Maccabi Tel Aviv head coach Oscar Garcia would prefer to see tomorrow's game against Hapoel Ramat Hasharon as "just another match": "I feel just like I did before all the other matches"
A day before the team's away match against Hapoel Ramat Hasharon, Maccabi Tel Aviv held their weekly press conference in the media room at Kiryat Shalom training grounds. Understandably most of the press interest was focused on that fact that under certain circumstances the match may very well decide the championship of this season's Israel Premier League. In addition, over 20,000 Maccabi Tel Aviv fans are expected to crowd the terraces at the National Stadium in Ramat Gan, giving the match a decidedly "home" flavour. "I'm delighted the fans want to come and watch us play, but so far I'm concerned it has no effect on our preparations for the match", said Maccabi head coach Oscar Garcia. "I believe and hope this will have a positive effect on the players, they always give everything they have to a match, so now they'll have to give that and more so."
The coach talked about his feelings going in to the match: "I feel exactly the way I did last week and the week before that, that we have to do our work properly, and that means to win and concentrate only on the match ahead of us. We still need to win our match tomorrow regardless of what happens (at our next match) in Haifa". As regards the match having been moved from Ramat Hasharon to Ramat Gan he added: "We'll play wherever they tell us to and our preparations are the same whether we're playing in Ramat Hasharon or in Ramat Gan. I prefer Ramat Gan only because there's room for more fans to support us".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzhE7u3cHbc
Garcia refused to sum up the entire season at this stage but agreed to say: "When I arrived at the club I wasn't looking seven or eight months ahead, it's not easy being the head coach of Maccabi Tel Aviv but I'm delighted and proud of what the squad have accomplished. I look at the table now and feel we've already done a good job, because to maintain a lead like that over Hapoel Tel Aviv, Bnei Yehuda or Maccabi Haifa is without question very respectable. This season is already a success and could finish up even better".
Maccabi captain Sheran Yeini also stressed caution: "So far football players and athletes in general are concerned, the more spectators the better, so we're thrilled and would be happy to see that number of fans at every match. But the expectations are no different than for any other match, we each have our own thoughts of course but at the end of the day we have to concentrate on the match at hand and that's how we get results. Every player wants to win a championship and gets excited thinking about it, but we're not there yet though I must say I've really enjoyed the season so far. Hapoel Ramat Hasharon have already demonstrated at Bloomfield Stadium that playing against them is difficult, so it won't be an easy match. Perhaps they might have felt more comfortable playing at their own stadium, but I can't be certain about that. It really makes no difference to us".
