On the eve of the match away to Maccabi Petah Tikva (Sunday, 20:00) for the MD11 ONE ZERO LEAGUE, Idan Nachmias face the media and spoke about the year he experienced. The 26-year-old central defender who recovered in the summer from a long-term knee injury which sidelined him for the majority of last season, spoke about his rehabilitation process, the positive change he experienced and the deep connection he formed with the team and the club.
“I feel my rehabilitation process was excellent as the club gave me all the tools to succeed. The allowed me to do it in my own time and never pushed, a fact which led to me feeling a lot stronger today” Nachmias said. “I will always be here for the team as Robbie and the rest of the coaching staff know it.”
Nachmias, who made a second half substitute appearance at Be’ersheva, as he was introduced at right-back for the closing stages of the game, said: “Regardless of where they will play me, I will still do my best and die for the team. I am grateful for the faith they show in me, they know it and I am delighted that this is the situation.”
Nachmias, who joined Maccabi in the summer of the 2021/22 season spoke about the difficulties he experienced after arriving from Kiryat Shmon: “In hindsight I understand that in my first season here I was lacking self-confidence. Today I understand that 95% of a footballer’s career is confidence. The arrival of the coaching staff in then summer was key as they gave me confidence and were always there for me. Even when I didn’t have the best of days, they were always there for me, spoke to me and helped me. Socially, there is a stronger bond in the dressing room these days and I feel I belong here a lot more today. When you come every day with confidence then training becomes fun. I am enjoying my football once again, so when you are waiting for that chance, you understand that there is nothing else. Just like they give me confidence in training, my teammates gave me confidence to go out there and be myself. The coaching staff also gave me confidence, they pushed me, they wanted me to show who I am all the time, to be vocal, to lead. The push me to be the best I possibly can be.”
Nachmias, who in his first season at Maccabi made 38 appearances in all competitions, but last season featured in 6 matches before suffering a knee injury in December which sidelined him until the end of the campaign, added: “I had a very difficult first season as I played quite a few matches but didn’t feel I am enjoying my football. I was always under pressure as I guess I wasn’t ready for that while my settling at the club wasn’t good enough. The process I went through with the injury and the recovery, as well as the arrival of the new coaching staff this season, only helped me. I know what I need to do, what job I am asked to do. Besides the things you need to bring with you from home, there is some sort of foundations which are healthy. Socially, the team is different than previous seasons which is something extremely significant for me as I have a lot more confident to be myself and that only helps me.”
On the competition for places, Nachmias added: “At the end of the day a player wants to play. Obviously, I would always like to play but the team knows that I am here and whether I play or not I will always remain positive. I will be there for the team and just wish to capture my place in the starting line-up. Regardless, I will still do my best for the team, wish for a good atmosphere and that we would only progress and win titles. We would like to continue winning matches, just like we are doing now on a game-by-game basis.”
