Watch: Maccabi advances to playoff round with 2-1 win

Maccabi Tel Aviv came into the second leg of their Europa League third round qualifying match with a 3:1 goal advantage from last game away at Pandurii and advanced to the playoff round with a 2:1 win at the Netanya Stadium

The Yellow & Blue moved on to the playoff round of the Europa League with a 2:1 (5:2 on aggregate) victory at home on goals by Nosa Igiebor and Oscar Scarione as Maccabi will find out who their opponent will be tomorrow at the draw being held in Nyon, Switzerland.

Head Coach Shota Arveladze’s Starting XI had Serbian keeper Predrag Rajikovic in goal with a defensive quartet of Eli Dasa, Eitan Tibi, Egor Filipenko and Avi Rikan in front of him. Captain Gal Alberman was in his usual defensive midfielder position as Haris Medunjanin and Nosa Igiebor rounded our the middle of the pitch. The attack featured Yossi Benayoun, Dor Micha and Orlando Sa.

First Half

Maccabi Tel Aviv came out strong with a number of chances in the opening quarter hour, however none found the back of the goal. Benayoun’s 7th minute header went wide, Sa’s effort missed the goal as well in the 10th minute, while Micha found Dasa in the box but his weak chance was easily collected by Pandurii keeper David Lazar.

In the 24th minute the Yellow & Blue broke the ice as Medunjanin gave Igibeor a wonderful pass in the box that the Nigerian midfielder easily headed home for the 1:0 lead. Number 4 tried his luck from 20 meters out in the 30th minute but his effort was saved by Lazar while Micha’s long range screamer went just wide of the mark.

Rikan’s sharp shot from the left wing was caught by the keeper in the 37th minute and two minutes later a Dasa right side effort was collected by the Lazar yet again as Maccabi continued to search for their second goal of the contest. Igibeor almost did exactly that in the 45th minute but his chance was saved as the sides headed down for the break with Maccabi holding onto a 1:0 advantage.

Second Half

Medunjanin and Igiebor tried to connect again just as they did in the first half but their 48th and 51st minute opportunities couldn’t be converted into another goal. However, Pandurii’s Marian Pleasca did make good on his solo effort going coast to coast on the right wing and then putting the ball by Rajikovic to tie up the match.

Coach Arveladze made his first substitution of the evening in the 59th minute inserting Oscar Scarione for Gal Alberman who handed the captain’s armband to Yossi Benayoun, Maccabi’s new number 5 Scarione had his first chance of the night but his shot just went wide left of the goal while Medunjanin’s ensuing free kick hit the woodwork as the Yellow & Blue continued to threaten the Pandurii goal.

After Barak Itzhaki came on for Sa in the 72nd minute, Maccabi finally broke through for their second goal of the match. Scarione scored his first for his new team, slotting home a wonderful pass by Micha in the box for a 2:1 lead in the 80th minute. Two minutes later, Arveladze made his third substitution of the evening introducing Eden Ben Basat for Yossi Benayoun who handed off the captain’s armband to Itzhaki.

Ben Basat immediately had a marvelous opportunity going one on one with Lazar after taking a brilliant Scarione pass, but number 9’s effort went right into the keeper as the score remained as is as Maccabi advanced to the playoff round of the Europa League.

The Yellow & Blue moved on to the playoff round of the ...

Start your engines! The Youth Club is preparing for the Heemskerk Tournament

Ori Uzan and his squad are continuing to get ready for the new season as they will head out for their Holland training camp that will begin with a 3-day tournament

The Toto Youth League is coming closer and closer as Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv is preparing in earnest for the upcoming 2016/17 campaign. Yesterday, the young Yellow & Blue under Head Coach Ori Uzan played a friendly against Nes Ziona and were victorious thanks to goals by Eden Kartzev and Shay Golan in the 2:0 win.

On Wednesday, Maccabi “Shachar” will play their Petach Tikva counterparts in the final preseason match before heading off on August 12th to their training camp in Holland.

