How does it feel to return to the UEFA Youth League with Maccabi Tel Aviv after a decade?
“It feels good. I think it is, overall, a reward for the good season we had last year. I believe it will allow us to test the team in a competition that is truly the best possible stage for a youth team.
“I actually had the opportunity to be involved in a UEFA Youth League campaign with a youth team many years ago, running alongside the senior team’s campaign, and it was a really meaningful experience for the players and the club. I hope we can create something similar.”
You have made a fantastic start to the season. How much are you looking forward to seeing the team compete at the highest level?
“We have made a good start, we believe in ourselves, and we have a strong team with excellent players. I believe we can also play much better than we are playing at the moment, so we want to keep improving and developing. This will be a good test to see how we measure up in this competition as well.
“We have been drawn against a strong team, so it is not an easy draw, but I have great faith in the players, the team and the club’s setup, and I am confident we will put in a good performance.”
How do you prepare the players, both professionally and mentally, for a challenge like this?
“We assume there will be excitement and that the players will be highly motivated. We will not do anything fundamentally different from what we do when preparing for a league match.
“We analyse Zurich and carry out our scouting, so we know them and have a fairly good idea of what to expect. We will explain it to the players in simple terms. Our aim is to play our own game.
“We are always focused on ourselves and want to develop our abilities and our style of play, and I think that is where our focus lies.”
You are returning to European competition for the first time since your spell at Maccabi Petah Tikva. How does it feel?
“This is a highly prestigious competition, and these are ultimately the stages everyone aspires to reach. We want to compete at the highest levels, test our ability and continue to develop at this level.”
