Dor Micha, the Yellow & Blue midfielder sat down for an exclusive interview with the Official Website about the Europa League, assists, growing up in Maccabi and his relationship with winger Tal Ben Chaim:

Becoming friends with Tal Ben Chaim:

“I remember the first day that Tal Ben Chaim came to the club and he gave me a hug and said how much he liked me, but I really didn’t even know him. I asked why he was so excited to see me and apparently once he signed with Maccabi someone that had my picture on WhatsApp was texting him all week and he thought it was me. He said how amazing it was to come to Maccabi. It took him more than a month to figure out it really wasn’t me who he was messaging with, so that’s how we hit it off.”

Dreaming Maccabi:

“When you grow up in the Maccabi system you always have dreams of winning the championship and I was at the games when they played in the Champions League back in 2004. Then it was just a dream, but last season I was actually able to fulfill it and be part of the Champions League as well.”

Micha’s first goal against Hapoel Ramat Gan:

“They called me to train with the First Team on a Wednesday for a match on Saturday. I had two training sessions and Moti Ivanir told me that I was going to be in the Starting XI and I was shocked, I didn’t expect it but it turned out fine.”

Walking out on the pitch with the Captain’s armband:

“I have been able to experience so many amazing accomplishments with the team I love so much, so it was extremely exciting to be able to lead the Club onto the pitch in Hajduk as Captain. Both my mother and father told me after the match that they almost cried. I was so proud to be able to wear both the Maccabi jersey and Captain’s armband, it was like a dream come true.”

The assist man:

“I think that my assist numbers are good and the last few years I’ve been able to finish off the season in double digits, so I’m pretty strong in this department. But when it comes to scoring goals, I know that this is a place where I can be doing better. I have been ok but I know that I can do it and be even better.”

The complete package:

I’m not trying to compare, but a player like Iniesta who may score only one goal a season is considered to be a great player and scorer. I also want to be able to have the complete package but as of today I know that I do well in passing the ball and I am pretty good at it.”

Ending last season empty handed:

“It’s hard to explain in words how difficult that moment was when we lost the State Cup Final. It was a disappointing year as we had just lost out on the league title a few days earlier and then the Cup Final. It was one of the toughest, if not the toughest loss in my career. On one hand we could have finished with the Double plus we played in the Champions League, that would have been great, but instead we ended with nothing, just bitter disappointment. I was at home replaying everything in my head and looking at what I could have done differently or what I could have done better so the title could have stayed with us.”

The drive:

Certainly losing out on the titles have given us the drive to want to win this season. We may have been hurt a bit last year, but we are coming into this campaign full of energy and desire to win.”

The European challenge:

“We’ve played in the Europa League before and collected plenty of points. Truthfully, this is the level that we are at and last year was a miracle that we advanced to the Champions League, but this is really where we belong. We are coming into the competition confident and I believe that we can really do some pretty nice things. Zenit is a little bit above the rest but I don’t think that the other clubs are there with us, so I think we can definitely do something in this tournament.”

What do you tell your father on the last Matchday of the season:

“To come down to the pitch and take a picture with the Championship Plate.”

Former Maccabi legend, Nir Klinger came on the program to discuss what the club needs to do to succeed in Europa League action against Zenit:

“Maccabi is a good team, there’s no question about that, but they had a bit of a problem in the back and there were too many attacking players that clogged up the offense. Arveladze needs to even out the team a bit.”

Making adjustments:

“Against Zenit will have to make some adjustments against Zenit instead of two more defensive minded midfielders but three. When you play against a better opponent you must strengthen your midfield.”

The midfield:

“Maccabi has played for a long time with three strong midfielders and they win championship and were able to get to the Champions League that way. So there’s no doubt they can do it. When Maccabi has players that are responsible on both defense and offense the team is more even keeled and this is what I believe that they have to do against Zenit.”

About new recruit Vidar Kjartansson:

“He’s an excellent striker and I saw him play for Malmo. This past game he may have been a bit slow, but it’s probably due to his first match in Israel, the heat and getting used to his new environment. But you’re talking about a high level striker who can play well and he is definitely a terrific addition to Maccabi Tel Aviv.

