Category: News

Youth Department action, Saturday January 14, 2017

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Kiryat Shemona – Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv, 11:00, Kiryat Shemona
Guy Tzarfati’s Club will look to keep the positive momentum going as they head to the north of the country on Matchday 15 of the Youth Ligat Ha’Al. The young Yellow & Blue have won two games in a row and currently sit in 3rd place with 27 points while their Kiryat Shemona counterparts find themselves in 5th place with 24 points.

Gadna “Roni” Tel Aviv – Maccabi “Eli Fuchs” Tel Aviv, 8:45, Gadna Tel Aviv pitch
The Under-16’s are in a battle for the top spot of the league as their coach Alon Brumer will try to keep them as close as possible to the peak of the league as they play a Little Derby on Matchday 15 against the last place team.

Maccabi “Eldad” Tel Aviv – Beitar “Gadi” Jerusalem, 10:30, Kiryat Shalom
Ori David’s team currently leads their Under-15 league and will look to keep up their fine record of no losses on Matchday 13.

Maccabi “Oded” Tel Aviv (Under-17) and Maccabi “Ilan” Tel Aviv (Under-15) are off this Matchday.

Golasa: “We worked for every ball & played hard”

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Eyal Golasa, the Yellow & Blue midfielder spoke to the assembled media following the 4:1 win over Hapoel Raanana on Matchday 17 of the Ligat Ha’Al. Number 23 touched on a number of subjects including Yossi Benayoun, getting the start and about not being able to play recently:

“I’m not sure if that was what was missing but I’m happy that I can contribute to the team as my head wasn’t into the game over the past couple of weeks due to my daughter. It was a difficult situation but thankfully everything is ok now. We are all one big family and I received so much support from all of the players and staff.”

Rejuvenated play:

“I don’t think it was connected to the coach. We came into today’s game and we worked for every ball and if we play hard we will look like a totally different team.”

Getting the starting nod:

“I was a bit surprised that I got the start but I got back into things at the beginning of the week and I’m happy that I was able to play well.”

Narrowing the gap at the top of the table:

“We have to look at just ourselves and play as we did today and hopefully we can cut into the lead at the top of the table.”

Issues at Hapoel Tel Aviv:

“It really doesn’t concern us as to who we are playing as we look at ourselves and work on our game. We will come into the game to play well and win.”

Effect of changing the Head Coach:

“When you make a change drastic things sometimes work out for the best and we will continue on.”

Doing the best that he can:

“I’m only 25 and I’m not about to stop. I come into every training session to do the best that I can.”

About Yossi Benayoun:

“Yossi is a great player and we all know what he has contributed to the team. No one is surprised as to how well he played.

Who will be the new coach:

“We will wait and see.”

Cruyff: “We’re getting our belief and confidence back”

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Jordi Cruyff, the Yellow & Blue Sports Director spoke about the Yellow & Blue’s 4:1 win against Netanya Stadium co-tenants Hapoel Raanana on Matchday 17. Cruyff began by discussing if he would continue as coach:

“I don’t think that it’s appropriate and suits my principles and values. I always advise that it’s bad karma to take the place of a coach and I’m not comfortable with it.”

Passion:

“The players passion and aggressiveness doesn’t come from a coach but from inside of themselves. I think we looked in the mirror and we saw what we had done wrong and what the reality is. The first thing is to get the belief and confidence back and get the fans back in our side. When the supporters are behind the team the situation is always better. It was time for all of us to step up.”

Potential new head coach:

“We drafted a short list and different options. We look at how the team looks now and in January as well as the summer. We will look at who is most appropriate including Israelis and foreigners. The owner will have to decide once we get down to a list of three and I don’t have any problem with that.”

Being both the Sports Director and Head Coach:

“I told the players that I’m in a difficult situation when I make a lineup as a sports director. My message was that each game needs a different strategy which means different players. Monday we will need different players as it’s a Derby and it’s about a lot of emotion and passion. For that game we will look for players with personality.”

Changes:

“There will be some changes and we will have more changes since there will be a new coach and we will fill the 6th foreigner position which is still owner.”

Hapoel’s difficulties:

“Football is about emotions, passion and decisions. Hapoel has a fan base that always supports their club and they should be happy about that. We also have a great fan base. I have no smile about the difficulties that others are in. You don’t wish bad karma on someone because it may come back to you.”

About Yossi Benayoun:

“He’s given us a lot and it’s very motivating to see a teammate with his status and what he does when he plays like a nineteen year old. He’s been very motivational for the club. He will always be a leader for whatever club he plays for and I can see from his teammates that he is very respected.”

