Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv – Break

Maccabi “Oded” Tel Aviv 6:2 Beitar “Oren” Jerusalem
Eliezer Ben Aharon’s team defeated Jerusalem at Kirayt Shalom with the help of four goals by Sa’ar Berami, along with single markers by Adir Hardon and Eyal Chen. This coming weekend the club will face Maccabi Petach Tikva.

Sport Club Ironi “Morris” Ashdod 0:1 Maccabi “Eli Fuchs” Tel Aviv
The Under-16 team won away at Ashdod on a 24th minute goal by Or Dego giving Head Coach Alon Brumer the slim 1:0 victory. Next Matchday Maccabi “Eli Fuchs” will visit Hapoel Rahat.

Maccabi “Eldad” Tel Aviv – Break

Maccabi “Ilan” Tel Aviv – Break

Maccabi Tel Aviv’s veteran central defender, Eitan Tibi, spoke to the Official Website following yesterday’s 2:0 loss to Maccabi Haifa. With Beer Sheva around the corner, number 18 looked for his side to get by the rough patch they are currently going through:

“It’s very disappointing as we had plenty of chances but we couldn’t take advantage of them. They had some chances and unfortunately for us they scored. That’s football and we will continue on.”

Correcting some of the issues:

“Since the Derby, I believe we haven’t been as good and I hope that the next game against Kiryat Shemona in the Toto Cup we will be much better.”

Reasons:

“It can’t be that we are tired as we just had a two week break. I just think that we are going through a rough time right now and we will try to get out of this funk next game.”

Upcoming league match against Hapoel Beer Sheva:

“It’s a very important game and one that we really want to win. But on the other hand it’s also a match that’s taking place at the beginning of the year. I also think that the game against Haifa will have no influence on this contest.”

Maccabi Tel Aviv will kick off against Kiryat Shemona at the Netanya Stadium on Thursday night October 27th in the first leg of the Toto Cup Quarterfinals while the second leg will be in the northern city in November.

Tickets for this match are not included in season ticket package

Ticket sales for the game have begun for the Lower Section of the East Stand and are available through the Leaan Ticket Office located at 101 Dizengoff Street, by telephone *8780 and via the Leaan Website.

Ticket Prices:

Leaan Ticket Office – 30 NIS
Leaan Telephone/Website – 35 NIS
Tickets at the Box Office on Matchday – 30 NIS

The Yellow & Blue veteran, Yossi Benayoun discussed his club’s Ligat Ha’Al Matchday Seven matchup against his former team, Maccabi Haifa. He talked about joining Maccabi, the ups and downs and about the match itself:

“Every player wants to play and there is a rotation with a deep squad. I’m happy I was part of the Starting XI but unfortunately we lost. I don’t think that there are teams who don’t lose. We will move on.”

About the match:

“We had some chances and we had to make split second decisions and we didn’t make the right ones. The opponent scored and we lost. Everything will be fine, we have Beer Sheva next week and we will see.”

Playing against his former team:

“I am happy that I was part of their team and finished my time their with a Cup along with winning a couple of championships the first time I was with the team. I wish them the best of luck.”

Ups and downs:

“I’m not sure that we have had many ups and downs but look at Barcelona. They’ve also had some not so great results and the same is true with Manchester City. We are in good shape in the league as this was just our first loss this season. We won a tough game in Alkmaar and we lost to Haifa but it’s a long season.”

Joining the Yellow & Blue:

“When Maccabi Tel Aviv wanted me I was happy and I signed here with peace of mind. It was the easiest decision I’ve had to make. I’m happy we and I’ve played in plenty of games since I’ve arrived. I scored some goals and assisted on some as well.”

The next league game in Beer Sheva:

“I played in their youth department and also for their first team long ago, but we all know that Beer Sheva is an excellent team and they are in Europe this year. It will be a good game.”

Shota Arveladze, the Yellow & Blue Head Coach summed up his side’s 2:0 defeat to Haifa on Matchday Seven of Ligat Ha’Al as Maccabi suffered their first loss of the 2016/17 campaign. The Georgian spoke about his club’s effort, the chances they had on goal and the time between matches:

“There was a huge gap of time between league games when we played before the match in Ireland and after the match in Alkmaar. I mentioned it to the players yesterday and today to make sure they refocus on the league games.”

Having 23 shots to Haifa’s 2:

“This is football. We kicked 23 times but we could have been sharper. We were squeezed to the sides in the second half. We missed the goal and we didn’t score.”

