Category: News

“Other than the three points there is nothing else we can take away from this match“

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Maccabi Tel Aviv picked up the three points against Raanana on Matchday 10 with a 1:0 win over their rivals from the Sharon and though it wasn’t a peak performance, ultimately at this stage the points were crucial.

“Other than the three points there is nothing else we can take away from this match,” Dor Micha admitted, “This was one of the weakest Maccabi matches that I can remember over the last few seasons. The break comes at a good time. We have to improve.”

Reasons about the performance:
“There are 1,001 excuses, but they won’t help. The players are tired. The same players played in the last 4 matches over the past week and a half because we have a short rotation. But that’s not a reason we should look the way we did and I agree that we must drastically improve if we want to battle for the title this season.”

About his own play:
“Of course I’m happy to return to action after the injury. I’m slowly getting back into shape and after the break I hope I’ll be at 100%.”

Maccabi after the break:
“We want to play better and more attractive football after the break that our fans will enjoy. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case over the last few weeks. We will get some very important players back after the break and I hope that we will look better.”

Cruyff: “The break comes at a good time. I expect a team with a lot of energy when we come back”

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Jordi Cruyff, the Yellow & Blue Head Coach summed up his club’s 1:0 win over Hapoel Raanana on Matchday 10 of the Israel Premier League Ligat Ha’Al:

“It was not a good performance. If we would have the possibility to change 8 players during the game I would have as they were super tired and had no energy. The break comes at a good time. We took the points, but the team didn’t look fresh and couldn’t pass the ball 3 times. However, there were matches that we played well and didn’t take the points. Character wise, the players were dead tired but we kept a clean sheet and I expect a team with a lot of energy when the come back from the break.”

Playing against the last place club:
“I’ve seen worse games this season. We have played with basically the same 11 players for 4 games in 12 days and that’s hard to do. The players weren’t fresh but they had to play, we couldn’t rotate in the midfield. The players suffered today and gave it all. I’m quite sure the players will improve.”

Issues in the midfield:
“Battocchio and Rikan were problematic as they weren’t at their peak physically. Yeini and Shpungin were sick. Eventually we had to put three in and it was a difficult physical game for us. The only thing we had in mind were the three points.”

About the players on the bench not playing over the last few matches:
“The team has been playing good the last 2-3 games and Astana was a good performance. The players also deserve some continuity. When you have the ball you look good when you don’t in the middle you suffer.”

Plans for after the break:
“Last Thursday and the Acre match was the type of football we were looking for. I’d like to bring back Golasa and Micha after the break as well as Schoenfeld and I hope that Jose Rodriguez will be able to play. Dasa won’t be back quickly.”

Maccabi gets by Raanana 1:0

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Or Dasa found the back of the goal for the first time in Yellow & Blue as the youngster helped Maccabi Tel Aviv to a 1:0 win over Hapoel Raanana away at the Netanya Stadium. Jordi Cruyff’s side picked up the important 3 points as the squad now goes on break for three weeks and returns to action against Slavia Prague in the Europa League on November 23rd before facing first place Hapoel Haifa on Sunday November 26th.

Jordi Cruyff’s Starting XI included keeper Predrag Rajikovic with a defensive quartet of Ofir Davidzada, Eitan Tibi, Jean-Sylvain Babin and Avi Rikan. Captain Sheran Yeini manned the midfield while Cristian Battocchio and Or Dasa were by his side while Omer Atzily, Eliran Atar and Vidar Kjartansson were on the attack.

Available on the bench were keeper Daniel Tenenbaum, Tal Ben Haim, Barak Itzhaki, Dor Micha, Dor Peretz, Nick Blackman and Aaron Schoenfeld

First Half
Raanana had the first chance of the match when Faucher’s attempt was stopped by Rajikovic in the 6’ but it would be Maccabi who would strike first in the 10’ via Or Dasa for his first goal, as the youngster put in Atar’s free kick rebound off the left post for a 1:0 lead.

Adi Nimni tried his luck from long distance for Raanana but his attempt went over the bar in the 20’ while 15 minutes later Nimni’s bicycle kick chance was brilliantly saved by Rajikovic. Nick Blackman came in for an injured Omer Atlizy in the 37’ as Nimni and Tibi each picked up yellow cards in the 40’ while one minute later Kjartansson almost scored off an Atar corner but the ball just whistled by the post. Vidar picked up a yellow card in the 42’ as the half came to an end with Maccabi maintaining a 1:0 lead.

Second Half
After a quiet quarter hour to open the half, Blackman and Atar each had chances to double the score but the Raanana keeper Kosicky was in place. Cruyff made his second substitute when he inserted Ben Haim in place of Yeini and moved to three central defenders.

