Speaking ahead of tomorrow's Tel Aviv Derby, Maccabi coach Pako Ayestaran referred to the last one: "I hope we learned from the past"
This morning the Maccabi Tel Aviv squad held a final practice ahead of tomorrow's Israeli Premier ("Winner") League matchweek 20 derby encounter with Hapoel Tel Aviv. Prior to the practice, head coach Pako Ayestaran and team captain Sheran Yeini met with journalists for the club's weekly press conference. Asked what he hoped to see in tomorrow night's match, the coach replied: "First thing I would like to see is an enjoyable game. I hope we learned from the past. I think the rivalry sometimes makes the game enjoyable, even more enjoyable, but as long as you don't break the limit. This is what I hope from this game – to enjoy the game, for both groups of supporters to support their own team, but under the rules. To try to be focused on what's important, and that is football".
One of the journalists suggested that the recent upheavals at Hapoel Tel Aviv, including a change in both head coach and management, might swing the advantage at the derby in Maccabi's favour. Pako: "You never know. You don't know where they are going to go from that point. Sometimes it makes the teams stronger, they become stronger under the difficulties, and we have to be ready to confront a really aggressive team. At the derbies anything can happen. I don't expect an easy game, I expect a really tough game, a close game and a game we'll have to fight a lot to get the result for us".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dv1_MCJEzmc&x-yt-ts=1422579428&x-yt-cl=85114404
During this past week's training, Maccabi lost two front men, Barak Badash and Barak Itzhaki, to injury, while Swedish striker Rade Prica will just now be returning to form after a month on the sidelines. The head coach provided more detail: "Barak Itzhaki and Barak Badash are not available for tomorrow but it doesn't look like it's going to be a main problem and in a few days at least one of them will be available and in a few more days so will the other one. In this case it's not going to be a long-term injury and Rade Prica is back and is nearly fully fit and from now on he's one more in the squad. It's not something we should be worried about and I am sure we have players that can score, not only the strikers. They will do it. They will do it. I'm even waiting for Sheran's first goal of the season. He promised me he's going to score. In this case I'll have one more goal this season, the one he's going to score ".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4tSqkXEI6k&feature=youtu.be
When it was pointed out that there has been criticism of his system and the team's performances since the last derby in November, the Spaniard replied: "We were not fluent enough, we haven't been consistent game after game. We had the result but sometimes it was not the best game we would like to see. Because I'm sure these players have a lot more to offer and they will do it, I'm sure they will flourish, like the spring that is coming in a few weeks. You know, football is this way. You can't be on the same wavelength as everybody. Sometimes some people like some kinds of football and other ones different ones. But it's something I really believe. I accept that many people may not agree with me. But even (Bayern Munich coach Pep) Guardiola has problems because sometimes they don't like the football. In this case, if they don't agree with Guardiola, what is going to happen with me? That is something that's football".
Once again questions were asked about the positioning of midfielder Eran Zahavi. "This is not Eran Zahavi Football Club, it's Maccabi Tel Aviv Football Club, In this case I'm worried about the team, despite the fact that Eran Zahavi is such an important player for us. But as I said, probably even Eran Zahavi, as good as he is, wouldn't be the same player on another team because he has his team-mates who help him. Eran Zahavi makes Maccabi Tel Aviv better and the Maccabi Tel Aviv squad makes Eran Zahavi better. This is the way it works".
Skipper Sheran Yeini also had a word to say about tomorrow night's derby: "The derby is very significant, not only for the three points but also for the prestige of the city and that's why the fans take it so seriously. But let me start out by saying that we roundly condemn all acts of violence on the part of supporters of either side. I've had a chance to talk to some of them and I told them they should take care because it's not only the club they're hurting, they could also get arrested and wind up with a criminal record. That's definitely not the kind of behaviour we expect of them. We expect them to look after themselves, to come to the match to support the team because that gives us a great boost on the pitch. And it's on the pitch where the encounter belongs".
"It's hard to say what will happen at a derby. I remember games we can into as underdogs and made life very difficult for Hapoel, and the opposite. That's what makes the derbies so intriguing, we have to be alert to any development on the pitch and hope that in the end we'll come up trumps. At the end of the day you can lose a match to any club, but that's no way to go into a match. We're only thinking positive, we know our game, we know their players and are getting ready for them. That's the best way to minimise our chances of losing. Derbies are of their nature highly charged affairs, so we'll be playing as hard as we can within the rules. But our objective will never be to provoke, only to win".
