Jordi Cruyff, the Maccabi Tel Aviv Head Coach addressed the media following their Matchday 16 Israel Premier League Ligat Ha’Al 1:0 win against Bnei Sakhnin:

“I liked the first half performance and I thought we would get a goal but it didn’t come. When you see that you’re 7 points off the table you feel the urgency to score and we did but we weren’t able to kill off the game. We weren’t able to take advantage of the space and score another goal.”

Finding ways to win:
“The team is prepared for that. We are winning games, recording clean sheets, creating chances and today they had a wall which didn’t allow us much space. Once we get a goal, it opens it up but we couldn’t take advantage of that and the opponent has good corner and throws ins and we held on. We dropped back.”

The fans:
“When they see the team give 200% they are in their hearts in piece with that. The players feel the support in a good way and that’s why we have been winning games lately. The fans believe in the team and we believe in it as well.”

About Eyal Golasa:
“He’s training a bit, but there are a lot of games and we had to force players to play when they weren’t 100% ready. We want to get the players back to full strength and I think he will get some minutes in the Cup.”

Playing solid football:
“We look more solid and we are looking better. I know that if we give more than 100% we will keep going.”

Upcoming State Cup match against Bnei MMBE:
“We don’t take any game lightly and it doesn’t matter which division they are in. We respect all of our opponents and we will prepare properly for them.”

Getting on a roll:
“We defeated Beer Sheva and then Beitar, a team that we had a lot of problems with and then another win and that creates belief and that’s what is going on in the dressing room, belief.”

Eliran Atar’s status:
“He came in September and played 24-25 games and there are some games that he plays better in and I am extremely happy with Eliran.”

About Carlos Garcia:
“He was a guy that always knew how to play these game, organized and made a career of them. He can still actively participate in training and can have a direct impact on the players.”

Final thoughts on the match:
“I am happy with the effort and performance of the team, but I wish we could get that second goal.”

The Yellow & Blue defeated Bnei Sakhnin 1:0 away at the Acre Stadium on Matchday 16 of the Israel Football League Ligat Ha’Al. Vidar Kjartansson slotted home a second penalty which had to be retaken after keeper Mohamed Kandil came off his line to give Maccabi the win and 3-points. On Saturday at 18:10, Maccabi Tel Aviv will welcome Bnei MMBE to the Netanya Stadium for a State Cup Round of 32 contest.

Head Coach Jordi Cruyff’s Starting XI featured Predrag Rajikovic in goal along with Eli Dasa, Eitan Tibi, Captain Sheran Yeini, Jean-Sylvain Babin, Dor Micha, Cristian Battocchio, Dor Peretz, Barak Itzhaki, Nick Blackman and Vidar Kjartansson.

Available on the bench were keeper Daniel Tenenbaum, Yuval Shpungin, Tal Ben Haim, Eliran Atar, Jose Rodriguez, Ofir Davidzada and Aaron Schoenfeld.

First Half
Maccabi looked to control the pace of the contest from the get go as Itzhaki tried to find Blackman with a deep ball but put it out of the Englishman’s reach in the 3’ while in the 16’ Blackman’s half volley just went over the bar. Just one minute later number 11’s 18 meter blast went wide of the post as Maccabi continued to threaten the Sakhnin goal.

In the 19’ Maccabi had back to back chances from Itzhaki and Battocchio but their attempts were taken care of the Sakhnin keeper Mohamed Kandil. Blackman kept pressing as his 28’ chance came close and then a minute later he was pulled down by Sari Falach in the box after the defender lost the ball, however, referee Gal Leibovitz didn’t call for a spot kick after a clear penalty.

Jabar A’taa replaced Alaa Abu Salah after an injury to the latter in the 34’ and Peretz picked up a yellow card in the 40’ as the half ended goalless.

Second Half
Sakhnin had the opening chance of the half when Falach’s header off a free kick didn’t find its intended address in the 49’. But it would be Maccabi who would break the ice thanks to a Kjartansson penalty. Blackman was pulled down in the box as he came sweeping in from the right side good for a spot kick. Prior to the penalty the referee warned Kandil not to come off the line before the kick was taken. However, the shot stopper did exactly that and saved the Iceman’s attempt forcing the penalty to be retaken which was promptly slotted home by Vidar for a 1:0 Maccabi lead in the 56’.

Ten minutes later Jose Rodriguez came in for Itzhaki and then picked up a yellow card in the 71’, but sandwiched between the two, Shlomi Azulay came in all alone on Rajiko but the Maccabi keeper was up to the task to keep his clean sheet intact. The Serbian shot stopper was tested again in the 84’ but made a fantastic save, tipping the ball over the bar to safety and one minute later Aaron Schoenfeld came on for Vidar.