In the 68’ Rikan’s attempt went over the goal while three minutes later Raanana’s Shukrani missed the target with his opportunity. Dor Micha came on for Vidar in the 75’ and 4 minutes later Faucher’s header missed Rajikovic’s post. In the 88’ Blackman’s chance in the box off a Dasa corner went over the bar as Maccabi wrapped up a 1:0 win to go into the break.

Yellow & Blue Youth Department Results November 4, 2017

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שערי השבת מחלקת הנוער 4.11

Maccabi “Shmuel” Haifa 3:0 Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv
The club’s Under-19 side fell to their rivals from the Carmel on Matchday 7 of the Youth Premier League. The loss moves the team into 7th place, 8 points off of the top of the table. The young Yellow & Blue will now go on a 3-week break. For the full match report click here.

Bnei Sakhnin 0:4 Maccabi “Oded” Tel Aviv
Eliezer Ben Aharon’s squad continued their positive momentum with yet another win in league play by defeating Bnei Sakhnin on Matchday 7. The Yellow & Blue sit atop the table with 7 wins in as many matches thanks to goal scorers, Raava Assayag with a brace, Gil Ben Shalosh and David Dego. Ben Aharon summed up the win: “We played on a tough pitch which was very small. The win was thanks to the way that our players were able to perform and how the Sakhnin team played. We prepared for the match and it worked as we scored quality team goals at the highest of levels. Now it’s on to the next challenge.”

Maccabi “Eli Fuchs” Tel Aviv 2:2 Hapoel “Yoram” Rishon Le’Zion
The club’s Under-16 side split the points with Rishon Le’Zion on Matchday 8 after leading 2:0. Nehorai Bitton and Or Roizman scored for Maccabi. Head Coach Raymond Atteveld looked back at the match: “The match began very focused and very well as to what we had worked on this past week in training. After 5 minutes of play we should have been leading as we had a great chance but we failed to score. The attackers have to know the importance of scoring goals which is as important as the defensive work and not allowing goals. We scored the first and second goals but we weren’t able to kill the game, many chances but not enough goals. One mistake allowed the opponent to come back into the match. Mistakes happen during the game but the most important thing is to how the team reacts to those mistakes. We didn’t know how to deal with the mistakes and after an error a number of players were upset and displayed their frustration including at the referee. It’s time that one knows how to respect the referees regardless of their decisions. Rishon was able to draw even on a ridiculous penalty and the match ended in a disappointing draw. As a coach in the Academy I understand that there is a process of learning from mistakes and I hope that the players will learn quickly as it’s time that we understand that we are Maccabi and that we don’t give gifts to the opponents. We will continue to learn and improve.”

Maccabi “Eldad” Tel Aviv 6:0 Hapoel Asheklon
The Under-15 South side got back onto the winning track after defeating the southern outfit on Matchday 6. The young Yellow & Blue are in first place and are undefeated so far this season. Ariel Belhassen, Elad Kaplan, Itay Ben Kimon, Oscar Gloch, Mor Siman Tov and Ener Osmandi all scored in the win. Head Coach Ori David spoke about the victory: “We didn’t play as well as we could have in the first half and as we weren’t as quick and missed some chances. We were much better in the second half and played at an excellent pace which led to two fantastic goals.”

Hapoel Petah Tikva 4:3 Maccabi “Ilan” Tel Aviv
The Under-15 North squad fell for the first time this campaign as they lost to Petah Tikva on Matchday 6. Despite the defeat, the young Yellow & Blue sit in 4th place just 3 points off the top of the table. Omer Senior scored a brace while Aviv Pelles added a single marker. Coach Asaf Heber commented: “After a long period of time that we played well, we didn’t play aggressively enough and we weren’t as focused. We led twice in the first half but the hosts tied us up twice and we went into the break even. We gave up two goals at the start of the second half and we were just able to get one goal back near the end of the match.”

“We have to look in the mirror and correct our mistakes”

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About the play after the Derby match:
“Were disappointed in how we played and we didn’t except to lose, especially as to how we looked. But we have to tell the truth that Haifa beat us in all the parameters that a team must do to win a football match. There are games like this. We have to take a look at the video and also look at ourselves in the mirror to see what we did wrong and correct the mistakes. We will take that and move on to the upcoming matches.”

Did Haifa surprise you?
“They didn’t surprise us as the Youth League is very competative this season and they still have some quality players. I believe that we are more surprised in ourselves. We made many mistakes on defense and we weren’t able to control the ball as we lost it numerous times, which is something that I can’t accept and it’s something that we must correct.”

The refereeing:
“Refereeing is part of the game and there can be dialogue between the coach and the referee, that’s part of the game as well. But you can’t cross the line and perhaps the referee took it more seriously that he had to, but my concern is the match itself and not the refereeing.”

