Maccabi coach Pako Ayesteran already has his targets set out: "To get the best or the most from every player"
In tomorrow night's "Toto" (League) Cup quarter final against Hapoel Petch Tikva, Maccabi Tel Aviv will head out on the pitch to play for the home crowd as the home side at Bloomfield Stadium for the first time in the 2014/15 season. Season ticket holders will be there as the club's guests with match tickets going for just 50 to 55 shekels apiece. Also making an appearance for the home crowd for the first time this season will be new head coach Pako Ayesteran, who described at the pre-match press conference his feelings after two weeks as the team's top man: "We still have an incredible chance for improvement, this is the main analysis I've done. We've got the potential, especially to improve on the performances they've had until now. Particularly because they have shown in the past, in the previous years, that they are able to play on a higher level than they've shown at the beginning of this season. After two weeks training with them, and to be honest it hasn't been two weeks because as you know we've only had one or two sessions with a full squad, and not even a full squad, no Nosa (Igiebor), (Ben) Reichert, (Dor) Micha, who have not been with us, but after two weeks you can see the potential is there. It's a question of belief and having more confidence in themselves".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmYPRgthn-U&list=UU-oWQqnf8B8a_TsmVi0mTUg
When the coach was queried about the possibility he might make changes in the squad before the transfer window closes (in Israel September 22nd) he responded: "No, for now the players have to show me that we don't need anything, that they are able to convince us that we are capable enough to reach all the targets the club have for this year. That should be enough, but as I told you at the beginning it's down to the players and down to myself as well, to try to get the full potential out of them. I still have a few days to check this and in these days we will analyse what level we think we can get from the players and we'll decide what's best for the whole club. Because as I always said, the club, the collective, is in front of any individual interest and in this case the individuals are behind the club. For now I am really focused on the players I've got, for now I want to give them the opportunity to show me that they are capable enough to reach the target. In the end I think all of us have an exam every day, you know, with that idea I want the players to come here, that they have to give to the club the best they are capable of. And we will have to decide, for the benefit of the club, if what they think is enough is enough for us or not. This is football".
Pako was also asked about tomorrow's game and if he intended to make any changes from the team that faced Hapoel Tel Aviv in last week's derby: "I will still have to decide. One of the reasons, and it's something I really believe, is that in a squad once you have closed the window on the squad, you have to get the best or the most from every player. And as I told them at the beginning of the first week, you never know which one of them is going to be important. In this case I have to decide for each match and make them feel that any of them can be part of the team. And they have to make me feel that I can believe in any of them. This is my philosophy". Concerning midfielder Nikola Mitrovic, whose inclusion in the squad was the subject of some discussion this summer, he added: "For now he is a player of Maccabi, he's got a contract, he's in the squad and for now he's part of the team". The coach was also keen to clarify remarks he made about being disappointed with the team's performance after the match: "When I spoke afterwards, I talked about 'we'. And I will not talk about the players, I will talk about us, even about myself. And I can tell you I was wrong. The main problem with football is the expectations, and sometimes the expectations are not based in real possibilities of performance. I was wrong because I couldn't expect too much after two or three days of training. But when I said I wasn't pleased, I wasn't even pleased with myself. I always say to them I am the first one that has no problem to raise my hand when I make a mistake. And in that game we all had a bad performance".
Ayestaran also addressed the question of the importance of the players' physical condition: "The question is that a footballer is a sum of everything. Sometimes we are too worried about the physical side of the players. It's more important the way they are organised on the pitch than the physical side. The physical side is something that will help you show your tactical and technical qualities even better. But if the team is not well organised the condition may be great but the number of metres they have to run and the waste of energies on the pitch can show you that they are not good enough. I'll give you an example. When we were at Liverpool we had a high intensity of metres in the games, but there was one team that every time we played against them, and they won the championship that year, we couldn't run. They didn't allow you to run. In this case what's the point to be in great condition if you are not able to tactically to break down their positions? In this case, the technical and tactical side is the more important part of the game. If it weren't, we could go to an athletics track to choose a player".
Finally the head coach was asked to react to recent discontent among the country's football fans about excessive ticket prices for Israeli Premier League matches: "To be honest I have too many things to be worried about to think about the tickets, but of course the more accessibility we will give to the supporters the better. We have the example that the cheapest high-level league in Europe is the German one and the stadiums are full and crowded for every game. In this case I think that the accessibility or the possibility of attending the games we will have to try to support".
Joining Pako at the press conference was "Moshiko" Lugassi, who spent part of last season on loan at Beitar Jerusalem: "Getting back to Maccabi was something I wanted even before I went out on loan," the young midfielder began. "I think I was a bit unlucky at Beitar because just as I was getting into things I broke my arm and that really set me back. I think I've come back more mature and I hope I can prove what I'm worth. There's absolutely no question about whether there's a place for young players at Maccabi, even the club owner has said that. If you ask me it's already been like that for the past two years, I've also been a part of that. The coaches bring up the young players from the academy to train with the first team so they're better prepared for the league".
Lugassi was asked about his feelings regarding his short career up until now: "I'm not disappointed with what I've accomplished so far, after all I've already won a championship with Maccabi and that's something a lot of 21 year-olds can only dream about. Last season was a bit of a step back for me but that's what new seasons are all about, improving. I'll have to work hard not just to get into the first eleven but to stay on the squad at all. I'll need the help of the coach to improve in areas that need improvement because his expectations are high, but I hope I can gradually work my way into the team. I'm very focused on myself, I know what I'm worth and I'll prove it to the coach and to all those people who got it wrong about me".
Finally "Moshiko" was also asked about his fitness and the fitness of the rest of the squad ahead of the new season: "I'm not the physical fitness coach so it's not for me to say how fit we all are, but personally I feel great. We played in Europe and for that they got us in tip-top shape. I think we're in fine shape, we still have the same physical fitness coach as before so nothing has changed".