The camp will begin with the Heemskerk Tournament where other clubs including Feyenoord, Club Brugge and Malmö will all participate. Following the competition, the players will continue with their training camp that in total will last a total of ten days. Until they depart, the Yellow & Blue will train at Kiryat Shalom under the watchful eye of Professional Director Patrick Van Leeuwen.

The Toto Youth League is coming closer and closer as Maccabi “Shachar” ...

Maccabi wins Toto Cup Opener 1:0

Maccabi Tel Aviv began their domestic campaign against Maccabi Petach Tikva at the Netanya Stadium in Toto Cup action and picked up the Matchday One victory

The Yellow & Blue only needed one goal and they received it from Eden Ben Basat as Number 9 scored the lone marker of the evening in the 1:0 victory. Keeper Haviv Ohayon picked the shutout and Yossi Benayoun was named Man of the Match by you the fans on the Official Maccabi Tel Aviv Twitter Account @MaccabiTLVFC as the club will now prepare for the second leg of Europa League third round action on Thursday night.

Head Coach Shota Arveladze took advantage of the Toto Cup to give some of the squad who have yet to get minutes playing time. Starting in goal was youngster Haviv Ohayon with Eli Dasa, Omri Ben Harush, Eitan Tibi and Tel Ben Haim starting in front of him. Featuring in the midfield was Eyal Golasa, Eliel Peretz, Haris Medunjanin and Yossi Benayoun. Barak Itzhaki was the acting captain while Eden Ben Basat played beside him up front.

First Half

Eyal Golasa, making his first start in the Yellow & Blue picked up a yellow card after just a couple of minutes as the midfielder was cautioned for a reckless tackle. In the 17th minute some aerial action between Itzhaki, Ben Basat and Benayoun ended with number 51’s effort being blocked by Dor Elu to keep the match goalless.

As the game hit the 38th minute Golasa cut in from the left side but his screamer went flying over the goal as the contest remained 0:0. Just one minute later Itzhaki’s sharp header also went over the bar as Maccabi inched closer and closer to scoring a goal as the half came to an end.

Second Half

To begin the second half, coach Arevladze made wholesale substitutions as Dor Peretz, Egor Filipenko and Oscar Scarione all entered the match for Dasa, Tibi and Medunjanin as a total of five subs are permitted in Toto Cup play. The boss’s changes almost paid dividends immediately as Scarione’s precise right side free kick found Eliel Peretz’s head but his effort just clanged off of the bar and out to safety.

Finally in the 61st minute the Yellow & Blue broke the ice as Ben Basat put away a nifty pass by Benayoun in the box to give Maccabi a 1:0 lead. Itzhaki began the play as the acting captain found Benayoun with a fine ball deep to the right side of the area. The veteran midfielder then passed it to a wide open Ben Basat on the left side of the box who slammed it into the top shelf as Number 9 picked up the home side’s first goal of the competition.

Petach Tikva then had a pair of chances in the 68th and 71st minutes as the visitors looked for the equalizer, however, Hagai Goldenberg’s chance on a counter attack went out and Yellow & Blue keeper Ohayon made an off balance quick save that could have resulted in an own goal.

In the 78th minute Nirel Mahpod had a chance to draw his side even but his left side attempt went way wide right as Maccabi continued to hold the slim one goal advantage. The Yellow & Blue searched for an insurance marker but none was needed as they wrapped up a tidy 1:0 victory on Matchday One of the Toto Cup.

Next up is the second leg of Europa League third round qualifying as Maccabi will host Pandurii on Thursday evening, 20:30 at the Netanya Stadium with Shota Arveladze’s squad holding a 3:1 lead from the first leg that was played last week in Romania.

The Yellow & Blue only needed one goal and they received it ...

