Three days after helping Maccabi to a convincing 3-0 victory over Maccabi Haifa which cut the deficit at the top of the table to five points, Shahar Piven, addressed the media and said: “The match against Haifa was good professionally, as we did what our coach asked us to during the week. But this is in the past and history as far as we are concerned.”
The 27-year-old defender whose performance at the heart of defence helped Maccabi keep a 13th clean sheet this season, and will now have a Tel Aviv derby to look forward to, added: “I am happy we have a game which is similar in terms of atmosphere as there are plenty of home grown players who know the meaning of a derby to the fans. Saturday’s match is just as big, as Hapoel is a tough opponent to play against.”
With the first derby of the season resulting in a 3-0 victory back in October, Piven, remained focused on the task at hand: “We will begin our preparations today, watch them and arrive ready to win the match and continue our good form.”
Piven, who appeared in 10 of the 19 league matches so far this season and 12 in all competitions, added: “From the start of the season I played in a lot of matches and was happy to help the team every time I was called upon. My job is to train as hard as I possibly can and help my team, give everything on the pitch and if the coach thinks I can help he will let me play. I need to give everything in training and in matches and look at my personal gain or my ego, as this is a club which is dear to me. I grew up here and I am always happy to help.”
Piven, who is playing his fifth season in the first team, and played in quite a few Tel Aviv derbies also at youth level summed up: “You all know the history of the derbies and even if we had won the last few, derbies have their own rules and it is our job and our coaching staff to prepare for this match. Every match has its own targets and goals. We have two more days to prepare and then arrive to win this match for the fans that keep supporting us”.
