Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv Under-19 club just returned from its London training camp and is looking forward to opening their season up in a little over a week as well as their European campaign. Upon returning to Israel, coach Ziv Arie summed up the 8 days in England and the upcoming season both domestically and in Europe.
“We came back after 8 days of training camp in London and we were at the best possible football facility for the likes of first team European clubs and it’s a great feeling. We played a few preseason matches and that will definitely help the club.”
On the current squad:
“We have a young and intelligent group. In terms of football skills we have a long way to go but the players are picking things up very quickly. Just like last year we made sure to maintain our principles on the pitch. As each day went by, the group got closer and closer together and it helped improve the club both on and off the field of play.”
On the players and the upcoming European competition:
“We lost Shaked Azoulay who tore a ligament in his knee and we brought in Idan Yogev to fill his place. Idan played with us last year and he is a great character to have in the lockerroom. We will have to expand the squad as we will be playing in a number of competitions this year. People in Israel don’t understand what kind of high level, experience and exposure our Under-19’s will face in Europe with six matches being played at the top level and I’m sure we will be able to go toe to toe with our rivals.”
On the new training staff and how they are interacting with youth department:
“Dan Roman is a unique individual and isn’t used to watching the match from the sidelines. He recently retired and he’s practicing with the players, speaking with them about professionalism both on and off of the pitch and it’s really helping us out. He’s always making us think and discuss things together. Antonio, who just joined us this year is also a real asset. He’s a person who really believes in working on oneself and I’ve been working extremely well worth Gili Landau for the last three years. Of course Danny Yogev is also an integral part of the team.”
Expectations for this coming season:
“People don’t always understand what is going on in the youth department and they think if it’s the same team that won one year that they’ll win again the following year. For us, working with the players and seeing them improve and advance is very important and with that the results also play a role. This group will keep moving forward and continue to get better.”