On the Starting XI:

“Decisions before the game are always right. We are smart before the game.”

The decision not to start Vidar Kjartansson:

“I was thinking that the opponent was quite organized in the back and I wanted to have more balls between the lines, which worked, but we couldn’t score. That was why we chose the type of players who could play between the lines.”

About subbing out Tal Ben Chaim:

“Nothing happened. He’s the best player in the league. He scores here and scores in the National Team. We are all allowed to have a match where we are not at our best game. Everyone has a lot of expectations and the fans come to watch him. He had some great weeks and scored some very good goals. He has played many games this season and we have to give credit to him for his wonderful performances so far.”

Busy schedule coming up:

“If we look at the game see play we have never really had a bad game. We also have to give credit to the opponents who also work hard. We had 23 shots with probably half on the target. We weren’t lucky today. If you look at the game you can see that we can play and we know what we are missing and that we can play better.”

Oscar Scarione and the rest of the team:

“We have to give him credit and the rest of the players for how hard they all work. There have been a lot of games and they are putting in a tremendous effort. We will talk about it tomorrow and we will continue on. We are grateful that we are here and the opportunities we have in all of the competitions.”

Maccabi Haifa came into the Netanya Stadium and handed the Yellow & Blue their first league loss of the season as former Tel Aviv striker Eliran Atar broke the goalless affair in the first half while Gary Kagelmacher added a second half insurance marker for the Greens. Maccabi will now prepare for the first leg of the Toto Cup Quarterfinals against Kiryat Shemona on Thursday night (21:00) at the Netanya Stadium.

Prematch
Head Coach Shota Arveladze made a few changes to his Starting XI from the match in Alkmaar as Yossi Benayoun and Nosa Igiebor opened the game and Vidar Kjartansson along with Gal Alberman began on the bench. Serbian keeper Predrag Rajikovic was in goal with Eli Dasa, Eitan Tibi, Tal Ben Haim and Omri Ben Harush in front of him. Eyal Golasa, Igiebor and Haris Medunjanin were in the midfield while Benayoun, Oscar Scarione and Tal Ben Chaim provided the attack.

The Maccabi bench included Daniel Lifshitz, Yuval Shpungin, Alberman, Kjartansson, Barak Itzhaki, Dor Micha and Egor Filipenka.

First Half
Coach Arveladze had to make an early substitution as the Yellow & Blue hero from the Alkmaar game Eyal Golasa picked up an injury and was replaced by Gal Alberman in the 7th minute. As both sides continued to play tentatively in the first quarter hour it was a former Maccabi player who scored for Haifa.

In the 16th minute Mario Musa lifted a ball into the box right to the feet of Eliran Atar who perfectly placed it into the far right hand corner beating Rajikovic to give the visitors the 1:0 lead. Scarione tried to even the score up in the 24th minute as he beat two defenders but his shot missed the mark while Igiebor’s followup was saved by Glazer. Three minutes later Medunjanin’s long range effort was scooped up by the Haifa keeper as Maccabi continued to threaten.

However, Haifa almost doubled their score in the 28th minute, but Atar’s hard shot went wide left of the goal. Seconds later Benayoun sent Igiebor a magnificent ball in the box but the Nigerian’s chip just missed the target. As the match hit the 38th minute Medunjanin gave Benayoun the ball on the right wing but number 51’s cross just scooted by Scarione as the score remained 1:0 to Haifa.

With the match going into first half injury time Medunjanin laced a scorcher of a shot from close range but Glazer denied the midfielder as the sides headed to the lockerrooms with Haifa holding a slim one goal advantage.

Second Half
Coach Arveladze made his second substitution of the match to open the second half as winger Tal Ben Chaim was replaced by striker Vidar Kjartansson who got right into the thick of things as he made a brilliant pass to Igiebor who’s shot just went by the short side post and out.

Scarione pressed his luck from outside of the box but his shot sailed over the bar in the 51st minute. Maccabi then made their third substitution in the 68th minute as Barak Itzhaki was introduced for Eli Dasa and the Yellow & Blue moved to a 3-5-2 formation.

However, it was Haifa who would double their lead as Gary Kagelmacher unleashed a scorcher that went into the top left hand corner of the goal beating Rajikovic for a 2:0 lead in the 72nd minute. Undaunted, Maccabi looked to cut the lead as Itzhaki’s chance in the box was just tipped by Glazer in the 76th minute while Scarione, Kjartansson, Benayoun and Itzhaki all had chances to no avail.

