On Thursday at 19:45, when PSV Eindhoven and Maccabi Tel Aviv will step on the grass of Phillips Stadium for the first game in the Conference League, Eran Zehavi will be at the center of things, but he is not the only one with a past in both clubs. The Yellows, Claudio Braga, it will be a special game, even if he is not really directly involved in it after coaching at Eindhoven’s academy a decade ago.
“Did Krasteik ask me about PSV? Today you can already know everything and the players know each other,” he said. Braga In an interview with the Dutch media, “These are two good teams, I expect two good games and it can go in any direction. I do not know if it’s 50:50, but it’s not that we’re already out, these are two teams at a similar level. Kwas will have a lot of motivation to play against P. “SW and it will be a special game for Zehavi, he is very popular with Maccabi.”
Braga was appointed director of the Yellows’ youth department last summer, adding: “At the level of Maccabi’s fans, titles and success in Europe, you can definitely compare it to a top European club. These are things that Maccabi has done here in Israel and feel its presence everywhere.”
Braga also spoke about life in Israel: “It is comfortable, the weather is good and safe to be here despite what is sometimes called in the Netherlands. At Maccabi we have quite a few challenges, so I can not complain. How did I get to Maccabi? We talked (zoom) and saw that I fit what they were looking for. “They helped me with everything after I arrived in Israel – in a car, an apartment and everything else.”
Braga says that the first thing they explained to him at Maccabi was Maccabism. “You can explain it in three words: fighting, commitment and winning,” he says. “It’s part of the club’s DNA and represents a winning mentality. “.
Braga explains that his goal is not only to prepare the future players of Maccabi Tel Aviv for the first team, but also to deal with the pressure and aspirations of the club: “They are required to show high ability, they need to know how to deal with the pressure. Maccabi is a club that the media deals with a lot, so a young player needs to know how to prepare for it. I try to get the most out of everyone and try to challenge the coaches in the youth department. “
Braga also spoke about Maccabi’s style: “You have to initiate on the pitch and dictate the pace – these are things we repeat every day and emphasize to the young players.” The Portuguese also says that there is room for improvement in the cooperation between the Football Association and the schools: “There should be some summary so that the young people spend more hours in sports. In this respect, the situation in the Netherlands is better. Once this is the case in Israel, we can compete “I do not think we are far from that. At the academy level, the ambition is to play frequently in the Youth Champions League.”