Miller does not give up: "We left ourselves a mountain to climb, but it is not over"

Maccabi Tel Aviv found itself in huge trouble this evening (Thursday) in the first match against CSKA Sofia, after a 3:0 defeat that left it with a particularly difficult task ahead of the second leg. Kenny Miller was forced to improvise due to a depleted squad, and the Yellows could not cope with the opponent's pace. Now they will require an extraordinary turnaround to keep the dream of the Europa League group stage alive.

"This tie is still far from over, but the goal we conceded at the end definitely makes the challenge greater," Kenny Miller began his remarks. "Throughout the game there were good things, but there were also many bad things. Again, we did not win the individual battles, which is the 'dirty' part of football, and we ran back too slowly when we lost balls cheaply. I felt that we lost the ball too many times even when we were not under any pressure, like in the third goal that came from a simple pass forward and a counterattack. We were too open in those moments, and that is something that did not characterize us at the beginning of the season."

Ahead of the second leg, the coach clarified that his team will need to show significant improvement on both sides of the pitch: "We will need to be much better next week. In the second half, we saw that CSKA sits back and waits for those moments to sting, and they are good at it. We will need to ensure that we do not allow them so many such opportunities, to run back faster and stronger, and to be much sharper in front of the goal. We should have been leading 2:0 after just four minutes. We know that we will reach opportunities, but in these situations, one must be much more accurate in front of the goal."

When asked if CSKA surprised him in the way it conducted itself on the grass, Miller replied in the negative: "We were not surprised at all. This is exactly the same team we saw in its two matches against Qarabag. They work hard, defend well, and do not give up much. In such games, goals change everything, and one must know how to utilize opportunities. This evening, CSKA knew how to utilize its moments in an excellent way, while we did not present the best version of ourselves."

The match took place in front of empty stands in Batumi, but the coach refused to use the lack of crowd as an excuse for the weak performance: "It is never simple to play without fans in the stands, but that is the situation for both teams. We still must bring the energy, the pace, and the intensity to the game and push each other. The staff on the sidelines tries to help and push as much as possible, but on the pitch, the players must help their teammates. It is not ideal, but it is not an excuse that can affect our ability. For long parts, we had control, but the moment we lost balls, the goals we conceded were simply very weak."

In conclusion, Miller also addressed the gap in match fitness between the teams: "It is natural that players who are already six or seven matches into the season will present a better pace, but it did not affect us until now. We arrived after three very strong appearances and excellent results at the beginning of the season, so it is not an excuse. Football is decided by moments; we had two huge opportunities at the start of the match and we did not utilize them, and then we conceded already in their first attack. The goal we conceded on the counterattack in the last minute gives us a high mountain to climb in the second leg, but next week we will come with a better approach and do it step by step, goal by goal."

Itamar Noy also addressed the painful defeat: "As Kenny said at the end, this is still not a finished story, even though we left ourselves a mountain to climb. The result this evening is definitely not what we wanted. We know well that we are capable of much, much more than what we showed on the pitch."

Despite the significant deficit, the midfielder clarified that in the locker room they still believe it is possible to change the picture: "We of course still believe. This story is really not over and we will need to be at our best next week."

Noy addressed the expected gap between the atmosphere in Batumi and the one that will await the Yellows in the second leg in Sofia: "Certainly it was not easy to play here today with an almost empty stadium. In Sofia, the story will be completely opposite with an almost full stadium. It is completely clear to us that a not simple pitch and a not simple atmosphere at all await us there."

In conclusion, the midfielder emphasized that despite the result and the ability, he still believes in the team's ability to respond: "Despite everything, again, I know well what we are capable of doing as a team. I know that what we did today was very far from what we are truly capable of doing, but I truly and sincerely believe that we can arrive next week and make a good result."