Barak Itzhaki opened Maccabi Tel Aviv’s State Cup title defense with a penalty goal early on in the first half against Ramat HaSharon at Grundman Stadium. The win punches the club’s ticket to the Round of 16 where they will visit Rishon Le’Zion on either January 26th or 27th. Number 10 spoke about potential changes in the squad, fighting for the league championship against Beer Sheva, Eran Zahavi and of course advancing to the next round of the tournament:
“Yes, we had some good minutes and some that were not as good in the game but we advanced to the next round. Teams from the second division play hard and Ramat HaSharon is a good club and they made our life a bit miserable. But at the end of the day we won and moved on.”
On the State Cup title defense:
“This was just the start of the journey and I hope it will have the same ending as last year.”
About bringing in reinforcements:
“Every player that is here is great. I don’t decide who joins the club or not. We have players that can stand toe to toe with any new player that comes and anyone that does join the team can help out.”
Not playing game in and game out:
“It doesn’t bother me. This has been the way all of the coaches over the last few years have operated. We have a number of good players at each position and it gives everyone a chance to play. It’s a healthy situation. Whoever is in form during a certain period of time will get the call.”
Differing coaching styles:
“I work hard at practice and now we have a new coach who has different ideas and a different style which is much more offensive. I’m getting used to the new coach and I hope I play more.”
Taking a fourth championship is a row:
“The battle with Beer Sheva will be tough and it’s very close. But they 
are up against the three time defending Israel league champions and it will go down to the wire.”
The importance of Eran Zahavi:
“There’s no question that Eran is an important part of the club if not the most important. There are players that can help him out but he’s the star of the team and there are even bigger clubs that have the same situation like Real Madrid and Barcelona. We try to help him as much as we can and I hope that it will continue that way.”