Blackman was issued a yellow card in the 88’ as the match came to an end with Maccabi taking home the 3 points and the win.

The month of December is behind us and now’s the time to vote for the player that was the best of the best. All you have to do is vote by Tuesday January 2, at 14:00 for a chance to win a 32” TV from HISENSE. Later that day at 17:00, those who voted for the winning player will receive an SMS with a trivia question and the first to answer correctly will win the prize.

A new calendar year, the transfer window opens once again, State Cup contests and some surprises that you haven’t even thought of. Open up your day planners as we’ve got plenty in store for you.

January 1: Let’s begin the new year with a clash against Bnei Sakhnin (21:00, Acre Stadium)

The Yellow & Blue open up the 2018 Calendar year with a date at Bnei Sakhnin in a match that will be played at the Acre Stadium on Matchday 16 of the Israel Premier League Ligat Ha’Al. After two wins, Maccabi will look to keep their winning streak intact as Carlos Garcia joins the club on the sidelines as an assistant coach.

January 3: Get ready for the opening of the transfer window with the Official Maccabi Tel Aviv App.
The Israel football transfer window officially opens on Tuesday and you’ll never know what surprises are in store for the Yellow & Blue. In order for you to be the first to know all of the latest news make sure to download the Official App if you haven’t done so already. The window closes on January 31st so don’t be left out in the cold.

WATCH: Carlos Garcia’s first training session

January 9: Maccabi Tel Aviv – Maccabi Netanya (21:00 Netanya Stadium)
One of the surprise packages this season in Israeli Football has been Maccabi Netanya and the Yellow & Blue host them on Matchday 17 of the Israel Premier League. The last time the two sides met, Omer Atzily scored what turned out to be the 2017 HP Goal of the Year plus the match featured two other strikes that were also in the running for the award. How will it end this time? Make sure to secure your seats now!

Highlights of the first round match against Maccabi Netanya

January 20 (Date & Time TBD): Maccabi Tel Aviv – Hapoel Ashkelon (Netanya Stadium)
The first round date against Hapoel Ashkelon will definitely bring back some unpleasant memories for Jordi Cruyff and his players; in just ten minutes a two goal Yellow & Blue lead evaporated at the Sela Stadium. Yuval Naim’s squad will look to take points as they ready themselves for a relegation battle.

January 23-25: Israel State Cup Round of 16
We don’t want to discuss a match that we haven’t even qualified for yet, but here’s the potential dates for the Round of 16.

January 27 (Date & Time TBD): The Little Tel Aviv Derby at Bnei Yehuda (Moshava Stadium)
Yossi Abuksis and his crew will host the Yellow & Blue for the Little Tel Aviv Derby just a week before the season’s second “Match of the Season” against Hapoel Beer Sheva and Maccabi will want to pick up the win.

That’s it? Not so fast!
There will be plenty of surprises including a visit by the players to the Official Store, Find the Treasure, Ask the Players and much, much more! Remember there’s the transfer window so make sure you download the Official App and get all of the latest updates and hottest news.

10 Goals. 8 Days. Thousands of votes. You decided that Omer Atlity scored the best of the best in 2017 when he found the back of the goal against Maccabi Netanya in a close battle for first place in the HP Goal or the Year competition.

Atzily collected 30% of the votes cast by Maccabi FIRST members while Vidar Kjartansson came in second with his goal against Maccabi Haifa when he dribbled by Dekel Keinan. The Iceman’s 90’ strike against the Haifa Greens took home thrid place.

Watch the complete ranking

Do you want to win a Brand New HP Laptop?

On Monday January 1, 2018 at 17:00 all those who voted for Atzily will receive an SMS with a trivia question. Whoever answers correctly first wins the Laptop from HP. Don’t miss out.

Record
Maccabi played 63 official matches: 40 wins, 12 draws, 11 losses. Goal differential 98:47.
Busiest month: August – 8 matches
Quietest month: June – 1 match

Season leaders
The biggest win – 5:2 over Hapoel Acre – Matchday 9, 2017/18
45 players appeared for the Yellow & Blue across all competitions.
Most appearances – Predrag Rajikovic: 60. Kjartansson (53) and Yeini (50) are next.

