The Yellow & Blue veteran striker is preparing for tomorrow night’s Big Derby against Hapoel Tel Aviv on Matched 18 of the Ligat Ha’Al. With two wins in a row, Maccabi will look to continue on their current roll, however, in a Derby anything can happen. Itzhaki discussed not only the Derby, but playing under interim coach and Sports Director Jordi Cruyff:

“I don’t think that there is any player who doesn’t give 150% in any game he plays no matter who is the coach. Jordi is someone who we all respect and it may not have worked well with the last coach but now we hope things will get a bit better.”

Easy Derby:

“There is no easy game in any Derby. A Derby is a Derby. We are coming into the match full throttle and we will go for the win.”

Hapoel’s desire:

“11 players will be on the pitch for them and they have the fans behind them as well. They will have very hungry players including younger guys also. We have to stay focussed and if we have a chance to score we will. The goal is to win the game and not the goal differential in the game. Let’s just go and score the first one and see from there.”

Coaching change:

“Every coach has their own way and feel about football. Under Shota, I didn’t have many chances to play but that’s football. I’m getting a chance to play now and I’ve been performing. I can play various positions and that’s been a help. I want to continue this way and keep our wining streak going that’s what is most important.”

Chance to play under Shota Arveladze:

“I did have a chance before he left and I scored, but maybe he should have played me earlier, who knows.”

Hapoel’s current squad:

I saw some players that I am not that familiar with but a Derby is a Derby no matter what and that includes a Youth derby. They will come into the game ready to go.”

The Yellow & Blue will visit Hapoel Tel Aviv on Matchday 18 of the Ligat Ha’Al at the Moshava Stadium in Petach Tikva on Monday January 16th at 21:00. The last time the two sides met in September at the Netanya Stadium, Maccabi scored one of their most historic Derby wins as they defeated the The Reds 5:0. Sports Director Jordi Cruyff addressed the press prior to the match:

“I think that these games have tactical things that can be prepared for. But they are not games that you need to motivate the players as they will come into the game with 200% effort. Plus their fans will be behind them so we can’t go into the game with any arrogance but with the goal to win and to take the points.”

Maccabi won last Derby 5:0:

“Every game is different and we don’t look like the same team when we won 5:0. We have to be focused on ourselves with maximum concentration.”

Hapoel is coming into the game in a different situation:

“It depends how you want to look at it. It’s a Derby and anything can happen. When someone is hurt or if you are in a difficult situation they will I give more than 100%. Derbies are full of surprises.”

Coaching his last game:

“We will see in the coming days.”

Rumors in the media:

“I don’t put any energy or attention in to what people write and we want to focus on our own job and isolate the stories that are on the non professional side.”

Chasing Beer Sheva:

“It’s our own fault that we are in this situation and a lot depends on the character we have on the team. It’s a chance to see what type of character we have and this situation was a consequence of us not winning games that we should have won.”

Playing better now than two weeks ago:

“I don’t think I changed anything and I think the players stepped it up over the past few games. The players are taking responsibility.”

The Starting XI:

“Every game has a different strategy so we will see. This philosophy is not part of modern football. You make a squad with different ingredients as each game requires different people. I have never seen Haris Medunjanin or Nosa Igiebor as a defensive midfielder and you can’t say that Maccabi is a defensive team. The stats over the past few years say that we are an offensive club.”

Oscar Scarione’s fitness:

“He is fit, last game he wasn’t not 100%. But we will see in a bit where he stands”

Barak Itzhaki’s status with the club:

“A player who has played the past few games is not in the plans to leave. Barak knows the true story and clubs may want him but he knows the full story.”

Over the past number of seasons Maccabi Tel Aviv fans have witnessed some exciting moments in the Derby against Hapoel Tel Aviv. The next encounter between the sides falls on Matchday 18, this coming Monday night and it gives us enough time to look at some of the great moments during the Jordi Cruyff era. After checking out the highlights make sure to vote for for the best Yellow & Blue Derby!

2016/17 Season: Maccabi Tel Aviv 5:0 Hapoel Tel Aviv
46 years after Avi Cohen z”l and his teammates defeated Hapoel by the largest margin in history, those at the Netanya Stadium saw an unforgettable Derby which also happened to be Maccabi’s 50th victory over their city rival. Nosa Igiebor opened the scoring in the 5th minute and was followed by winger Tal Ben Chaim’s brace, while Vidar Kjartansson added a brace of his own.

History in Short
Aleksandr “Shura” Uvarov (Born 13.1.60) is considered to be one of the greatest foreigners to ever play for Maccabi Tel Aviv and in fact one of the greatest to play in the country. After appearing in 11 international contests for the USSR, including the 1990 World Cup, Uvarov arrived at Maccabi from Dynamo Moscow in 1991/92. His early beginnings for the Yellow & Blue were shaky as he gave up 9 goals in his first three matches which also saw him pick three late balls out of the back of his net against Beitar Tel Aviv which irritated both the fans and the press.

