Vladimir Ivic, the Maccabi Tel Aviv Head Coach addressed the assembled media just ahead of the Champions Cup which is scheduled to be held at the Moshava Stadium on Saturday night:
“We open the season on Saturday against Bnei Yehuda. We’ve prepared over the past month and we have two more days until the Champions Cup. Our target to to win the trophy and to begin the season.”
The date of the Champions Cup:
“We asked a month ago to see if we can play this game a few days earlier as we are going to represent Israel in the Champions League qualification. Israel Football had the power to move the game because if we win the European games then Israel football takes the points which are accumulated in Europe. The IFA didn’t want to do this which is strange.”
Playing Bnei Yehuda:
“We don’t look at this game as revenge. We congratulate them for the State Cup victory but we’ve played them a number of times last season and it’s normal to lose a game. We went 3-2 against them last season and the Cup should be a good game.”
About the Starting XI for the Champions Cup:
“We will play with our best XI at this moment because we want to win the game.”
The new players Andreas Gianniotis and Nick Blackman:
“Gianniotis and Blackman are two good players. We brought a keeper who was the best in Greece the past two seasons, he hasn’t played the last half of the campaign but he’s a good keeper and he will show it. I wanted to keep Nick last season but he went to Spain. I am sure he will help us. He’s in good shape and will need some days to adapt but he will be in shape.”
The past season:
“The previous season is now in the past and you can’t live with this. This is now a new year and a new start. We are in a new competition, the Champions League, but we need to leave what was in the past, in the past. We will give our best every day.”
More on Blackman:
“I found the striker who I wanted, Nick is with us and he is who I wanted. Saborit is injured but it’s not serious. He hasn’t trained for two weeks and went to a top doctor in Spain. I hope he will be aback with us in a few days.”
About the players that left:
“I was the first man to try to keep them here. Who wants to stay here, will and fight their best. If they don’t want to be here they won’t be here. We have to live with this and fight our best. I’m sure 100% that we will create a strong team.”
The players who returned from loan:
“All of them worked with us from the first day and they have a chance to stay with us, they all worked hard and they fought for their position with the team. We will see in the next two weeks who will stay and who won’t.”
