Maccabi head coach Pako Ayestaran is not planning any changes in January, but he's ready for this Sunday
At Maccabi Tel Aviv's last press conference of 2014, head coach Pako Ayestaran looked back on the past year and revealed that a year ago it would never have occurred to him that a year later he would find himself here in Tel Aviv. In football there are a great many surprises, the Spaniard was keen to explain, and predicting one's next mission is no easy task. One moment he was happy to continue in Mexico, the next he had changed his mind and packed his bags for Israel.
This coming Sunday at 8.30pm, he and his Maccabi squad will face Hapoel Ra'anana for the second time this season, this time as the visiting team. Pako reminded the assembled press that at the parallel home fixture in September, Ra'anana played well and were difficult to break down. In his press conference before that match, Ayestaran expressed the opinion that Sunday's opponents were material for the top half of the table because they were playing well then, beating even Maccabi Haifa. Their key feature, Pako added, is their organisation but as always his own side would do everything possible to overcome it. He pointed to his side's excellent result last time out against Maccabi Petach Tikva as an example of the kind of performance that he is looking for and he's confident his players have it in them to carry on the title fight. But, Pako added, to do so they'll need to be consistent, week in week out. Otherwise there will be problems.
The Maccabi head coach also had a word to say about the forthcoming January transfer window. To his mind, the squad are quite good as they are and no changes are required. It's his job, the Spaniard explained, to focus on the current season and leave the future to others. As always, questions were asked specifically about Eran Zahavi, who has already netted sixteen goals this season and scored consecutively in his last seventeen league appearances. Despite speculation about interest from foreign clubs, Pako stressed that his only concern with a player as valued and prolific as Zahavi was how to get the best from the star midfielder for the benefit of the team as a whole.
Equally familiar are the questions about certain players who have not been appearing regularly in the first eleven, in particular striker Eden Ben Basat. In response, the Maccabi coach speculated that if Ben Basat were to play more then perhaps he would indeed be featured more in the starting eleven, but then questions would arise about other players who were appearing less, like Tal Ben Haim, Eran Zahavi or Dor Micha. He repeated that Maccabi had a squad with great depth and quality and that he himself had to make the decisions regarding who plays. The players are all excellent in practice, Pako insisted, but if the current eleven are playing well, the other players needed to be patient and wait for their opportunities.
Ayestaran's two fellow countrymen on the squad, defender Carlos Garcia and goalkeeper Juan Pablo, have been plagued by injuries of late, but Pako reported that the former is already match fit three days prior to the Ra'anana encounter. Juan Pablo, however, is still uncomfortable with his injured finger and will not feature in the game. But Pako hastened to add that the squad were blessed with two excellent goalkeepers so there would be no need to take any risks with Juan Pablo.
One player who is fully match fit and in recent weeks has cemented his place in the first eleven is midfielder Nosa Igiebor, also present at the press conference. The Nigerian admitted that when he wasn't playing it was for him a sure sign he had to work hard, but at the start of his stay in Israel he was struggling with fitness issues and was absent for the first four games of the season. With time though he was able to regain his strength and up his game and he's confident that eventually everyone on the squad will get his chance. Nosa added that he was there to do the coach's bidding and insisted that if he didn't get it right the coach was quick to show him on video after the match where it went wrong. That's part of the learning process, Nosa remarked, and he felt fortunate to have a coach who invested so much in that process.
Nosa also expressed his admiration for the Maccabi fans who give so much support at every match, he's in no doubt about the positive effect it has on the players themselves. As for the jeering directed at him during the match against Beitar Jerusalem earlier this month, Igiebor reiterated that inside he feels very strong and is as determined as ever to achieve his goals. As aware as he may be of supporters' affections one way or the other, now or at former clubs in Spain and here in Israel, it's not something that has ever influenced his play. While admitting that it may represent a change from the player he was two years ago, when he played for Hapoel Tel Aviv, his focus now is on performing the task the coach requires of him.
