Jordi Cruyff, the Yellow & Blue boss looked back at the 0:0 home draw against La Liga outfit Villarreal on Matchday 2 of the Europa League Group Stages:
“I’m satisfied with the result and before the game I would have been happy with the result. We came out strong, we were disciplined and I think the players felt tiredness from Sunday’s match. I’m happy with the effort and satisfied with the result and our fans in this game.”
Maccabi’s style of play:
“You can’t compare the leagues but we were energetic, had an offensive lineup, tried to attack and were very disciplined to record the clean sheet.”
Looking towards Spain as a potential destination:
“I’ve never really thought about it. Spanish is my first language and I consider it to be my home and that is where I feel associated with and I’m happy that I gave a good impression.”
Two matches in a row without scoring a goal:
“We had a very good game against Maccabi Haifa and hit two posts the ball didn’t go in. The week before we scored 3 goals and didn’t play well. We have to continue to play well.
About Eliran Atar:
“He has matured and he is playing very responsible both offensive and defensive. Without a huge effort from the wingers you can’t take anything.”
Villarreal’s performance:
“They are a great team with a lot of quality and they opened the game well but Maccabi was able to handle the attack. However, they are an excellent team.”
Going back to the Israeli League:
“Teams who win are the ones with the better defensive stats and you’ll see that in 90% of the cases. It we have to play as a team, attack and defend and play like a team. The players had to have the discipline and of course we want to be more dominant in the midfield, but we are still missing some players.”
Chances in Europe going forward:
“The away game was tough as was this one. We are in a tough group and we are facing teams with a lot of European experience. We will need to take points especially in the next home match if we want to advance out of the group.”
Eli Dasa’s injury situation:
“He was in Paris for treatment that he was comfortable with how it has been going. He flew back again which was planned.”
Hapoel Ashkelon match on Sunday:
“This will be a tough game and this is the most important game for us coming up. We have to be fresh and be ready to battle. Yuval Naim gave us a tough time last season and he always makes it difficult. We must be ready.”
