Summary: Maccabi Haifa - Hapoel Haifa 1:1/Sport1
Danil Lesvoi stayed in Israel for several weeks before signing the contract with Maccabi Haifa, and after making his debut in the team, he is free to share his impressions of local football.
In an interview with the Russian press after playing 26 minutes in the Greens' victory over Ghent (since then he also had time to fit in as a substitute in the derby), the winger told about the step he took.
On the Premier League: "There are many good players, but there is less tactical work in the defensive part. In my opinion, Maccabi Haifa would have finished in the top 5 in the Russian league. Their performances in the Conference League and the victory over Gent prove it. And if we talk about the atmosphere in the stadium - it's crazy. No I saw such a thing."
On the crowd: "In the Russian league, even a derby between Spartak Moscow and CSKA Moscow is like a theater show compared to what is happening in Israel.
Without insulting the fans in Russia, the mentality is simply different.
In Israel 50 minutes before kick off the stadium is already full and everyone is singing.
We played against Grigory Morozov's Beitar Jerusalem away, an hour and a half away, and 8,000 of our fans came. I was on the bench and I had chills."
makes a good impression.
Lesvoi/Reuters
On the ongoing negotiations: "Psychologically it was very difficult to wait.
One day they told me that tomorrow I would sign the contract, and the next day they said I was returning to Dynamo.
It started in November and I was sure I would move as soon as the transfer window opened, but everything took about a month and a half.
This is a good opportunity to thank Maccabi Haifa for their patience and Dynamo Moscow for their flexibility and agreement to the loan deal."
On ability: "I'm at about 50 percent right now.
During the break in Russia I spent a lot of time solving the business's problems and doing personal training.
It cannot replace group training.
My debut was physically difficult and three days later I was already in the lineup against Gent.
But surprisingly, I felt good and the team had a good game and we won.
The plan was that I would play only half, but at halftime the coach told me that I looked in good shape and I continued until the 64th minute."
On life in Israel: "My English is at a reasonable level.
It's different, because until now I had to use it occasionally for a few minutes' conversation with the foreigners of Dynamo Moscow.
Moscow and Haifa are two different worlds.
This acclimatization is even more difficult than the sports acclimatization.
A small example: here you can walk in the city center and suddenly see a wild boar.
I heard about it and imagined that it hardly happens in reality, but my wife and I meet wild boars two or three times a week in the middle of the city."
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Danil Lesvoi
Maccabi Haifa