More on the Yellow & Blue Europa League chances:

“Maccabi must get a result including a draw which would be good also. Zenit is the best team in the group and better than Alkmaar and Dundalk. They shouldn’t have a problem playing against Alkmaar, but Dundalk is a quality side that is even more dangerous away than at home. There’s no question that Maccabi is the better side, but you can’t count on taking 6 points from them.”

The result against Zenit on Thursday?

“Zenit is the better club but I’ll go for a 1:1 draw.”

Dor Hoffman from Yisrael Hayom joined the program to discuss the Yellow & Blue’s Thursday night opponent:

“Zenit is a Champions League quality side and is always battling for the Russian league title. But over the past couple of seasons Rostov has improved and they are now looking at third place which is good for a Europa League slot.”

Personnel:

“They have had a few players that have left to go to China and Spain, but they also have brought some new players in including Giuliano from Gremio and Slovakian Robert Mak. Axel Witsel almost went to Juventus but is still playing with Zenit and will be a threat.”

Zenit’s recent form:

“Zenit scores a lot of goals and won away at Arsenal Tula 5:0, but they are still a team that is still trying to find their identity. Maccabi can take advantage of the situation since they may be vulnerable even if Zenit’s budget is higher as long as they come and play.”

Head Coach Mircea Lucescu:

“He made Shakhtar Donetsk into a real empire and has come to Zenit to bring them back up to the top of the league. He has plenty of experience and knows exactly what he is doing. This is a club that will certainly take the Europa League seriously but it will be interesting to see what he does with his Starting XI as he may be focussing on the league and to try and get up to 1st or 2nd place which will send them to the Champions League next year.

Prediction for Thursday night:

“Zenit has an exactly squad and even if they bring in substitutions they will still be very strong. I think that this could be a close game and will end 2:2.”

Tal Ben Haim joined Lior Timor on Maccabi-Cast and began by discussing Sunday night’s contest against Beitar Jerusalem:

“There was a lot to think about after the game especially when we gave up a goal on the last play of the match. But we are slowly but surely focussing on Thursday night’s match against Zenit.”

Returning from injury:

“I keep feeling better game by game after coming back from injury. The first half we had some problems, but really played much better in the second half. Of course we were disappointed giving up a goal very late in the match but we have to look ahead and improve.”

Getting credit from Coach Shota Arveladze:

“The coach understood I had a very serious injury and the first few matches of the season I didn’t feel great and was slow with some pain, but over the last few games I’m feeling much better and I’m really pleased that the coach has faith in me.”

Battling for a position in the Starting XI:

“Maccabi had won a number of titles the last few years with some very good players, so I had to fight from my spot in the lineup to play. However, competition is always good and brings out the best in each and every one of us.”

Yellow & Blue in Europe:

“Maccabi Tel Aviv is a club that always wants to participate in European play whether it’s the Champions League or Europa League. Last season we played against team’s with much higher budgets than ours and they all had top level players. I hope that we will be able to play attractive football and take points against the teams in the Europa League this campaign.”

Advancing in Europa League play:

“As footballers we all have the goal to win and we all believe that we can advance. If we play well and we play our football then I believe that we can go to the Round of 32.”

About the squad:

“We have a very good, strong and healthy dressing room with a great bunch of guys. When you have a dominant player like Eran Zahavi who scored over 30 goals leave the Club then there’s no question that others on the team have to pick up the scoring slack from the midfielders to the strikers. Eran had some great years here and will go down in the history books on the Club.”

The defense:

“Our defense is a team effort as is our offense. We have to continue to improve and we all want to help get some clean sheets but everyone is looking to work hard and help out as each game goes by.”

What to expect from Maccabi on Thursday night:

“We want to play a good game and fight for every ball. We will do the maximum in order to send the fans home happy.”

Shota Arveladze, the Yellow & Blue boss discussed his side’s disappointing draw with Beitar after giving up a goal on the final play of the match. The Georgian talked about his new player from Iceland, the international break and his disappointment in drawing at the last second:

Fighting until the final whistle:

“This is something to do. It’s quality and these are the seconds that we just have to do it. We fight and we play.”

