It is difficult to argue with the attacking defender of the army. Maccabi fans are called the craziest in Europe. I didn’t even want to write the last phrase - it seems that everyone already knows about this. Tickets for the match with CSKA were sold out in a day, immediately after it became known that the Russian club would become an rival to the Israeli one. Although these same tickets for sale didn’t do so much, after all, most of the 11,000 seats were given to seasonal season ticket holders.
Fear of pressure from CSKA fans did not fit. This season the team amazes with incredible composure, without losing meaningfulness and quality of action in any conditions. At home, maybe a little more comfortable, although there are enough army fans here.
Here in Tel Aviv, so far no load is felt on the shoulders. On the contrary, the atmosphere is relaxing. The city, deserted on the occasion of the Jewish Easter, was devastated in the warm rays of the tropical sun. The Mediterranean Sea gently envelops the stones of the breakwaters, luring water procedures that are exotic for Moscow in April. The narrow streets of the village of one of the most respected and developed world states attract something native. Probably not even the Russian language, constantly heard in speech and viewed in the signboards of shops, but some kind of oriental raggedness of streets and houses, as if faded in the heat of year-round summer.
So Messina does not want his wards too "bother." “I’m worried that the players do not demand victory at any cost,” CSKA head coach shared his feelings. “The pressure should be on Maccabi, and we can rather mentally prepare for the third match. Now we have the right to feel some relaxation” .
Most likely, the game plan that worked so well in Moscow will remain unchanged. “Of course, we should be more careful on the perimeter, because Maccabi has good snipers,” Messina believes. which has become one of the success factors. We should strive for this. "
CSKA himself did not mind throwing from afar, which, in fact, created a reserve at the beginning of the first match. Then, at a press conference, Messina promised to carefully review the record to find out if Maccabi was trying to force the army to attack more because of the six-meter line in order to limit activity under the ring. “Perhaps the rivals have nothing to do with it,” the Italian expert shared his conclusions. “Our combinations just worked, and we got a lot of good opportunities for the shots.”
It remains only to repeat the past.
Nikolai TSYNKEVICH, Tel Aviv