At the age of 19 and in his first full season at Maccabi Tel Aviv’s senior side, Saied Abu Farchi is on the right track. The youth academy graduate who spent last season on loan with Maccabi Bnei Reineh scoring 6 goals in all competitions, made his debut league stat for Maccabi. The versatile forward, whose debut goal for Maccabi was scored at a Toto Cup match against Hapoel Jerusalem and added another in the Europa League phase match against Dinamo Zagreb, played in important role in Maccabi’s 3-1 victory over Ironi Kiryat Shmona at Bloomfield but hasn’t found the back of the net. “I’m happy that I’m starting to break through slowly, and I hope that by the end of the season, I will be one of the leading players on the team” Abu Farchi said after the match. “It’s a great feeling to start in the lineup, it’s emotional. I’m happy about the 3 points. I work very hard in training, and I’m glad I got to start. I just hope to keep going.”
Abu Farchi rejected any claims that Maccabi’s winless streak of five matches in all competitions added pressure to the side: “I don’t think there’s pressure, we come in like we do for every match, regardless of our competitors at the top.”
Having secured a victory against Kiryat Shmona that beat arch-rivals Be’ersheva in the previous round, Abu Farchi said: “Kiryat Shmona is a really good team, they caused us a lot of problems and had chances. We worked hard and showed character, and now we’re looking ahead to the next match against Reineh on Saturday.”
As Maccabi remain unbeaten in the league, the two Europa League defeats to Zagreb and Midtjylland led Abu Farchi to say: “If you look at the teams we lost to, they’re top teams, and we played well in those games, creating chances. The dressing room is in a good place, and everyone lifts each other up. We came to the match and did our job.”
On facing the side Abu Farchi was loaned to last season at the forthcoming weekend, he added: “Overall, it’s a game like any other. It’s a game against the team that gave me the stage. I’m aiming to score, but I won’t celebrate. I’ll respect the team that gave me the stage and helped me progress.”
Abu Farchi, who spent the 2023/24 between Maccabi’s youth team and a six-months-long loan-spell with second division side Kfar Qassem, remained confident: “Even last year when Dor (Turgeman) and Eran (Zahavi) were the strikers, I believed I could play. In general, I don’t focus on who’s in the role with me, and the club doesn’t focus on who’s the name in the role. Whoever works hard and proves themselves will get the opportunity. I’m happy that this year I’m slowly starting to break through, and I hope by the end of the season I will be one of the leading players on the team.”
On his short term and long-term ambitions, Abu Farchi said: “Right now, I’m focused on the current season, and I want to be a regular player at Maccabi Tel Aviv. It’s my dream since I was 7 when I joined the club, and I hope to fulfill it. I want to score as many goals as possible and help the team.”
As for Maccabi’s European aspirations, Abu Farchi summed: “We see small teams surprising big teams like Aston Villa. We come in and look our opponents in the eye. We’re not playing at home, which is really tough, but we’ll try to get as much as we can.”
