Maccabi Tel Aviv head coach Paulo Sousa is already looking ahead to next week: "The squad have worked exceptionally hard to prepare for important moments like these"
This evening Maccabi Tel Aviv held a press conference ahead of their away encounter against Beitar Jerusalem at the capital's "Teddy" Stadium. The match will kick-start a week in which the team will play three important matches starting Sunday in Jerusalem, continuing on Thursday with the home tie against Bordeaux in the final matchday of the Europa League group stage and finishing on the following Monday night with the traditional derby against municipal rivals Hapoel Tel Aviv. "The forthcoming matches are critical because we made them that way", said Maccabi Tel Aviv head coach Paulo Sousa ahead of this crucial week. "The squad worked exceptionally hard to be alert, positive and faithful to the required efforts in order to face weeks like this focused on getting results".
As for the change in management at Beitar Jerusalem, Sousa had this to say: "When your opponent changes head coaches ahead of a match that's usually more of a disadvantage than an advantage. When we prepare for a match we do so with a clear vision of who the coach is and who the players are. What's most important is to stick to our principles, but also to know our rivals well. The advantage Beitar will have in appointing a new head coach ahead of the match will be in the way he mixes things up, not so much the players themselves but in the method of play, which in the end has a positive effect on the players' motivation. I can only hope that our motivation, which I know we have, will be at its maximum so we can ensure we'll give everything we have to get all three points".
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Sousa continued: "I think that the pressure everyone is talking about plays out mostly in the media. We don't feel under any pressure. We're working according to our principles in order to get results. I have no idea what the pressure is like at Beitar, we only deal with what's going on with us and wish to focus only on ourselves to get full points".
Some 5,000 Maccabi fans are expected to turn up at Jerusalem's "Teddy" Stadium for the Beitar match and Sousa made a point of giving them some encouragement: "In my view the supporters are the heart and soul of football. Maccabi Tel Aviv fans are absolutely amazing and it goes without saying that it is always our desire to repay their loyalty. We want them to experience what we experience on the pitch and they always return the favour. We need their help, their support, and we can sense that they're proud of what we've accomplished so far. It's an absolute joy to have them close at hand, in huge numbers, and that helps us win matches".
Also on hand at the press conference was Maccabi midfielder Dan Einbinder and just before he took the microphone, Sousa took the opportunity to hand him a compliment: "This is a player who's made terrific progress, is always ready for an opportunity he's given. He started out the season in a different position than he's playing now. Right now he's at a great place in his learning curve. His performances are good and he's a player like many others who can help us win matches".
Einbinder himself talked about his state of mind of late: "I feel really great in every way possible, especially at this point in the season. When I got to Maccabi I knew that the coach played more or less in the same position as me. I knew that was something that might help me improve. I come to every practice and every match, try to learn as much as I possibly can and I'm very happy that up to now at least things are going as well as they are".
Einbinder, who came up through the youth system at Beitar, the club he'll face on Sunday, quite naturally talked about returning to Jerusalem: "I suppose I'll get a little excited as the time for the match approaches. It'll be my first time returning to "Teddy". It'll be nice seeing old friends and playing where I first learned the game. I want very much to play in this match and I'm fully committed and ready to help my club. Like at every match we're looking for a good result. Beitar are a big club with a huge number of fans, and a long tradition and history. In recent years things have not been going so well, primarily because of financial problems, but we're focused now on ourselves. We have a difficult week ahead with three matches, both in our European campaign and in our league duties and that's what we're concentrating on right now".
Einbinder also added a word about the change in management at Beitar: "The best things we've picked up this season are the tactical preparedness and the professionalism the professional staff have given us each week and before every match. That's why we're extremely prepared for every match and it's less important what's going on with our opponent. I'm sure that ahead of the match we'll see videos and have a look at their players in order to be better prepared. But what's really important for us is Maccabi Tel Aviv".
When asked about how quickly he seems to have settled in at Maccabi, Einbinder answered: "I always knew I'd fit in, because I know what I'm worth and I know what I've been through the past few years. I'm improving every year and I'm working very hard to make it happen, so I hope that all that training and my hard work and my character will make a good and right impression on the coach so that he can trust me playing centre stage. And when I get that chance it's up to me to give it my all and I hope it's clear that's what I've been doing all along".
