It is clear from my facial expression how I feel. Extremely disappointed”.
Speaking after the 1-0 defeat to LASK which determined that Maccabi finishes second in group 1 of the Conference League and miss out on automatic qualification to the round of 16, Barak Itzhaki said: “The first half worked exactly according to our plan, as we made spaces like we wanted, got the ball to the areas we wanted, created chances but didn’t score. In the second half, for many minutes especially in the closing stages, we were not good. We must have kept the result at 0-0 which would have given us a significant advantage, and we shouldn’t have conceded a goal at such a late moment. But we need to look forward. On Sunday we already have a game against Hapoel Haifa and we will have to be focused and return to winning ways”.
On the remainder of the competition which will see Maccabi drawn in the round of 32 against a side dropping out of the Europa League, Itzhaki said: “First let’s see who we are drawn against. We will arrive at every match in a bid to advance through. Life is never easy even against clubs that are not regarded to be big names. Something we have seen today. I think that we were a better side, a better team, but at the end of the day we lost and it is a shame. I take responsibility as I also have a part in this defeat. We shouldn’t have conceded a goal at such a moment which is a shame, but one must not forget that we also qualified to the next stage. We could have saved ourselves two games and give our players a rest. Once again, it’s a shame”.
On the difference between the two halves: “We have to analyze and understand what didn’t work in the second half. As the minutes passed by they knew they must score and attacked more. We assisted them by not playing in an organized manner during the final five minutes and instead of continuing our build-up we launched the ball forward. This is not what I wanted to see but we will have to correct that”.
Ahead of Sunday’s league match against Hapoel Haifa, Itzhaki added: “We are looking at this on a game by game basis, sadly we lost this game which is a shame. We have an opportunity on Sunday to out our European campaign aside, concentrate on the league and prepare in a good way for Hapoel Haifa. It will be a tough match against a side that had a good start to the league so we shouldn’t expect an easy ride. Not in the league or in Europe”.
On the search for a permanent coach, Itzhaki, Head of Maccabi’s football department who took charge of the team as interim coach, said: “Mitch is very committed, believe me. You can believe me that we are working very hard on finding a coach, but there are situations that occur which are not always in our control. Both Mitch, Jack and myself are working very hard in order to find a coach. It doesn’t all depend on us, but we hope to find the right coach which would take this team forward. Ideally, a coach starts working during pre-season, passing on his philosophy to the players. But we are not the first club to change a coach and will not be the last one to do so. It happens and coaches know how to arrive at such situations and settle-in quickly. We need to find the right person who will do it”.