Tibi: “We want to continue winning in the league”

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Eitan Tibi, the Yellow & Blue central defender looked ahead to this evening’s Israel Premier League match against Hapoel Raanana at the Netanya Stadium, 20:30:

“We’ll prepare like we do for every other match with the goal of winning the contest. We want to continue our winning streak in the league by doing it the right way which is as important to us as the victory itself.”

No easy matches:
“There’s never as easy match whether it’s the League or the Europa League even though it may look like it sometimes and that’s the same case with the Toto Cup or the State Cup, there are no easy games. We have to look good and also win the upcoming matches.”

Know your opponent: Hapoel Raanana

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Head Coach
Nine Matchdays have been played so far this season and Raanana has been very active on the sidelines. Dudu Avraham began the campaign as Head Coach while Guy Levi replaced him. However, after a number of disappointing results he was dismissed and Menachem Koretzky who once had a very successful run with the club under Asher Alon came in his stead with the goal of getting the team back on track.

Comings and Goings
During the last transfer period, Raanana didn’t make any major changes but did make some cosmetic moves as Yuval Shabtai and keeper Arik Yanko who signed with Hapoel Tel Aviv left the team. Jordan Faucher who starred in the Leumit League came on board while keeper Tomas Kosicky and foreigners Mohamed Camara and Florin Purece also joined the club.

What have they done up until now?
After a number of good seasons in the Premier League, Hapoel Raanana has been very disappointing this campaign which has caused a number of moves on the sidelines. The Sharon club has collected only 4 points out of a possible 27 while their only win came two Matchdays ago when they defeated Hapoel Acre 2:0. Last week they fell 2:0 to first place side Hapoel Haifa.

Under the magnifying glass
Raanana knows that they have a tough road ahead and so far one of the few bright lights has been Jordan Faucher who has scored two goals as he adjusts slowly but surely to the Premier League. The striker who starred in the Leumit League leads the Premier League in aerial battles with 92 while winning 36 of them. In the past, the Raanana back line was solid under Haim Silvas but has struggled since his departure giving up 18 goals and are tied with Ashdod for the most in the league.

Maccabi “Shachar” falls 3:0 to Maccabi Haifa

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Matchday 7 of the Israel Youth Premier League saw Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv take on the Greens of Maccabi Haifa as the Yellow & Blue came into the contest with 3 wins put of their last 4 matches and in 5th place on the table after a Tel Aviv Derby win last week. Haifa came into the match in 12th place with one win out of 6 games.

Head Coach Guy Tzarfati’s Starting XI featured Daniel Peretz, Ran Vaturi, Amit Glezer, Fadi Najar, Tomer Mahlof, Eden Kartsev, Tomer Altman, Prince Thomas, Eylon Almog, Eyal Hen and Adir Hardon.

First Half
Haifa had the first chance of the match off a 3’ Yam Cohen corner kick as he found Hamoudi Kaanan in the box but his header went over the bar and out. Two minutes later Alon Deri tried a long range strike, but Daniel Peretz was in place to parry the ball away for a corner.

The Greens took the lead in the 14’ when Kaanan crossed the ball from the right wing to Cohen who beat Peretz for a 1:0 lead. Maccabi’s opening opportunity came a minute later but Almog’s shot went into the Haifa defenders and out. In the 30’ Timothy Mozi came down the left flank but Najar was able to stop the dangerous situation while a minute later Almog’s attempt from long distance went out. Cohen, the Haifa goal scorer found Ziv Morgan but his 34’ chance went out however, ten minutes later Kaanan put the ball in the far corner to give Haifa a 2:0 advantage going into the break.

Second Half
Prince Thomas began the half with a terrific chance from 30 meters, but the ball went out while a minute later the Greens again put Maccabi under pressure as Muhammad Jabar came down the left side and crossed the ball to Cohen but his chance went out.

In the 53’ striker Gal Katbi took a through ball and had a great chance on Peretz but the Yellow & Blue keeper made the stop. However, four minutes later Katbi’s shot was saved by Peretz but Mozi found rebound and put the ball into the back of the goal for a 3:0 lead. Mufleh Shalata came on as a substitute and left a fine ball for Altman, but his long range attempt was saved by the keeper in the 64’ while ten minutes later Almog’s chance flew over the bar and out. The sides traded chances for the final quarter hour but Maccabi couldn’t pull a goal back as the match ended in a 3:0 defeat to Haifa.

Davidzada: “If we play like we have been, everything will be fine”

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Ofir Davidzada, the Maccabi Tel Aviv left defensive back looked ahead to Sunday’s contest against Hapoel Raanana at the Netanya Stadium:

“We respect all of our opponents and they’ve had difficulties recently. But we are focusing on our game and the upcoming match with Hapoel Raanana is very important. If we play like we have been against our other opponents recently then everything will be fine.”

Focusing on themselves:
“We don’t look at the other teams and focus on them, we focus on ourselves. If we focus on them it will just disrupt our game. We have to come into every match exactly the same way.”