Shahar Piven, Maccabi Tel Aviv’s central defender looked back on his club’s 3:0 win over Kiryat Shemona on Matchday 23 of the Israel Premier League Ligat Japanika:
“We’re happy to get back onto the winning track. Even though we are leading the league by 20 points we still want to win every match and although we drew our last two matches came back with a victory and improved what we needed to work on. It’s great to play in front of this wonderful crowd and we’ll continue to move forward.”
Every match will be a battle:
“We want to advance in the Cup and we know that any match we play is a battle because the other teams need to take points as they want to avoid relegation or advance to the Championship Playoffs. We want to win and we are already focusing on the next match.”
Continuing undefeated:
“We dropped off a bit but we had a big Cup win along the way during this period and of course we would rather win than draw. But at this point in the season I’m sure we would all rather draw than lose as we continue undefeated.”
Goals ahead:
“We are winners and we will help each other if it’s to lead the league in scoring or assists but we really aren’t focusing on individual titles. Our goal is to bring back the league championship to Tel Aviv after three seasons.”
Sending long balls downfield:
“We spoke about me sending long balls downfield especially with Chico’s speed and we did just that. We also kept another clean sheet and we’ll continue on.”
National Team:
“The national team is a month away and I hope and pray that I get called up as it’s a childhood dream that I want to realize, to be able to represent Israel. I hope I can continue to be healthy and in good shape like I am now and what will be, will be.”
