Maccabi head coach Pako Ayestaran made his intentions clear and added: "I hope my team will grow and become better and better each game"
Maccabi Tel Aviv's debut match of the 2014/15 season as home side at Bloomfield Stadium resulted in an impressive clean-sheet rout of Israeli Premier League new boys Hapoel Petach Tikva in the first leg of the quarter final round of the "Toto" (League) Cup. With just over 8,000 spectators looking on, new head coach Pako Ayestaran's charges fired six goals from six different players past the hapless visitors, who barely got out of their own half of the pitch. After the match, the triumphant coach talked about some of the things that had contributed to a result that gives his team a seemingly insurmountable advantage going into the return leg: : "We started creating something that we want to grow in this style of the game. At least this is a starting point. The question is we want to create a dominant team, a team that is proactive, that makes things happen on the pitch, you know, this is our idea, something I am trying to make the players understand. When you are talking about initiative, many times you are talking about attack, but even in defending you can take the initiative and that's what we're trying now. I hope my team will grow and become better and better each game".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlYNl-C0BUk&feature=youtu.be
The Spanish coach stressed the importance of last night's match and also had a good word to say about the fans who attended: "We didn't take this game as preparation, we took it as a proper game in a competition you have to try to win. And it's great to feel the supporters behind you. Even in this game, and we know the Toto Cup is not the main competition in Israel but still they are there and they're supporting the team and the feeling is magnificent".
Ayestaran made five changes from the squad that faced Hapoel Tel Aviv in last week's derby: "I want all the players to believe that any one of them can step up to the plate and perform. I will take the best from each player in each moment. I will try to get the best from each player and depending on the performance I will try to choose eleven".
Gael Margulies, the young striker who opened the floodgates with his maiden goal of the season, a lunging header five minutes from kick-off, added: "I'm really happy I was able to score. It's always brilliant returning to Bloomfield, it's where we feel at home and I hope that was clear from our performance. We're working very hard at training, every player wants to prove he's worth a place on Maccabi's first eleven and tonight everybody gave it their all. Of course a win like this adds to your self-confidence, but on Sunday we have another game and I hope we'll carry on with this form".
For Eden Ben Basat, his 51st minute penalty was the second goal he's scored in Maccabi kit since his arrival at the club over the summer from French side Toulouse, and he hopes they'll be many more: "Attackers always like to be a part of the game, to make good runs and score goals, those are the things that particularly motivate me. I work very hard to make those things happen during the match and I hope to carry on that way. So far the team are concerned, we're in a process and we're getting better every year. Of course not being in Europe this season was a blow for each and every one of us, but we're not giving up and we'll be trying again next season".
The striker also wished to express his gratitude to the many loyal Maccabi fans who attended last night's match: "Hat's off to them, really, even for a League Cup match they came out in numbers. Our fans are really important to us, we want to see them at every match supporting the side. I'm sure a solution can be found for the problem of the ticket prices. I don't understand much about it, what the price should really be, but it's important for us to see the terraces full so whoever's in charge should make sure the fans come to the matches".
