The Maccabi Tel Aviv squad are already looking ahead to the next match. Eran Zahavi: "We're looking to celebrate next Saturday"
The day after losing to Hapoel Tel Aviv, the Maccabi Tel Aviv squad had a day off today and will begin tomorrow with preparations for next Saturday's match at Hapoel Beer Sheva at 8pm. Before speaking to the press about last night's encounter, Maccabi head coach Paulo Sousa had a word regarding Tito Villanova, last season manager at FC Barcelona, who passed away on Friday: "I would like to start with my sympathies and condolences to the family of Tito Villanova, who left us today. A person for football who worked really hard to keep alive but tonight we lost him in this world".
"Regarding the game, we started straight away with the two passes, with some mistakes, which gave some motivation to our opponent. But straight away we recovered, getting into the game and also controlling the game in possession. We felt we could get there but straight away because of small individual decisions, when the momentum is not at its best like it was today, it went to our opponent. From one throw-in they got the penalty. Normally the ball can pass wide and not touch the (defender's) arm but everything was a little bit against us. Of course we could have done much better but today the team was much closer to what we really are, or what we need to be, and especially in the second half".
"In the first half we had a good opportunity to reduce the deficit with a penalty and also from that to be more incisive in the game. In the second half we played with lots of courage and lots of ambition in a difficult match, because straight away when you go down 3-0 you look to make changes, to play with a little bit more of this courage and this ambition. It could have been a heavier defeat but we showed what kind of team we want to be, with this courage and this ambition, looking to score, to be more dominant. We also got close to their goal to reduce the deficit to 3-1 and started to believe more. Unfortunately we didn't have the opportunity. Hapoel are a clever team with clever players, looking to slow down the game with fouls, to slow down our input and they succeeded in their job. Congratulations to them".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Omyq1t9Nhmc&list=UU-oWQqnf8B8a_TsmVi0mTUg
Sousa continued: "It's not a question of the result. We were down 3-0 but if you go to analyse the first half, we were dominant. Without creating specific things in the last third, especially in front of goal, but we had a penalty as well and in practice it was not because our opponents created something. They got something from our small individual mistakes, nothing else. Regarding the team, regarding the players, I was proud because I think the team and the players were there, playing dominantly, playing with initiative, looking to win a difficult match because like I said we started straight away to lose quite quickly. We certainly have to recover from that but I need to congratulate them for making a great change from the last game to this one".
Asked how he intended to reinvigorate his players for a challenging tie next week at Hapoel Beer Sheva after suffering two consecutive league losses for the first time this season, Sousa replied: "It's the same way I've lifted the team from day one. Again, it's not a question of the results. The main result is our football philosophy and our culture. This is practically only a question of attitude and intensity. Today we had it and I'm sure we'll have it till the end".
The head coach was also asked if he was concerned about the team's dependence on midfielder Eran Zahavi, who came on in the second half against Hapoel Tel Aviv and scored his side's only goal: "No, I'm not afraid. First of all because the whole team have built up the possibility of having this gap between ourselves and our main opponents. In future we want to have many more options of course because we want to make that step ahead. Straight away in December we lost a certain number of players who were able to give to the team additional things. Don't forget, in the key moments, the difficult moments, we lost for practically one month important players in different positions but the team knew how to win, under pressure, more pressure than tonight. So we're not dependent on one specific player, the team support the quality of Eran. He's a player everyone would love to have. All his ambition, his whole way of playing, he pushes everyone from behind to look to win matches. Hopefully for us we'll continue to have him with us".
Journalists were also curious about the decision to have winger Tal Ben Haim take the penalty: "Normally it's already decided in advance. Normally when we have all the players available it's Eran who takes these decisions. He wasn't there. My decision (in the match) against (Maccabi) Haifa was (midfielder Mahran) Radi and there could also be the possibility of Tal because normally at training sessions they all do it. They took the decision and I completely agree".
Ben Haim himself also spoke about the penalty he missed: "I missed a penalty trailing 2-0 and if I'd scored I believe the match might have finished quite differently. Maybe not. I took the responsibility, I missed but it's something that also happens to better players than myself".
He continued: "You might say that the match got off to a catastrophic start, we were playing about as poorly as we possibly could, a penalty and conceding a goal within the first five minutes. Quite apart from the fact that this could have been our championship match it was also a derby and we wanted to win it. But it didn't go like we wanted, we lost and if we have to wait another week or two to clinch the title, well, that's what we'll do. We made mistakes that conceded goals to Hapoel Tel Aviv. I don't think their display was anything to write home about because when we play Hapoel it's entirely down to us. We were the ones who lost the match".
"We've had less than brilliant performances throughout the season. In the dressing room we don't talk about when we'll win the title, we prepare ourselves to win every match and it makes no difference to us what the rest of the world has to say about winning the title. We've lost a bit of our edge but that can happen. It's impossible to make quick work of every match like we've done in three quarters of our home ties this season, no team can do that, including Maccabi Tel Aviv. Nothing can take away from us the season we've been having in the league and in Europe".
Eran Zahavi, who came on as a second half substitute, gave his take on what went wrong: "We made some very uncharacteristic mistakes in the first half and it cost us dearly. But in the second half there was just one team on the pitch and we looked much much better. That's what we'll be taking from this match. Let's not forget the fantastic season we've been having, we are the champions, that's all there is to it. There's no arguing with the fact that our display in the first half wasn't that good, but the change in the second half wasn't just about me. The club is bigger than any of the players".
Zahavi summed things up: "At the end of the day we dominated the match but we made some unforced errors. This is the first time I've lost a derby, I don't remember how many games it's been but if that's my tally, I'm a happy man. I don't think there's a football player in the world who gets on the pitch thinking about how and where he's going to celebrate winning the title when the match finishes. We've had a couple of off matches, that's the reality, but I hope we'll celebrate the title next week so everyone can relax. We don't care who we'll be playing at the time. For our fans it would have been a treat to do it against Hapoel Tel Aviv, but for us the main thing is the title. We've had a great season and you should be giving us credit for that. We'll meet again next week".
