more, explaining that football can be a “crazy game” every now and then. He had no doubts when stepping up to take the penalties in Berlin. “I wasn’t anxious and won’t be in the future. If I’m given the chance, then I’ll still step up to the spot next time we get a penalty. Taking on responsibility is in my nature. Naturally, we also have other players who are good at penalties. Whoever steps up next time can be sure of the whole team’s support.” 

“We stick together, that’s what Mainz 05 is all about. I got to know that within the first few months”

The fans can be sure that the Frenchman is fired up for his first full season in the Bundesliga, where he will be hoping to add to his tally of seven goals in the division. The striker stated that he feels good after pre-season, even though he doesn’t think that he’s reached his full potential yet. “I arrived in the winter break and had an intense second half of the season. I think that this half-year, in combination with pre-season in summer, has helped me progress massively, physically as well as tactically. I think I’m on another level, but there’s always room to improve,” said Ajorque, convinced that he will have lots of things to celebrate while playing football with Mainz in the future.