Coming back from the International Break with a number of injuries:

“We had just a few sessions to see how the players were after they had been away for 10 days on international break and then they come back injured. I warned the boys that it’s not easy to play after the break and they have to come back and play hard and focussed. We almost gave up a goal on their first touch and gave up a number of corners. The second half was better with two goals but we have to give credit to Beitar as they did a good job and they took a point.”

About newcomer Vidar Kjartansson:

“I won’t take each player and analyze them, but rather I look at the whole team’s performance. He was able to get a goal for us today and he was quick and understood what we wanted. He knew what we wanted him to do.”

The late substitution to bring on an attacker rather than a defender or midfielder:

“I wasn’t looking for an extra man in the midfield and I wasn’t reading any danger. They had a few corners and then the foul with the free kick and we should have had more concentration. We should have gotten the points but I don’t want to take anything away from the opponent.”

The upcoming Europa League match against Zenit St. Petersburg:

“This is like a Champions League game. Zenit has been at the top and they are a quality side. This will be a good challenge for us and we are looking forward to it.”

Final comments on the draw:

“Everything we lost we will never get back and we are disappointed giving up some points at home but we have to look forward.”

After going down 1:0 in the first half, Maccabi stormed back to score two goals in the second half by Nosa Igiebor and Tal Ben Chaim via penalty, however a last gasp effort by Shimon Abuheitzera secured a draw for the visitors as the Yellow & Blue will now get ready for Europa League action at the Netanya Stadium on Thursday night against Russian outfit Zenit St. Petersburg.

Pre-Match
Head Coach Shota Arveladze’s Starting XI for the club’s first match after the international break included a number of players who featured for the national teams including Serbian keeper Predrag Rajikovic with a back four of Eli Dasa, Tal Ben Haim, Dor Peretz and Omri Ben Harush in front of him. Haris Medunjanin, Nosa Igiebor and Dor Micha who was acting captain, manned the midfield while Tal Ben Chaim, Oscar Scarione and newcomer Vidar Kjartansson provided the offensive threat.

Available on the bench were Daniel Lifshitz, Egor Filipenka, Yossi Benayoun, Gal Alberman, Eden Ben Basat, Barak Itzhaki and Avi Rikan.

First Half

Itay Shechter went on the attack right from the get go, but his first minute one-on-one effort was saved by Rajikovic as the visitors looked to take a very early lead. In the 5th minute, it was Maccabi’s turn as Ben Chaim lifted a gorgeous ball in the box that Kjartansson just missed heading into the back of the goal. Immediately after the Yellow & Blue chance, the match was halted due to a power failure and was restarted in the 15th minute.

Dor Micha found Ben Chaim but his effort was stopped by Kleyman while a beautiful give and go between Micha and Dasa almost found Kjartansson alone in front but Jesus Rueda was just able to get a foot on the ball to knock it to safety in the 28th minute.

Following a pair of yellow cards issued to Itay Shechter and Dor Peretz, Ben Chaim delivered another unbelievable cross from the left side of the box right to the feet of Micha, but his chance went off a Beitar defender and out for a corner kick in the 39th minute as Maccabi continued to threaten.

However, it would be the visitors who would strike first as Idan Vered slotted home the ball from in close to give Jerusalem a 1:0 lead in the 43rd minute. After nine minutes of added time due to the power failure the two sides headed into the break with Beitar maintaining a 1:0 advantage.

Second Half

It took a bit of time to warm up after the break, but Maccabi finally got on the board through Nosa Igiebor as number 40 headed home a Medunjanin pass in the 59th minute to draw the Yellow & Blue even with a little more than half an hour of play to go in a classic Beitar vs. Maccabi matchup.

Ten minutes later, Maccabi made the classic comeback as Kjartansson was pulled down in the box by Kleyman leading to a Ben Chaim spot kick which he duly converted slamming the ball into the top right hand corner of the goal for a 2:1 lead.

After a Igibeor yellow card, Head Coach Shota Arveladze made his first substitution of the match introducing Gal Alberman for Haris Medunajnin in the 78th minute. After a Scarione yellow card in the 82nd minute, Vidar Kjartansson was subbed off to a standing ovation in his Maccabi debut as Eden Ben Basat came on in his place six minutes later. To round out the Georgian boss’s substitutions, Barak Itzhaki was introduced for Scarione in injury time.