Just like home! Maccabi defeats Pandurii 3:1

The Yellow & Blue visited Pandurii in the city of Drobeta-Turnu Severin and defeated the hosts 3:1 in Drobeta-Turnu Severin in the 1st leg of Europa League 3rd round qualifying

Maccabi Tel Aviv picked up three away goals in Romania as Tal Ben Chaim, Nosa Igiebor and Dor Micha all scored for the Yellow & Blue. However, the main story of the match was Predrag Rajikovic’s brilliant play, especially in the first half as he was voted Man of the Match by the followers of the Official Maccabi Tel Aviv Twitter Account @MaccabiTLV

Head Coach Shota Arveladze made one change to his Starting XI from the last match against Kairat inserting central defender Egor Filipenko in place of Tal Ben Haim as Eitan Tibi, Dor Peretz and Avi Rikan rounded out the balance of the Maccabi defense in front of keeper Predrag Rajikovic. Captain Gal Alberman was in his standard defensive midfield position with Nosa Igiebor and Haris Medunjanin by his side as winger Tal Ben Chaim, Dor Micha and Orlando Sa provided the attack.

First Half

After a bit of back and forth play to open up the match, Claudiu Volculet had the first chance of the contest as his sharp shot was parried away to safety at the last second by a diving Rajikovic just as the game hit the 4th minute.

However, it would be Ben Chaim who would score first as the winger picked up his second goal in as many games by following up on his own chance to beat keeper Razvan Stanca a 1:0 lead in the 7th minute.

In the 12 minute Rajikovic was called upon once again as the Serbian keeper made a wonderful save in a one on one situation against Filip Mrzljak to keep the score as is. But as the half moved along so did the home side as they evened the contest up on a gorgeous header by Ovidiu Herea in the 30th minute breaking through the Maccabi defense to put the ball behind a helpless Rajikovic.

In the 37th minute Rajikovic made yet another brilliant save tipping the ball over the bar as Pandurii continued to threaten the Maccabi goal. After Ben Chaim was issued a yellow card a minute later, Volculet received one of his own in the 43rd minute of play as the sides headed into the break knotted up at 1:1.

Second half

Igiebor, who had been dangerous all night long finally cashed in on a gorgeous Medunjanin free kick as the Nigerian’s header beat the Pandurii keeper to give the Yellow & Blue a 2:1 lead in the 49th minute.

After a pair of wholesale substitutions by Pandurii, Rajikovic was again in the right place at the right time just tapping away a dangerous opportunity by Ioan Hora to keep Maccabi ahead in the 64th minute. Sa had a close range opportunity in the 73rd minute but his effort went over the goal as the Portuguese striker was replaced two minutes later by Eden Ben Basat.

Coach Arveladze was looking for a third goal and found it on the feet of Dor Micha as number 15 easily slotted home the ball from the right side after a fine assist by Ben Basat in the 77th minute to give Maccabi a 3:1 advantage. Barak Itzhaki was then introduced one minute later in favor of the second goal scorer Nosa Igiebor to see if the Yellow & Blue could muster one more strike before the end of the game.

However, it was not to be as Maccabi will have to be satisfied with a 3:1 away victory in the first leg of Europa League third round qualifying. They’ll head home for a Toto Cup match on Sunday against Maccabi Petach Tikva and the second leg against Pandurii on Thursday August 4th.

Maccabi Tel Aviv picked up three away goals in Romania as Tal ...

Watch: Alberman scores winner in 2:1 victory

Maccabi Tel Aviv defeated Kazakhstan side Kairat Almaty in the second leg of Europa League second round qualifying and advanced to face Pandurii in round three. Watch

The Yellow & Blue moved on in Europa League play thanks to a clutch goal by Captain Gal Alberman in the 85th minute. Tal Ben Chaim opened the scoring in the 5th minute while Gerard Gohou drew Kairat even in the second half. But it was number 6 who showed his leadership to send Maccabi through to the next round.

Head Coach Shota Arveladze began the match with the same Starting XI that featured in Almaty as Predrag Rajikovic was in goal with Avi Rikan, Eitan Tibi, Tal Ben Haim and Dor Peretz in front of him. Captain Gal Alberman was the defensive midfielder while Haris Medunjanin and Nosa Igiebor played in the center of the pitch. Dor Micha, Tal Ben Chaim and Orlando Sa provided the offense up front.