However, the criticism subsided quickly enough as Uvarov showed his fine skills and helped the Yellow & Blue win their first championship in 13 seasons. Uvarov was a rock in goal not missing a single minute in 46 official Maccabi Tel Aviv matches in his first season. The keeper also helped the Yellow & Blue return to the main stage of Israeli football over the next few campaigns due to his stellar play. Known for his solid professionalism, his top notch personal character made him one of the most loved players amongst the supporters.

Uvarov’s contribution not only saw him win a championship but throughout his career he collected all of the titles available in the country. His greatest campaign was undoubtedly the 1995/96 Double Season when he gave up only 16 goals in 30 matches. Uvarov was considered the best shot stopper in Israel during the 1990’s and played a key role for the club.

Uvarov acclimated to Israel not only on the pitch but off of it a well. The keeper obtained Israeli citizenship and after his retirement in 1999/00 he remained at Kiryat Shalom as the goalkeepers coach, a role that he still holds today. “Shura” also worked in the same position with the Israel National Team for 12 years between 2000-2012.

Honors and Awards
Championships: 1991/92, 1994/95, 1995/96
State Cups: 1993/94, 1995/96
Toto Cups: 1992/93, 1998/99
Appearances: 362

 

Yossi Benayoun, the Yellow & Blue midfielder spoke to Lior Timor and Asaf Shemesh on the Official Podcast of Maccabi Tel Aviv about his season up to now, bidding adieu to Shota Arveladze as well as looking ahead to the Tel Aviv Derby on Monday night:

“I’ve been lucky to have taken part in many big Derbies over my career both in Israel and in a number of other countries. Any Derby is special in any case and I was fortunate to score in the Toto Cup Derby this season; it was a very special moment for me. We also had the 5:0 Derby which I didn’t take part in but was extra special for the Club. Every match is a new contest and you always have to go into every game ready to go in order to get the most out of it.”

Saying goodbye to Head Coach Shota Arveladze:

“It’s never a good feeling when a coach or anyone else loses their job but that’s how it is in football. The Club wasn’t doing well and the person that paid the price was the coach and that’s how it works. You can always change a few players but not everyone. Unfortunately, we went through a rough time and the Club made a decision to do what they did. We have to work hard and put in our best effort on the pitch. The last few matches you can see that we have more energy and hopefully this will continue over the next few games.”

The season to date:

“We had an excellent start to the season and we were at the top of the table along with advancing to the Europa League Group Stages. Everything was nice and rosy. But some players including myself didn’t get a lot of minutes and we started to not play as well as we should have. The whole situation became a snowball that just kept rolling down the hill and getting bigger. It’s hard to explain all of the reasons as to why it happened but we have to learn from this and continue to improve.

I’m also feeling better about myself as I’ve taken the opportunities that I had been given with both hands and made sure to capitalize on them. But we all still have to work hard and what was against Raanana and in the State Cup is now in the past. We have to continue to do the best we can when given the chance to do so. I’m sure that there will be a rotation so each one of us has to show our worth to get back onto the right track and change up the season.”

Regaining confidence:

“That’s for sure and you can see that from the way we played. We ran hard, played tough and showed Bnei Lod that we came to win the match. Raanana is a tough team and they are a team that beat Hapoel Beer Sheva 1:0 recently so we knew that they would be a difficult opponent. But we also knew that if we came into the contest and raced after every loose ball then we would show them that we were there to take the three points. Once we do those types of things the pressure lessens and the balls begin to go into the goal. Confidence is something that needs to come from a string of good results and I hope that we are now where we want to be and not go back to where we were.”

Importance of pressing:

“A lot of times once you score one goal you lay off a bit as you feel that the game has already been won. So it’s important that after each goal we press again and go for a second and third goal in order to never give them a chance to get into the game. We have to go into every match raring and ready to go so the other side knows that we are coming to win. That will be the same case in the Derby on Monday.”

Benayoun’s current status with the Club:

“You’ve never heard me complain about my situation with Maccabi at all. It may be something that a reporter comes up with but I am here to work hard and take advantage of the opportunities. Just like every player who wants to get a chance to perform it’s just natural that we all have that itch to play. I tried to work hard and prove that I deserved more minutes and I’m happy that over the last two games I was given that chance and if I don’t, I’ll still work hard. I will always give it my all. My teammates are great and we have a great lockerroom.”

Working with the younger players:

“It’s part of my personality and I did the same with the other clubs that I was with. Whether it was Liverpool or Arsenal, I always worked with the younger players to try and help them out as much as possible. We also have plenty of guys that do the same.”

Preparing for the Derby:

“We have to concentrate on our own game and not at the situation that Hapoel is in. We prepared this way for Raanana and if we continue to do what we did, pressing for the ball and working hard then we will win no matter what team will play against us. We have to just work on ourselves and go into every game exactly with that attitude. A Derby is always hard and we have to be ready.”

Expectations for the balance of the season:

“I hope that we will all be healthy, enjoy the rest of the season, succeed, win matches and take home some trophies.”