Maccabi Tel Aviv defeated Kiryat Shemona 5:0 on Matchday 16 of the WINNER League at Bloomfield Stadium with the help of four goals by captain Eran Zahavi. The match also marked Head Coach Slavisa Jokanovic’s last game with the club. Veteran striker Barak Itzhaki spoke about the things he would take away from Jokanovic’s time with the club and the successes over the past six months:

“Little by little we began learning about what the coach expected from us and we also started understanding each other. As the weeks and months went by, there was more and more of a relationship that was being built. We’re happy we succeeded in advancing to the Champions League and also finishing atop the table after the first round of WINNER League matches.”

What did you take away from Jokanovic:

“You take away something different from each coach. Jokanovic gave us a lot of self confidence. We’re used to having a foreign training staff and the changes that come with that, be it in the middle of the year or at the start of the season. I think that it’s a big honor for Maccabi Tel Aviv to be able to have former coaches go to the top levels of the football world. It’s a great credit to the club as it continues to build the Maccabi name around the globe. We can’t complain about the fact that one of our managers went to the English Championship which is something very special. We wish him the best of luck.”

Having a strong veteran presence on the club:

“Javier, Jokanovic’s assistant already knows the system here and will stay with the club until a new staff comes in. We will give him 100% support and the fact that we have a lot of veterans on this team along with a very solid lockerroom will help the process immensely.”