In life it doesn’t matter what you do, but you always remember what happens in the end. We’re now heading into the final stretch of the season with ten crucial matches in front of us. We’re entering the playoffs neck-and-neck with Beer Sheva and we have the qualities to make this a terrific battle. Maccabi Tel Aviv can win ten matches in a row and we will give it our all to make it happen.

You saw how hungry we were against Hapoel Kfar Saba as the players understood the importance to put the pedal to the metal during this critical period of the year. Even when we weren’t playing that well, we made sure to collect points, but now the thinking has changed. We are coming into each and every match with all of our strength and all of our might to make sure we achieve our goals: To win the League Championship and the State Cup.

Losing points at Bloomfield is uncharacteristic for us, but the home and away stats are meaningless if you bring the title home at the end of the day. However, we have lost points at Bloomfield already this season and we can’t let that happen again.

Three months ago I gave an interview to the Official Website about longing for a Championship. You can’t compare what the situation was then and what it is now as the intensity has picked up and I’m hungrier than ever to win the title. I have even more motivation and my adrenaline is pumping faster than ever to make sure I give it my all with every touch, sprint, battle and whatever else it takes to make sure we earn maximum points. I can’t tell you how much I’m thirsting for that championship. There are two titles that we are in competition for and I can promise you the fans that I’ll give it my all to bring them home and make them Yellow-and-Blue once more.

I have one request from you, our faithful supporters who have been absolutely incredible each and every match both at home and on the road. Now is the time for you to put it into high gear as well, so that together we can all make sure that on May 21st we win the Championship and on the 24th of May we lift the State Cup.

See you at Bloomfield this coming Saturday!

Yalla Maccabi!

The atmosphere on the street, the preparations, the smell in the air. It’s all the pregame show before what we all call, “The Derby”. You probably all know the feeling, and we the players certainly feel it as well.

I remember my first Derby when I was with the First Team. It was a Toto Cup Derby in 2011/12. There were a few of us, young Maccabi players who has been promoted from the Youth Team. Sure, it was “only” the Toto Derby, but the stadium was packed, the fans and the atmosphere for the first Derby of the season turned the evening into a very special one for me. Early on in the 6th minute I assisted on an Uri Cohen goal. We went on to take a 2:0 lead, but Hapoel was able to come back and the match ended in a 2:2 draw.

Every Derby is an important Derby. It sounds like a cliche but it’s really not. We aren’t used to being in second place, especially as to where we have been on the table over the last few years. This match is not like just any other regular game and we can’t afford to lose points in the battle for first place.

Over the last few years, everyone has gotten the idea that we are the better team even before the opening whistle is blown. Still, we’ve won ten Derbies since the 4:0 victory that everyone remembers back in 2012/13. But do we now think that we are the favorites? I don’t think so. We as players get ready for each match exactly the same way. We go through the same preparations and we don’t get caught up in all of the atmosphere that might effect us. Our objective is to come into the match focussed, ready and prepared. No one is a favorite in this type of match.

But don’t make a mistake, we aren’t robots and we certainly aren’t cut off from the atmosphere that surrounds us. Frankly, I’ve already been tuned into the Derby for the past week. Everything around this match is different from any other game, especially when we know how important this game is for all of you.

Your support is very important to us, especially now when we are going head to head against Beer Sheva, it will really help us a lot. This season, Beer Sheva’s success rate has been excellent and any point that we lose may be decisive at the end of the year. We were very disappointed after drawing at Teddy and dropping a couple of points. We have no intention of losing any points in the Derby match. Especially when we know that you have our backs.

I think that’s enough talking. It’s Derby Time! Yalla Maccabi!

“All for Maccabi. You’ll never walk alone.” Those are the words you sing to us from the stands and let me begin by saying that you turn those words into reality. But more on that later.

Now, I’m sure that all of you, just like us are concentrating on the task at hand – the upcoming match against Maccabi Petach Tikva. For me, it’s a game against the club I grew up with. I began my career there, first with the youth team and my father was the fitness coach with the First Team. It was the club that I broke into professional football with when I played for the First Team. I had a terrific time there but I felt that I needed to continue to advance in my career. But that’s all water under the bridge now and I have one objective on my mind: To collect three points this Saturday.

We’re coming into the game with a nice winning streak but we don’t want to think about that fact especially when we have to play an important match like this one. Stats are good for the media and I’m sure also for you as well. We’re dealing with this game without thinking about our win steak just like when we don’t go into matches depressed when the results aren’t as good.

Since I’ve been with Maccabi every game against Maccabi Petach Tikva hasn’t been easy. We’re aware that we’ve lost enough points at Bloomfield Stadium this season, more than we can afford and now we will make sure that the remaining points stay with us.

We are all aware of the fact that everyone is talking about the fight for first place against Hapoel Beer Sheva and how it’s effecting us. Yes, there are opponents that we are fighting with atop the table and they are also saying that it’s up to them. That’s legitimate. But at the end of the day, if our rivals lose points and we down take advantage of it then it’s not worth anything.

So we aren’t really looking at who is playing first and who is playing second. We are only dealing with ourselves and we’re focusing on our game and how we will play. From my experience, the season is very long and there are still plenty of matches to go and there can be many things that will change over the course of the next few months. So we are not going to look to much further ahead or at the other team’s results but just at ourselves.

For  the last two weeks we’ve training under the direction of Peter  Bosz, and it’s been very intensive. From both of our points of view the timing wasn’t ideal. There are many things that he wants to work with us on and we have had to make adjustments during the matches. There have already been plenty since he landed here in Israel. I believe that the main change has to be made in our heads and the players have to put the coach’s instructions into action and we don’t have the time and a training camp to practice them all.

The weather forecast for Saturday is calling for lots of rain and wind. We’re all familiar with this, aren’t we? It was amazing to see all of you coming to our last match in Acre, where the weather was not any better. It’s really special to see and feel the support week after week and it doesn’t make a difference what the weather is or where the match is in Israel or around the world, you’re always with us. We are playing at a time where we need to collect as many points as we can and we are happy you are backing us. We want to make you the happiest people in the whole world and we know to do that we have to make sure we get good results.

So Let’s Go! YALLA MACCABI!