First Half

Even before the fans were settled in their seats after a moving tribute to Nurit Mor Zt”l the Club’s Youth Department secretary who passed away suddenly on Wednesday, Maccabi was on the board thanks to a Ben Chaim goal.

In the 5th minute, Haris Medunjanin lifted a long cross from the right side directly to the feet of winger Ben Chaim who immediately beat the left back Stanislav Lunin and slotted home a goal past Kairat keeper Vladimir Plotnikov to give the Yellow & Blue an early 1:0 lead.

Five minutes later, Ben Chaim had a chance to score again, beating Lunin once more but this time Plotnikov made the save to keep the score as is. Referee Tiago Martins from Portugal booked Ben Chaim in the 21st minute while Lunin was handed a yellow card three minute later as play began to settle down. However, in the 29th minute Andrey Arshavin cut in from the right side but his low shot just whistled by the far post.

An active Ben Chaim then tried his luck again from the left wing in the 32nd minute but his attempt sailed over the goal. As the clock hit minute 36, Arshavin came flying in on the left side but his sharp opportunity was smartly blocked by Rajikovic as the ball went off of the Serbian’s knees and out of danger.

Ben Chaim crossed the ball into the key area and right to the head of Micha, but number 15’s header went over the goal while in the 44th minute Ben Chaim sped past Anatoliy Tymoshchuk and took a scintillating shot but the ball went off of the Kairat defense and out for a corner.

Medunjanin then lifted a ball right to Igiebor who had picked up a yellow card a few minutes earlier, but his header went off of the post just before the break as the sides went into the dressing rooms with Maccabi holding a 1:0 advantage.

Second Half

Isael looked to tie up the match with a 46th minute free kick but his attempt went over the goal. In the 53rd minute Gerard Gohou was issued a yellow card and five minutes later Micha swept past three Kairat players but his screamer went just left of the goal as each side looked to a goal. And it was the visitors from Kazakhstan who found the goal first in the second half as Gerard Gohou headed in a corner in the 64th minute to draw Kairat even 1:1.

Arveladze made his first substitution of the match introducing Eli Dasa for Peretz in the 69th minute to spark the Yellow & Blue attack while Yossi Benayoun entered the fray in the 75th minute to try and find the winner.

Sa almost found it in the 82nd minute as the Portuguese striker took a magnificent pass by Medunjanin but his effort was saved by the keeper to keep the score deadlocked at 1:1.

Who would come to rescue? None other than the Captain Gal Alberman who launched an unbeliever scorcher from long range past a helpless Plotnikov to give the Yellow & Blue a 2:1 lead in the 85th minute.

To help maintain the advantage coach Arveladze brought on Egor Filipenko for Haris Medunjanin as Maccabi looked to hold the lead and win the match which they did in style as the referee blew the final whistle to send the Yellow & Blue to the next round and a date with Romanian side Pandurii.

The Yellow & Blue moved on in Europa League play thanks to ...

51 Ka(i)rat: Look back at Benayoun’s tying goal in Kazakhstan

Arshavin scored first, while Yossi Benayoun drew the Yellow & Blue even in the 90th minute with a valuable away goal. How will it end tonight? Check out the Prematch promo

Youth Players Visit Ichilov Hospital

The young players, who are just coming back from their off-season break and returning to training at Kiryat Shalom, visited the Geriatric department following practice

Slowly but surely, the youth department is coming back to life as the players are beginning to come back from the break. Today, following a training session, they went on an important field trip to the Geriatric department at Ichilov Hospital to pay a visit to the patients.

The youngsters entertained the residents and spoke to them at length. Goalkeeping coach and educational consultant, Chen Abdu spoke to the Official Website: “This is just one of the many activities that we do at the youth department. Just as the guys are coming back from their break and returning to practice, there is nothing better to do than to give back to the community.”