21 players scored for Maccabi
Vidar Kjartansson is the 2017 goal scoring leader for 2017 – 30 goals.
The assist leader is none other than Dor Micha with 12.
The youngest player to appear for Maccabi: Eden Kartzev – 17 years and 4 months.
Tye oldest player: Yossi Benayoun – 37 years old.
Longest winning streak: 9 (7 league, 2 State Cup) February – March.

Maccabi scored at least one goal in 15 straight matches (11 league and 4 State Cup) between mid-January and mid-March.
The fastest goal was scored by Avi Rikan – 52 seconds against Beitar Jerusalem.
The furthest goal was scored by Omer Atzily – 26 meters against Maccabi Netanya.

The tradition continues
The win over Kiryat Shemona continued a tradition that has that began in 2009 – A Yellow & Blue win on the last Matchday of the calendar year.
Maccabi wore the Yellow & Blue kit in 55 matches, the Blue in 4 and the white in 4 as well.
Maccabi picked up only one red card in 2017 (Tal Ben Haim against Maccabi Haifa). The least amongst any team and the club’s least amount of reds since 1993.

Both Head Coach Jordi Cruyff and Carlos Garcia addressed the media ahead of the Club’s Matchday 16 contest against Bnei Sakhnin on Monday, 21:00 at the Acre Stadium.

Head Coach Jordi Cruyff spoke about the decision to bring in Carlos Garcia as an assistant coach:
Timing of bringing in Carlos:
“I knew it was an option about 6-7 weeks ago so we started to think forward. We started to look at profiles and it takes time for someone to get to know the DNA of Maccabi. We had an option in the summer for Carlos but it wasn’t yet the right time.”

What Carlos brings to the table:
“He was a demanding player and he was able to shout at the big players and they would accept that. He has the character and respect to be an authority, the players will fight for him. He knows the players and opponents and the strong points of Carlos are exactly that.”

More on the addition of Carlos:
“We still have to improve and sometimes people who have 20 years of experience won’t see something a new coach will see. We know what we are getting with Carlos. All the players will tell you that he was aggressive, closing angles and knows how to close the defensive line. We know that these are things that he can bring us and he knows the team and what’s needed as well as what the fans and club expect.”

Steve McClaren’s contribution:
“He enjoyed it very much here and I want to thank him for his contribution. He knows me and we worked well together. We had approached him a while back to become the head coach, but he ended up signing in the Premier League. He still has the blood to be a head coach and he was a gentleman and informed us 6-7 weeks ago so we began planning. It was an honor to have a coach with a profile like him here at Maccabi. He enjoyed the club and the country and left with a good feeling about Tel Aviv and the people. All in all, it was a win-win situation, I’m sure that our paths will cross again.”

More about McClaren:
“He brought in many important things and mainly calmness when things were difficult or intense. His experience was important. He kept insisting on keeping calm and maintaining the path, he was a positive guy for the players and the staff.”

Looking ahead to Bnei Sakhnin:
“We have a history of tough games against this opponent and we have to play to win, gain points and keep our momentum. We know that they will be a difficult opponent.”

The upcoming transfer window:
“We don’t know yet, but tomorrow we must win to close the gap. After that, we will have time to focus. We will have to look at it if there will be 5 or 6 foreigners for next year as it will impact the team and budget. We have players with options so we can look at that in May.”

Carlos Garcia, the former Yellow & Blue central defender is back at Maccabi as an assistant coach after retiring from active play and spoke about his decision to retire, becoming a coach and what he can offer on the sidelines:

“I’m very happy to come back and I want to thank Jordi that he believes that I can help the team. It has its identity and we will work hard to try and make the players better.”

Being a Maccabist:
“I’m already a Maccabist, We are champions or we will die. We are Maccabi. It’s a championship of nothing. There is nothing in the middle.”

The spirit of Maccabi:
“First is the spirit. Either you have it or you don’t have it. The team won the Toto Cup and I saw the Beitar win which was in a tough stadium (Teddy). I believe the team has this spirit. Some may say it doesn’t, but I believe it has.”

Ambition:
“I had a bad experience in Turkey and I could’ve kept playing but when you are at the moment when you play just for the money then I couldn’t live like that. You need to work and have ambition for more than just the money. I am in good shape still and I’m happy about that.”

A future in coaching:
“I finished my UEFA A license many years ago and when you like football you want to stay in the game. You want to feel the players and the ball and stay close to the field.”

Helping the team improve:
“If I see things that we can do better, I will say what I think and how we can improve.”

About Jordi becoming Head Coach:
“It was a good choice for him. He had done the job of Sport Director but he felt that perhaps he needed to be closer to the game and decisions.”