Category: Match day program EN

From one who knows/ Yoav Ziv in a special column

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And now to something totally different
The day of a State Cup Final is something totally different and that’s not a cliche. The State Cup is totally different than the league. The league is a marathon over the course of a full season, while the State Cup is one match – either you leave with the Cup or you leave empty handed. Over the last two seasons we had both take place. One season we won and the next we came away with nothing. If you are part of Maccabi you know that finishing second is never good enough in the State Cup as we always want to be number one.

The night before you are already dreaming about the Cup. When you wake up in the morning you already have the first thoughts of the Cup and you seem to see the Cup before your eyes all day long. You know that after 90, 120 minutes or penalties all you want to do is take home the Cup. There are also other things that make this match different than a regular one. There are some matches that you will play during your career that are all or nothing. This is a game that you are not prepared to give up on no matter how hurt you may be or if you need to take a shot or just swallow the pain. You just know that there is no room for error and there is no match next week. You had to make it through a number of matches already and at the end of the day everything is determined on one night.

Don’t worry
If you look at the current season, then the Cup is the most important thing for Maccabi this campaign, but you could say that it’s even more important this season. No one wants to finish off another season without a title. A dynasty is being formed before our very eyes as the Club has been in 3 straight State Cup Finals, took home championships and fought for others until the end, but all in all the only thing that will be remembered is if you took home a title or not.

This time around the feeling is that Maccabi is coming in as the favorite against Bnei Yehuda but there is also a worrisome feeling that the Club will end of the season yet again without a title. The situation is different but in reference to this I remember the State Cup Final against Hapoel Beer Sheva in 2015. Even though we won the league we were concerned heading into the State Cup Final. We had a number of players who couldn’t play due to suspensions, there were injuries as well and the bottom line was that we were missing many players especially midfielders and defenders. There were 6 substitutes on the bench who were primarily midfielders and attackers. The defense was anchored by Gal Alberman and Omri Ben Harush who played as central defenders, Yuval Shpungin who barely played all season long came back smack dab into money time and proved himself big time. Sheran Yeini, Carlos Garcia, Eitan Tibi and Dor Peretz who all played as central defenders throughout the campaign were out.

The professional staff gave us plenty of confidence for this match, much more than usual. After the warmups the players went onto the pitch feeling that they were born to play the positions that they would be in for the match. Also, the first few minutes and plays that we made just got us into the game. We began the contest with a few good plays that gave us confidence and we knocked them off balance. The rest as they say was history. The fans cheered us on like never before with so much passion and energy. Sammy Ofer Stadium was packed with 30K fans, not 30K with 20K just people coming to see the match, but true Yellow & Blue fans. A half hour to an hour before the game you couldn’t hear anything other than the fans. All that was left to do was to go out and enjoy.

Come to work
Before the State Cup Final there are always matches that are sitting on some of the players minds. You can’t be complacent and you have to look back at some of the surprise finals such as when a club like Hapoel Ramat Gan won the Cup. No one wants it to happen at their expense. The last thing a player wants to happen is a surprise. You just have to come into the game as ready as possible and it doesn’t matter who the opponent is, just do everything that you can to make sure you come out on top at the end of the evening.

Tal Ben Haim’s Fabulous Five Teammates of All-Time

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Central Defender: John Terry
“Of course I played with him at Chelsea. He was a true leader on the pitch as well as off of it and one of the amazing things about him was that he was such a big winner. He came to every training session and gave 100% and cared about all of the other players.”

50:50 Midfielder: Frank Lampard
“A player in his position that scores 20 goals a season over the course of so many years is something special. I haven’t seen many players that can also play defense like he did and was also able to score so many goals. What also turned him into a great player was his work ethic. He stayed after practice to work on his free kicks and runs. From an early age he was very careful and diligent to work on his physical fitness and that’s something else that I’ll remember about him.”

Attacking Midfielder: Jay-Jay Okocha

צילום: BWFC ()

“I played with him at Bolton. He had absolute control with the ball. He was able to do things that no one else knew how to do and he brought them to world football. I also remember how he would change sides and make perfect accurate passes from 40-50 meters. He did things that you don’t see too often. A magician.”

Attacking Midfielder: Robinho
“We played together at Manchester City. He had the best control of any player that I’ve ever seen. I remember that before every match the players would get ready, receive treatments and go over some warm up drills in the dressing room. He would take the ball for that half hour before we went out for the warm ups and juggle it. For those 30 minutes he wouldn’t let it fall from his foot, head, back and ankle. It was like going to a performance to watch him. Now that’s something I will never forget. The ball wouldn’t fall off of his foot and we were all mesmerized at the things he could do. I believe that it was a missed opportunity that he didn’t play at the highest levels for a longer period of time.”

Striker: Didier Drogba
“I was privileged to play with him during his peak at Chelsea. He was such a extraordinary strong player, both with his right and left feet, his head game and free kicks. He was almost the complete player. He also had such a strong character – WOW!”

Yossi Benayoun’s Fabulous Five Teammates of All-Time

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Goalkeeper: Pepe Reina
I played with Reina for 3 seasons at Liverpool. I played with some unbelievable keepers, but Reina was the best in the business with his feet. In addition, his one-on-one abilities were at the highest of levels and he of course was one of the funniest guys in the dressing room.

John Terry: Chelsea Official Website ()

Defenders: Jamie Carragher & John Terry
These were the type of people who leave their heart and soul on the pitch. It doesn’t matter if they were hurt or not, from the first minute to the last, they played all out; every club needs players like them. It was very hard to get past them on a one-on-one situation and they made the strikers suffer.

Midfielder: Steven Gerrard
I believe that he’s the complete midfielder both on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. On one hand, he was able to make a great move and on the other he was able to save a goal on the line and on the opposite side of the pitch launch a 90th minute scorcher into the goal. Thankfully, I was able to play with him at Liverpool during his peak. He was also a role model, a terrific but quiet person who helped everyone in need. I always knew I could count on him.

Steven Gerrard: Liverpool Official Website ()

Striker: Fernando Torres
We arrived at Liverpool together in 2007 and we also became best friends even until this day. During this period of time, on the pitch he was the best striker in the world. You just knew that if you turned and gave him the ball and it didn’t matter where, he would score a goal. He was great at sprinting from one place to another and he knew how to finish so well. He’s also a very positive person and when this type of individual succeeds it makes everything even better.

Fernando Torres: Liverpool Official Website ()