Vidar Kjartansson’s status:

“He’s a player we believe in and some players need an adaptation period and other players have to understand that. We didn’t know how to feed Orlando Sa as striker and he’s at the top of the goal scoring list in Belgium. Vidar has always scored goals wherever he has played and has scored about ten goals over all competitions.”

Total Football: Maccabi beats Raanana 4:1. Watch

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The Yellow & Blue picked up a 4:1 victory over Hapoel Raanana on Matchday 17 thanks to goals by Yossi Benayoun, Barak Itzhaki, Tal Ben Chaim and Vidar Kjartansson as they now can focus on the Tel Aviv Derby this coming Monday night.

Highlights: Maccabi TLV – Hapoel Raanana 4:1

Prematch
Sports Director Jordi Cruyff was on the sidelines again and his Starting XI included Serbian keeper Predrag Rajikovic, with Eli Dasa, Egor Filipenka, Eitan Tibi and Avi Rikan in front of him. Captain Gal Alberman was in charge of the midfield along with Eyal Golasa and Yossi Benayoun by his side. Tal Ben Chaim, Barak Itzhaki and Vidar Kjartansson provided the firepower up front.

Available on the bench were Daniel Lifshitz, Haris Medunjanin, Eden Ben Basat, Dor Micha, Sagiv Yehezkel, Tal Ben Haim and Nosa Igiebor.

First Half
Maccabi got off to a fast start as Yossi Benayoun put the Yellow & Blue on the scoresheet in the 8th minute. Number 51 received the ball from Itzhaki and unleashed a tremendous shot into the corner of the goal from 16 meters to give the hosts a 1:0 lead. Four minutes later Benayoun almost doubled the score as his header off of a Rikan corner just went over the bar.

In the 32nd minute, Ben Chaim’s effort from 18 meters out was caught by Raanana keeper Arik Yanko and two minutes later Kjartansson’s volley from a Ben Chaim corner flew over the goal as Maccabi looked to add to their lead. And add to the lead they would in the 38th minute thanks to Itzhaki who finished off a team effort led by Dasa and Kjartansson for a 2:0 advantage that the Yellow & Blue would take into the break.

Second Half
Mohamed Shaker would close the gap early on in the second half as the striker beat Rajikovic to the far corner in the 51st minute. However, three minutes later Tal Ben Chaim would work his magic to give the Yellow & Blue their two goal lead back as he would score from the penalty spot to make it 3:1 for Maccabi.

Cruyff made his first substitution of the evening in the 65th minute by inserting Dor Micha into the fray in favor of Itzhaki. Maccabi would then add to their lead soon thereafter via Kjartansson who scored from in close thanks to Rikan’s corner that Ben Chaim laid off for the Icelander to give the Yellow & Blue a commanding 4:1 advantage.

Rikan almost added the fifth marker but his laser from 17 meters out missed the target in the 72nd minute while Benayoun’s half bicycle kick just went off of the bar and out. Nosa Igiebor then entered the contest for Benayoun while Sagiv Yehezkel was introduced for Eyal Golasa in the 82nd minute as Maccabi completed a tidy 4:1 win as they now prepare for the Tel Aviv Derby at Hapoel this coming Monday night.

NEW: Training Principles in Modern Football Course

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Over the last few years, sports science has become essential in providing information to plan, implement and monitor training programs in the field of football. This coming March, a brand new course will be launched in conjunction with the Maccabi Tel Aviv Sports Science Department and the Wingate Institute for Physical Education and Sports that will deal with training methodologies in modern football. The course which will be a total of 60 academic hours and will meet 12 times at Kiryat Shalom. Lecturers will include Dr. Antonio Dello Iacono, Course Coordinator, the Youth Department’s Performance Director Patrick van Leeuwen, Raymond Atteveld and other coaches from the department.

Registration for the course which begins on March 10th and will be held on Fridays between 09:30-14:30 is already open. In an interview with the Official Website, Dello Iacono discussed what awaits those who take part in the course.

What was the idea behind the course?
“This is something that I’ve wanted to do for a long time and it’s thanks to Patrick and the new work methods that have been implemented in the Youth Department which sped up the process of starting the course. We decided to not only touch on the theoretical side but also on the methodology of training along with the aspects of the professional, philosophical and tactical parts of the game.