Slowly but surely, the youth department is coming back to life as ...

WATCH: Benayoun to the rescue in 1:1 away draw

Maccabi Tel Aviv visited Kazakhstan to face Kairat Almaty in first leg Europa League second round qualifying as Yossi Benayoun’s injury time goal cancelled out Andrey Arshavin’s first half strike

It took 90+ minutes but Maccabi was able to come back to Israel with an away goal by Yossi Benayoun as the veteran midfielder drew his side even after Andrey Arshavin’s first half goal gave Kairat an early lead.

Head Coach Shota Arveladze had Serbian keeper Predrag Rajikovic in goal with Avi Rikan, Eitan Tibi, Tal Ben Haim and Dor Peretz in front of him. Gal Alberman was wearing the captain’s armband and was in his usual defensive midfielder’s position with Nosa Igiebor and Haris Medunjanin also playing in the center of the pitch. Winger Tal Ben Chaim, Dor Micha and striker Orlando Sa provided the attack up front.

First Half

The hosts took to the offense from the get go as the Kazakhstan side are in the middle of their domestic season. Gerard Gohou had a one on one situation with Rajikovic but was ruled to be offside in the 8th minute. However, once the match settled down after a frantic start, it was Igiebor with two header chances in the 18th and 21st minutes who almost scored first, with the second header coming on a terrific Rikan cross.

But it was veteran striker Andrey Arshavin who put Kairat on top, slotting home a perfect pass in the box by Gohou to take a 1:0 lead over Maccabi in the 29th minute. Three minutes later, Sa almost drew the Yellow & Blue even when he went in on the host keeper Vladimir Pokatilov but a Kairat defender just tipped the ball away in the box. A minute later, Igiebor’s chance was robbed again by Pokatilov frustrating the Nigerian midfielder.

In the 35th minute, Isael’s 18 meter blast was saved by Rajikovic and ten minutes later, Arshavin almost doubled his side’s output by streaking down the left wing and beating Peretz, but Tibi just headed the ball away at the last seodnd for a corner kick keeping the Maccabi deficit at only 1:0 going into the break.

Second Half

With driving rain coming down in Almaty, Maccabi came out strong to begin the second half. Ben Chaim led the attack, passed the ball off to Micha who gave it back to number 11 in the box, but his low shot skirted by the left post in the 48th minute. Five minutes later, Rikan’s 18 meter screamer was just tipped over the goal by Pokatilov for a corner as Maccabi continued to search for the equalizer.

Following an Alberman yellow card, Bauyrzhan Islamkhan’s free kick was smartly stopped by Rajikovic in the 56th minute. Ten minutes later, Igiebor took an unbelievable pass in on goal but instead of shooting he tried to pass the keeper who just got a hand on the ball to pull it in to safety.

In order to change it up a bit, Arveladze introduced Yossi Benayoun in favor of Ben Chaim in the 73rd minute. Six minutes later Medunjanin tried his luck from 18 meters but his effort was collected again by the Pokatilov. Barak Itzhaki entered the match for Igiebor in the 86th minute while Eyal Golasa came on for Medunjanin a few ticks later.

And what would you know! For the second straight week it was Yossi Benayoun to the rescue as number 51 took a deep pass from Micha and scored from inside the box drawing Maccabi even and taking an home an all important away goal. Following the Benayoun strike, Kairat captain Bauyrzhan Islamkhan was issued a red card for dissent and won’t be available for next match as the game ended 1:1.

The second leg will take place next Thursday July 21st at the Netanya Stadium while the third round Europa League qualifying draw will take place tomorrow, on Friday July 15th.

It took 90+ minutes but Maccabi was able to come back to ...

