Shota Arveladze, the Yellow & Blue boss spoke to the media following his club’s 2:0 win over Hapoel Tel Aviv on goals by Eden Ben Basat and Yossi Benayoun. The Georgian talked about the win, his squad and the upcoming season:

“I thought the stadium would be full but it wasn’t this evening. It’s always good to win especially a Derby. We have a lot of important games coming up and it’s also good to see how strong and ready we are. Next week the season starts and every point you get is yours and any point you lose you can’t get it back.”

On the victory:

“I want to congratulate the boys. They played calm and didn’t react to incidents on the pitch. This was a win we deserved.”

The large squad:

“If the coach has a problem with a big squad that is good and it gives me many options. We have important games ahead. Everybody who comes and respects the club, we will respect them in return. Most importantly is that they respect each other. This is football, it’s a team game and we need all of them. Everyone that comes to train every day has a chance to play for Maccabi.”