Head coach Eliniv Barda and defender Doron Leidner spoke ahead of the match against Hapoel Haifa (Saturday, Sept. 27, 19:45).
Barda opened: "We need to keep working hard, in exactly the same way, and remain humble. We’ve achieved good results since the start of the season thanks to the players’ discipline – and that’s what we need to keep building on."
On the season’s record so far: "10 points out of 12? I look at it as two points we dropped. With a bit more attention to some small details, we could have had the maximum. The goal is always to get the most we can."
On future goals: "We’ve just finished the fourth round and the fifth is ahead of us – so talking long-term is a bit premature. This is a fairly new team, but we made sure to keep the core and strengthen it with more competition. For us, this is just the beginning."
On the opponent, Hapoel Haifa, the coach said: "Hapoel Haifa also kept their core and reinforced it. We’ve seen their strong results since the start of the season – and even in the derby, they could have taken more than just one point. We’ve studied them and we’ll come prepared."
On new signing Loizos Loizou: "I’m happy Loizou is here and that we managed to bring in a player of his caliber. From now on, it’s up to him to prove himself. Physically, he’s in good shape – he just played with his national team, so he’s ready in that sense."
Regarding the transfer window that closed this week, he added: "The window is over and I’m very pleased with the squad we have. In a short time, we built a team with competition of 2–3 players for every position. Of course, for a coach it’s a headache to choose even the 20 players for the squad, knowing that 3–4 key players will sit out each game. It’s not easy at all, because everyone is training hard – but ultimately, that’s exactly the kind of depth we wanted."
Defender Doron Leidner said: "I feel very connected to the fans and the club. I waited all summer for the season to start – and I’m happy to be here."
"I feel like we’re looking good, but I won’t look too far ahead. The team is united and playing well, but we must keep it that way," he continued. "The fans? I don’t need to explain their power to my teammates – the moment you step on the pitch and experience it, you understand. Even I didn’t remember just how massive and powerful it is, and of course their support gives us incredible energy."