First Look: One on One with Patrick Van Leeuwen

In his first interview since arriving at Kiryat Shalom as the club's Performance Director, the Dutchman explains the position's significance, the philosophy that he wants to instill together at Maccabi's youth department and his relationship with Jordi that has been cultivated over many years

It’s been exactly three weeks since Patrick Van Leeuwen (46) was officially announced as Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Performance Director. As he continues to adjust to the new position, the Yellow & Blue were drawn to face one of his former club’s, Kairat Almaty in the second round of Europa League qualifying.

Just prior to the the first leg between the two sides, Van Leeuwen conducted his first interview with the Official Website where he discussed his view on football, the plans he has for Maccabi, his connection with Jordi Cruyff and his initial impressions at Kiryat Shalom.

“We will continue to build on the foundation of everything that had been done before to bring Maccabi to the next level”

In his new offices at the Kiryat Shalom Training Facility, Patrick Van Leeuwen is getting used to life in Israel and his new role at Maccabi as the Performance Director. While it’s a recognized job in Europe the same can not be said in these parts: “Jordi Cruyff and Martin Bain offered me more than just the academy as they wanted me to be more involved in the scouting as well as the analytical and analysis department on the football side of the club. They wanted me to design a proper facility, a professional training facility for the club. It’s not only being the academy director but also the scouting director. So we combined everything into the Performance Director role because we are also trying to improve the performance of scouts, the performance of players and the performance of coaches and hopefully in the end the performance of football at Maccabi and in Israel in general.”

For Israelis, the Performance Director may be something new, however, Van Leeuwen has proven himself in other clubs after having worked at the Feyenoord youth department along with leading the revolution at the academy level and youth departments at both Shakhtar Donetsk and Kairat Almaty.

But it’s not just the youth department where his role ends: “It’s not only that I like to work with youth departments but I also like to assist clubs in developing football. My previous jobs have been with academies but also with first teams. Not only developing the structure of the academy but working with everyone that is involved. That means developing the coaches and developing the players through the coaches. In the beginning of my career, I did a lot of field work and was a coach myself. I assisted other coaches and then as soon as one becomes a manager of an academy or of a club it becomes more organizational work as well. This is the part I like a lot and what I’ll be doing to assist Maccabi now and help bring the club to the next level. We will continue to build on the foundation of everything that had been done before to bring Maccabi to that next level.”

What is your football philosophy and in developing players?

“My philosophy was formed in Holland, where Holland like Israel, is a small country. But in Holland it was clear to everybody that you have to go in the same direction to be successful in any field of work. My business is football and football in Holland is very structured when you talk about clubs and academies as well as the coaches education. Everything has a certain direction coming from 1974, Total Football, which initiated Holland’s football style.”

As Van Leeuwen explains, the education that was gained at the Dutch Football Federation also influenced his work at Feyenoord along with the Ukraine and Kazakstan and helps him to this day, guiding him in his work: “I think that only with a plan that is supported by everybody and by every coach in the same direction will be successful. If I have 18 coaches and everyone has their own ideas and cultures we won’t be able to go anywheres because we will fight with each other instead of working together. This has always been my intention from the beginning for every club with which I have worked and with every coach that I worked with and were under me or with me and I always try to push them in the same direction. So it’s not only my philosophy but also the club’s philosophy. Then I’m 100% sure that Maccabi will be able to make another step in the development of players and coaches. My intention is to bring in a philosophy that is supported and executed by every coach in the Maccabi structure. It’s about the professional side of the academy, the football schools that are working together with Maccabi Tel Aviv and spreading the philosophy to everybody that is connected with us.”

How do you manage to keep true to your path when you have to deal with many cultures between the countries you have worked in?

“In each and every place you have a different culture, atmosphere or approach. In Holland there is saying, that it’s the “sauce on the dish”. It’s the culture in each place that is very important in what you want to achieve and it’s something I look at very carefully when combining that with my football thoughts.”

It seems you enjoy taking on challenging projects. Do you agree?

“It’s an interesting challenge, if I know that I will be successful. If I know the club has no intention of making changes then it will be very difficult. If my ambition and plans are coming together with the plans and intentions of the club then it can only mean success.”

