Itamar Noy, returns to face his former club as Maccabi travel to Sammy Ofer on Saturday for what will be the penultimate match of the regular season.
The 24-year-old made 36 appearances in all competitions since joining Maccabi from Hapoel Haifa. Noy, who saw his former club salvage a draw away to league leaders Hapoel Be’ersheva in the last round, admitted: “We watched their match against Be’ersheva. Hapoel Haifa made some good reinforcements and brought in quite a few players, but we’re focused on ourselves. All of our focus needs to be on our tasks and our approach. If we bring what we expect from ourselves, things will work out well.”
Noy, who played in all but one of the six matches under Ronny Deila, said of the managerial change: “Generally speaking, it is something less tactical, the energy is very good right now. You can see the intensity, the passion, and the tempo in training. There are new emphases the coach has brought in, and the system is a bit different. We are trying to adapt ourselves to what he brings, we’re happy to learn from him, to progress and to improve every day.”
Noy, who is aware of the fact teams have been setting up against Maccabi, said: “All season, our opponents have come to face us after playing against Be’ersheva. Teams defend against us in a fairly similar way. We’re preparing for that, the key points that will help us deal with compact defenses. We will try to play as fast as possible, stretch the pitch and cope with the density. I hope we’ll do it in the best way possible.”
As a versatile player who has featured in several positions across the midfield, Noy admitted; “Throughout my career I haven’t been playing as a holding midfielder in the number 6 position. But today I feel very comfortable playing in all midfield positions. It is something I have developed over the years, the ability to play in every role. Wherever I am needed, I will know how to make the adjustments, and I will try to do the best I can.”
Noy, who scored two goals and added three assists for Maccabi this season, spoke of his personal targets: “There are many things to improve. I try to work hard and progress. Both this coaching staff and the previous one operate at a very high training level, that is something I hadn’t experienced before. Obviously, I want to improve personally, but first and foremost is helping the team. To take Maccabi to the places it truly belongs.”
As a player who in the past lined-up against Maccabi, Noy, is aware of what to expect on Saturday: “Every player who comes to play against Maccabi knows what it means to have a good game against Maccabi, the entire country is watching, and it is significant for your career. I have friends there who will try to get as much as they can out of the game, like any team that plays against us. We are not dealing with that, as we will continue to do our job and hopefully things will work out.”
With Maccabi currently third on 46 points, nine adrift of leaders Hapoel Be’ersheva, Noy focused on the immediate task rather than get drawn to discuss the title race: “I think that in the life of athletes there’s always a long-term goal, but we focus on the daily actions. What is relevant right now is to come to the next match and beat Hapoel Haifa. Then we have Be’ersheva, to connect another win and another win. I believe that with momentum it becomes easier to set higher goals.”