As the match wound down the Yellow & Blue continued to look to cut the Green’s lead but it was not to be as Maccabi fell to their first league defeat of the 2016/17 campaign.

The Yellow & Blue will host one of the biggest games on the Israeli football calendar when Maccabi Haifa visits the Netanya Stadium for the Israeli Classico on Matchday Seven of the Ligat Ha’Al on Monday night at 21:00. Maccabi will be coming into the game after defeating Alkmaar in Europa League action and will look to continue their winning ways. Captain Gal Alberman discussed tomorrow’s clash:

“It’s hard to tell what will happen. The fist few years I was with Maccabi it was hard for us to defeat Haifa. Tomorrow, we are facing a quality side that can cause us problems and we have to be very focused.”

Ups and downs:

“We are a team that is going through a process and we are still learning and improving. The match in Ireland was obviously something that we didn’t want to have happen after the Derby, but we can take a lot from that game and it’s a good lesson for all of us. We definitely gain from these experiences and it will strengthen us over the course of the season.”

Yossi Benayoun & Eyal Golasa:

“The two players are very much appreciated in our lockerroom and we hope that the crowd does as well. They have nothing to worry about as our fans will be behind them all the way. When they play when they are around the club on a day in and day out basis they are both contributing. I wasn’t with Yossi when he was with Haifa, but we all want to learn from his experiences as one of the great Israeli players of all time and one who can offer a tremendous amount to all of us.”

On seeing Coach Arveladze play:

“I saw him play and he made it to the highest levels, one that we can’t even imagine. It’s a big advantage for us and he can give us tips and ideas especially in the offensive side of things.”

Improving:

We are very careful with what we say and are discreet about what things need to be improved but we are always looking to get better. In the game in Holland we played certain points at a very high level and in general we want to take our game to the next level and be much more dominant.”

About the National Team:

“People that know me understand that once I make a decision, that’s it. I had a very intense and long period of time with the National Team and now is the time for younger players to pick up the baton and others who can play the position that I did.”

After the important victory over Alkmaar, Maccabi Tel Aviv gets back to league play following a three week break as they take on Maccabi Haifa at the Netanya Stadium tomorrow night at 21:00. The Yellow & Blue find themselves at the top of the table after six Matchdays and want to continue where they left off after the Derby victory.

The Maccabi Tel Aviv Head Coach Shota Arveladze spoke at the prematch press conference prior to his club’s contest against the Greens:

“I think every game has been important up until now and every game coming up will be important as well. Anything we lose we won’t be able to get back again. We have had a good run and games like tomorrow will make us stronger. All the guys want to play and I have a tough decision to make but this is great problem for a coach when all the players come back from international break and are in shape. We have a excellent medical staff and I have to thank them for the great work that they do.”

About Haifa:

“I think that they play good football and they are good in counterattacks as well. Their coach’s knowledge is good and he will want to play football so it should be a good game as both teams will come and play which will be good for the supporters. They also have quick players and I know who has scored in the past. They can hurt us if we aren’t alert.”

On being the favorite:

“We want to have that feeling of being the favorite every game we play. In Europe we also want to have that feeling, but also don’t want to be arrogant. We want to have the belief so that we can be number one in the league here. We want to believe that we are strong and will do well.”

Player selection:

“It’s a pity that we can only have 18 players in the squad. When everyone is fit then you have to make a choice and leave some players outside of the squad. It’s not a good feeling but those are the rules. The size should be 22 players and provides good competition for everyone as we play in 4 competitions and for some players a fifth with their National Teams.”

Improving:

“We have played more than 22 games and there were only two games that we played really well one of which was the Derby. I was definitely looking for a good game in Ireland, but this is football. That’s why Man City can lose 4:0 as well. I have to give credit to the Irish team as they played well. But I mentioned to the captain that we can continue and go and show how good we are. There is a process that we are going through here at Maccabi and it’s not about just showing up, but we want to make each and every training session better and better.”

On who will play against Haifa:

“I haven’t made the choices yet as we have one day to go, but we are lucky that we have a team that every player can play in every game. Some of the younger guys didn’t have a chance to play and everyone wants to play. We know that this game is special for some guys and we have to have a good session later today and then we will see.”

About Eyal Golasa:

“We signed Golasa because we believed in him and that we would be stronger than what we have been. We knew from the first day he was here that he could give us more power from the midfield. He’s always in a good mood and loves football. He went to the National Team and had a chance to play and he had the same chance with us and did a good job.”