Blackman, who also scored a brace in the Super Cup victory , over Be’ersheva said: “I had a difficult season last year, and just like the other guys, we made a fantastic achievement as a group and we won the league with some amazing records. But from a personal point of view I feel that I have a lot more to offer and a lot more to give. It is just about the hard work that everyone has put in during the pre-season and that seems to be paying off for everyone in this moment in time”.
On tonight’s performance in comparison to last year: “Last season I didn’t play too much as we were doing fantastic as a team so there are no arguments there when you are winning every week as you have to be patient and bide your time. I think we have some experienced players in the team, and in those moments when the level does drop or there are some uncertain moments then I think it is really important that the experienced players on the pitch use their knowledge of the game and the game management to come out of these situations without conceding any goals”.
On the difference between last season’s squad and this season’s side:
“Everyone here feels good and everyone is working really hard as there is a real good mixture between experienced players and young players. The youngsters came up with so much energy and so much enthusiasm but also with a lot of ability. I think it bodes well for the future as we are taking it day-by-day, we had Patrick van Leeuwen in charge for the first month or so of pre-season and now we have the new coach in charge so we are learning everyday how he wants to play and the guys are working really hard on the training ground”.
On another season at Maccabi: “With the coach changing it is like a clean slate for everyone, I know it is such a fast turn-around from last season to this season but when a new coach comes in they come with a new philosophy and new ideas on how to play, sometimes it suits some players better than other players so everyone was given a chance in pre-season first with Patrick first and then with the new coach so I think it is all about doing your best for the team when you get the opportunity to play”.
Ahead of next week’s opponent Sudova: “We had a very disappointing experience with them last season in both games and how it turned out. But we have a game in between, on Saturday so this is what we are really focused on and then we will work towards that next week”.