However, Shimon Abuheitzera who was a late substitute headed in a free kick rebound to draw Beitar even at the final whistle 2:2 as Maccabi will now look forward to a Europa League Matchday One encounter on Thursday night against Zenit St. Petersburg at the Netanya Stadium.

The Maccabi Tel Aviv Head Coach looked ahead to the Ligat Ha’Al Matchday Three contest against Beitar Jerusalem at the Netanya Stadium on Sunday at 20:45

“I didn’t see the games from last year and there were different coaches. This year is a new year, new atmosphere and a new reality. They have played enough games this year to know how good they are. They are good and we respect them, but we will play good as well.”

Strengthening the squad:

“We looked for good players and those who can make us stronger. When we decided to bring a player we made a decision and we will have to see later on if it was right or wrong, I believe that we have a strong enough squad to play in all of the competitions.”

The transfer window:

“We did a good job and sometimes there are issues with the transfer window. We respected Orlando Sa’s contract just as he did and when he got an offer he moved.”

On the new signings, Vidar Kjartansson, Sagiv Yehezkel and Daniel Miller Tenenbaum:

“We think they can help us. One is young with a lot of speed. He’s not someone who comes to the ball but we need someone who can run deep. We also looked for a young player that can score goals. It’s not easy to come to Maccabi as we have good football players and everyone has to impress. Once someone signs it’s just the start and just the beginning.”

About Barak Itzhaki:

“Since I arrived here, he knows and they all know who is important to the club. He also knows what he can bring to the club and how much respect we have for him. I did not want to let him go. I brought him in at Hajduk and he took the first penalty. Sometimes players aren’t always in the game, but he is someone who can change a game in a split second. I’m happy he’s here.”

The Youth League returns to pitches around the country this Saturday as the future stars of Israeli football including Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv’s will look to capture the league title and State Cup and bring them back to Kiryat Shalom.

Changes Up Top

This past season, Maccabi said goodbye to Nir Levin who was the Youth Department Director for the past nine years. In addition to Levin, coach Ziv Arie also bid adieu following three years in the role. Patrick Van Leeuwen has taken over for Levin and will look to advance Maccabi’s Youth Department to new heights.

Today’s Generation

Many key players ended their tenure last season with Maccabi “Shachar” and that has opened up more places for those who would normally advance to the team and also give more chances to those who are already playing with the club. Let’s take a look at who is continuing with the side from last campaign.

Tomer Altman will be wearing the Captain’s armband and the number 10 shirt as he returned from Serbia where he was part of the Under-17 Israel National Team together with Eylon Almog and Shay Golan. Joining them will be veterans Nadav Amran, Bar Galili, Amit Rosenboim, Ran Vaturi, Eden Kartzev, Amit Shapira, Or Dasa and Mahmoud Awesat who all spent a full year with the Under-17 side.

Younger players who have also featured for the Youth Club are Hen Ozeri, Noam Cohen, Moshe Peleg, Neil Goldberg, Prince Thomas, Yarin Sharabi, Nadav Reuvani, Netanel Peretz, Guni Naor and Ron Zamir.

Yellow & Blue Return

A number of players who played at other clubs last year have returned to the young Yellow & Blue. Dor Galili was loaned to Maccabi Petach Tikva last season, along with Ben Shugel and Guy Shetah who helped in Ramat HaSharon’s promotion back to the top Youth League have all returned to Maccabi “Shachar”. Ron Gabai also comes back to the squad along with keeper Omer Katz who spent the past season with SC Ashdod.

The Near Future

The Yellow & Blue start the 2016/17 campaign when they host Beitar Tubruk at their home stadium in Ramle for the second consecutive season in order to give Maccabi “Shachar” players optimal preparatory conditions for when they move up to the First Team and their pitches.

Some of the most exciting games on the schedule include a Matchday Six Derby when they host Hapoel “Nisanov” Tel Aviv and a Matchday Ten home clash versus Maccabi “Shmuel” Haifa at the Ramle Stadium.