After being a main cog with Maccabi Tel Aviv over the second round of league matches, Dor Peretz and his side begin the Championship Playoffs on Sunday versus Hapoel Haifa and addressed the media at the prematch press conference:
Playoff pressure:
“It’s money time and we can’t afford to drop any games. This is it, we need to take the points in every remaining match.”
Hapoel Haifa’s success after being with them last season:
“There’s a lot of terrific people over there, with players of the highest level and a fantastic professional staff. There’s no reason why the wouldn’t be there. This season they are where they should be.”
Getting ready to go against Hapoel Haifa:
“We prepare for each match one at a time. From our past experiences we learnt that we need to come super prepared when we play the same team in a short period of time. This has not been to our advantage in the past and we need to be ready.”
Playing in the midfield:
“I believe that I’m playing a position that fits me well and I’m happy that I’ve been in the Starting XI over the past while. I just hope that we can keep this up.”
About the National Team:
“Of course I want to play on the National Team.”
What changed within the club over the course of the second round:
“We went back to the basics for us as a club and we built up what the true Maccabi really is. We are doing what we know how to and we see that aggressiveness brings results.”
The battle between the 6 Championship Playoff teams:
“The playoff round features 6 quality teams in every respect. Every match against every club will be tough and each one is worth 3 points. We can’t underestimate any opponent whether it’s Beer Sheva or Netanya.”
