Barak Itzhaki, Maccabi’s veteran striker discussed his side’s Derby victory in the Toto Cup in Petach Tikva. The striker looked ahead to the Europa League match on Thursday night against Hajduk Split, getting knocked up a bit against Hapoel and the chance to pick up minutes and the importance of the Toto Cup:
“It’s like every Derby and there’s always plenty of screaming and yelling. It’s part of the show. We hear what the fans have to say and we don’t react.”
Proving oneself:
“Any player who gets a chance to play wants to prove himself and wants to show that he can play. Toto Cup matches are a great chance to do just that. They have a chance to show what they have to the coach and they do exactly that.”
Working with Coach Shota Arveladze:
“We have a good relationship with the coach. He knows how to be easy when he has to and tough when he has to as well. He knows how to throw out a word of encouragement also.”
Getting into game shape:
“We need to play more minutes to get into shape and the Toto Cup is a great opportunity to get those minutes. It’s a chance to show the coach what we all have.”
Rough play on the pitch:
“After 25 minutes I took a pretty hard hit and it hurt pretty badly even now. It’s part of the game and sometimes you have to take the hits.”
About Hakduk Split:
“We’ll begin learning about the club tonight or tomorrow. We prepare match to match and we don’t look to far ahead. But now is the time to start checking out our competition on Thursday night. It will be an interesting match.”
Advancing to the Europa League groups stages:
“It’s very important for us and the club. We’ve had a good start to the year both in Europe and the Toto Cup. Our goal is to advance to the group stages of the tournament.”