“After many of years of talking about coming together, it finally happened and now we can bring Maccabi further together.”

The first encounter between Jordi Cruyff and Van Leeuwen surprisingly took place in the Ukraine when the Yellow & Blue’s Sports Director was playing with Metalurh Donetsk. “He played in the same town as Shakhtar Donetsk as there was a second club in the same city. As two Dutch people we connected and formed a friendship and always looking at trying to combine our football thoughts in one club. He started asking me if I was interested in Tel Aviv and at that time I made a difference choice to continue my career in Eastern Europe. But we were always in touch about the football development in Tel Aviv, what he was doing and what I was doing. We also asked each other advice on players as he was building the first team in Israel and I was building the same in Kazakhstan along with the academy, so there was always a certain amount of interest from Jordi to obtain knowledge and expertise. After many of years of talking about coming together, it finally happened and now we can bring Maccabi further together.”

How will the roles be divided between the two of you?

“Jordi and I agree on a lot things football wise, but there are also things that I approach differently than he does. This is what is interesting for us; he gets some comments about his ideas and I get comments about my ideas. This will also be part of the role in cooperating with Jordi. To share my opinion and thoughts with him and in the end to make sure that we make the best decisions for Maccabi Tel Aviv.

We want the success that Jordi has had with the first team to be in all areas of the club; the youth department and also facility wise. That’s one of the reasons that I agreed to come here.”

“For a club that is undergoing football development, it’s important to connect with clubs in Spain, Holland or England to share and obtain knowledge.”

One of Van Leeuwen’s biggest projects was establishing the training facilities for the Kazakhstan club. After three years with Kairat Almaty, the Dutchman managed to build a youth academy up until the Under-19 level that included a proper training facility, a hall of residence as well as building facilities for the first team: “You don’t expect these facilities in Kazakhstan and for a team that is still in the development. It can match all of the facilities of English Premier League Clubs and Western Europe. These facilities will give all of the children and professional players a head start in their development.”

While working for other clubs you always placed a certain amount of importance on international relationships with other clubs. Why is this so significant?

“When you look at Feyenoord there was an interest to expand their contacts as there were cooperations in Poland and Hungary as well as Ghana and South Africa. There was also connections with Japan as there was a Japanese player in the first team. In Kairat is was about obtaining knowledge and it was part of the coach’s development to make connections with some top clubs, first teams and at the academy levels. To be able to give that as an experience to the coaches.

How do you see this in reference to Maccabi Tel Aviv?

“In the case of Maccabi, Jewish people are all over the world and I think that it’s the perfect community to make those connections both within Israel and also outside of the country. There are certain clubs in Europe where there is already a connection, but you can make it even stronger with clear agreements and you can assist each other in player and coach development by sending players to tournaments and so forth. It’s important for a club that is still undergoing football development, its important to connect with clubs in Spain, Holland or England to share and obtain knowledge.”

What have been your first steps in your new role with the youth department?

“Since I arrived I’ve obtained information from doing interviews with coaches, scouts and people within the organization to help me see how things were organized, what was in place and from where I can start. I think that I have a good overview of what is possible and in which direction I want to go in. At my first coaches meeting, I explained the football philosophy and how I want the matches to be organized and how I would like them to be coached by the coaches. In general, I want one philosophy for all the teams, and it doesn’t mean that we can’t have the same philosophy for the commercial schools and their coaches as well.

What have been your first impressions?

“My impression is that in every place there are people who are eager to suck up all of the information, people who want to see where things are heading and then there are people who are against it because they think they know it all. This combination of opinions will be everywhere and my job is to convince them that this is the direction where Maccabi wants to be. I’m not here to tell them what I like, but what the club wants it to be.”

It’s been exactly three weeks since Patrick Van Leeuwen (46) was officially ...

WATCH: Maccabi wins 1:0, Benayoun scores in debut

Shota Arveladze's side advanced to the second round of Europa League qualifying. Check out the match Hilites & of course Yossi Benayoun's first goal in Yellow & Blue