Photos: GNK Dinamo/Iva Cigrovskij
Today is the second day of the Ramljak Tournament taking place in Zagreb and Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv will face the host, Dinamo Zagreb. Yesterday, the young Yellow & Blue suffered a disappointing 1:0 loss to Real Madrid and will look to turn around their fortunes later on Friday.
This morning Amit Shapira and Ran Vaturi joined Ori Uzan’s squad who discussed yesterday’s exciting encounter and how his players are dealing with the physical challenges in these closely scheduled matches along with how he is building a relationship with his charges:
“We played very well yesterday. We were dangerous in the first half and had two wonderful chances to score. Our attack was good, as well as how we handled the ball and went on the counter, but unfortunately we couldn’t take advantage of the opportunities we had. We gave up an early second half goal but we didn’t get down on ourselves. We pressed Madrid and we also had a number of quality chances in the second half. Our possession wasn’t as good as it was in league play but it was split evenly between the two sides.”
Handling the physical challenge against the Blancos:
“Physically we were able to hold our own and we were able to stand up to their aggressiveness. The goal we gave up was a very nice goal and it’s too bad that it landed up behind our keeper. The Real players were older than us, but we are already looking ahead to the next game. Playing 80 minutes on back-to-back days isn’t simple (tournament matches are 80 minutes long). The games may come down to who is more physically fit. Some players just arrived today and they’ll join the squad. I’m very encouraged going forward.”
Next match against Dinamo Zagreb:
“In terms of their academy they are on the same level as Real Madrid, but our guys will come into the match fresh and ready to go. When you are in a tournament you have to look at the whole competition and not just one specific game. The players will have plenty to prove.”
Getting to know his new players:
“I have some fantastic players and they are very talented. Maccabi has the best youth department in the country and I hope at the end of the tournament we can look back at this as a positive experience. This competition may be at the end of the season but nevertheless it’s a great opportunity to get to know the players now and not have to begin at square one at the start of the next campaign.”
