Captain Sheran Yeini is disappointed with last night's result against Kiryat Shmona, but he remains optimistic regarding the forthcoming State Cup ties: "We've learned how to prepare ourselves"
The 1-1 draw between the two top sides of the Israeli Premier League left the table unchanged, with Maccabi still on top two points ahead of last night's opponent Ironi Kiryat Shmona. Despite striker Barak Badash's late equaliser five minutes from time, Maccabi team captain Sheran Yeini had hoped to take all three points: "So far we're concerned a draw isn't good enough, we want to win". He went on to describe how the team tried to settle the tie in the final moments: "We had five minutes after the equaliser. Eran (Zahavi) tried to draw in Badash but he was injured and the broken nose slowed him down. We were dying to get that second goal".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jhm57pVUytg
"I was surprised by how Kiryat Shmona played the game", Yeini remarked about the gaps that appeared on the pitch between the two sides for long stretches of the match. "They didn't play as we had expected. They didn't open up or try to mount a slick attack. They just sent the ball back and defended. It's not easy playing against a team that plays like that, especially if it's Kiryat Shmona. They played a good tactical game. But our lads did everything to win the match and I'm very proud of all of them".
Yeini also reacted to having new signing Gili Vermouth on the side for the first time: "That was brilliant. I hope he enjoyed playing with us too. We play a high-paced game and he just needs time to adjust to the new tempo and ideas. I'm sure he'll do it quickly".
The Maccabi skipper also had a word to say about the fans: "Our fans are fantastic, nothing new there. They make away games feel like home games. It's only natural that they want to see us moving the ball forward but you can only do that when there's someone to move the ball to. If there isn't you build it up patiently from the back and that works. We create a lot of chances that way and control the game and keep the opponent from getting into scoring positions. So we're happy with the way we play".
Head coach Pako Ayestaran's squad can anticipate facing Kiryat Shmona another four times this season, twice in the two legs of the State Cup quarter final to be played in the next two weeks. Yeini: "They know we're a very good team and that it won't be easy for them to get anything out of these encounters. We've learned how to prepare ourselves and you could see that last night because their front line was very quiet. We did a good job of putting them under pressure and they were struggling to put together an attack. Hopefully that will have an effect on their self-confidence".
And speaking of the State Cup quarter finals, season ticket holders have until Feb. 20th at 1pm to upload their ticket for the home leg at Bloomfield Stadium onto their season ticket "smart" card and profit from the special discount prices. Click here for further details.
