Avi Rikan, the Yellow-and-Blue midfielder picked up his second goal of the season and first in 2016 to help Maccabi to the 2:0 win over Hapoel Raanana on Matchday 17 of WINNER League action. Rikan talked about the hard fought match, Eran Zahavi and the coaching situation over the last couple of weeks:
“It was a tough match and we had to work very hard tonight. After we scored the first goal the pressure let up and there were more open spaces on the pitch.”
Helping out Eran Zahavi:
“It’s no secret that we rely on Eran Zahavi but we have to do the maximum to also help out like I did today when I scored. The whole team needs to pitch in and continue to work hard.”
Coaching staff transition:
“This was an excellent win and we had a great week of training ahead of the match with Javi. The club knows how to transition properly between coaching staffs and it won’t be a problem. Before last week’s match when all of the rumors were swirling about Slavisa Jokanovic’s future we prepared properly and had a huge 5:0 win. We will be ready for our next match with the new staff.”
Maccabi is now in first place with Beer Sheva:
“We are only concerned about ourselves, what we do on the pitch and we don’t look at the other teams. Every match we play we try to pick up three points and win the game, that’s what is most important for us.”