Each class will be five academic hours and the course will be split up into three parts. The first will be in the classroom and will deal with the scientific and professional background which will include many practical examples. We will then move onto the pitch for part two where the Youth Department coaches will put what was learnt in the classroom into practice while the third part will be an open discussion, analysis of what was put into practice and a wrap up of both the theory and practical parts of the course.”

What requirements are necessary to enroll in the course?
“The criteria is that registrants must be football coaches and not a football counselor or group leader. They must have a professional background. A third year student who is a candidate for a physical education degree and has passed a test in scientific basics of physical fitness may register. A person without a background or experience may not register for the course because it will be taught at a very high professional level and we want the participants to be able to understand the course matter. Another goal further down the line is to expand the course to a year, but right now there will be 60 hours over 12 classes.”

What are the advantages of this course?
“The practical experience of the lecturers. Whether it’s a coach who was once a player, or a performance director who has managed both youth departments and first teams over the course of 15 years or one who has an academic background based on a tremendous amount of scientific research.”

Cruyff: “Raanana must be respected”

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Sports Director Jordi Cruyff addressed the assembled media as the club prepares in earnest for their Ligat Ha’Al Matchday 17 contest against Hapoel Raanana after coming off of 3:0 State Cup win over Bnei Lod this past Saturday night. Cruyff began by taking about Raanana:

Cruyff: “Raanana must be respected”

“It’s an opponent that we respect and has given us issues in the past. It’s one of the three teams that beat Maccabi at Bloomfield last season, so they must be respected.”

Is Maccabi still in the championship race?

“We have an obligation at Maccabi to work and win and the question is not really relevant to the situation.”

Oscar Scarione’s status:

“He’s training and back from a long injury. He played some minutes and fell again on the same injury and we will check today as to how he feels.”

Facing Raanana again in the Israel State Cup two weeks from now:

“The Cup is a different competition altogether and it’s a different type of vibe. But as you know we always focus on the next match which is the most important one.”

Avi Rikan talked about the Club’s style of play and return to the Starting XI:

“Last match I was in the Starting XI was against Hapoel Haifa before Bnei Lod, but I’ll be ready any time I’m called upon. I’m not surprised to be back in as I’m working hard and preparing myself which I’ll do today.”

Changes in the squad:

“There are always changes in football squads but we have to do the maximum with the personnel that we have and not focus on what’s going on off of the pitch. We will do what we have done in the past and perform as best as we can.”

Playing better:

“I agree we have to improve and begin to play better football. The win in the State Cup match will give us a bit of confidence and the fact that we scored three goals, is good as well.”

Style of play:

“We always want to play the same way and control the tempo of the contest. But we have to translate that control into goals. We know what we want to do when we come into every match. We play our way and we can take advantage by playing quick football and controlling the flow of the game. This way it will be a bit easier to score and move forward as well.”

Avi Rikan meets with schoolchildren about Fair Play

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Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Avi Rikan visited the Yehuda Maccabi School in Tel Aviv this morning and met with the third grade students concerning Fair Play and violence in sports.

Rikan spoke with the students for an hour about his personal story, his career and the path he took at their age to become a professional footballer along with discussing how he and his teammates deal with the issue of Fair Play on the pitch.

Following the visit, Rikan said: “A friend of mine asked that I come and speak to the children at school who love to play football during recess and sometimes when they really get into it, begin to argue and fight. They specifically requested that I talk about what it’s like from my point of view as a professional footballer to respect an opponent which is something that we do when we train and play.


The children really enjoyed hearing about my career and asked how I feel and behave when I lose as well as how I respect my colleagues. I hope that they learned something from me and I know that I learnt plenty from them. Kids today are very hooked on television, computers, phones and the internet. They are exposed to everything which makes our responsibility even greater.”

The Maccabi Foundation launches Operation: Warming Up

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You know that old coat that’s been sitting in your closet for the past number of years? Or that sweater that hasn’t seen the light of day and has become an integral part of your cupboard? Now it’s time to give away the old, donate and get something new.

The Maccabi Tel Aviv FC Foundation and “HaBoydem” are pleased to announce a partnership together with one goal in mind, supporting the community. HaBoydem isn’t just a regular clothing store but one whose goal is to create self-sustaining second hand clothing stores which is serviced by people with disabilities who are being trained and empowered to maximize their potential, and integrate back into the competitive workplace.

As part of the project from January 10-31 any fan who contributes a coat, sweater or sweatshirt at the donation points at the Official Stores and merchandise stands around the stadium on Matchday will receive a 50% off coupon good towards any item from the Club’s Winter Collection.

This month let’s donate the old and get something new!