Israel welcomes Kosovo for a Nations League clash on Thursday (21:45) in Debrecen, Hungary as the blue-and-white will look to win their first game of the window after having fallen to Austria and Ireland.

National team head coach Ran Ben Shimon and captain Eli Dasa spoke to the media on Wednesday evening ahead of the match, discussing the disappointment of the Ireland defeat, the high expectations surrounding the team and potential changes to his starting lineup.

Asked how he had recovered from the heavy loss to Ireland, Ben Shimon said, “I’ve recovered. I didn’t have a choice. Over the past two days, we’ve focused on the things that didn’t go well and tried to address our problems so we can help the team immediately. More than anything, we tried to understand what we did wrong and where we made mistakes, all of us, including the coaching staff, so we can make corrections and improve ahead of the upcoming matches.”

On the disappointment and the high expectations surrounding the national team, he added, “I think Eli has already spoken about this. I believe that a lot of hope and expectation was placed on us. I accept that; it’s part of life. But we also have to be fair. Expectations were extremely high heading into the Ireland game, and they suffocated us a little. We felt the pressure. That’s not an excuse, but that’s simply what happened.”

Asked whether he was considering making wholesale changes to the starting lineup against Kosovo, Ben Shimon responded, “There are many factors involved in selecting the players, including fatigue. There’s no such thing as being dropped from the national team. Nobody is being written off. Everyone in the squad is capable of starting and whoever I believe should play will be in the lineup.”

Discussing the preparations for Kosovo and the challenge awaiting his team, Ben Shimon said, “During the first day or two, we focused on ourselves, on how to bounce back and what we did wrong, including the coaching staff. Over the past two days, we’ve concentrated on Kosovo and its strengths. They’re a very good team, perhaps the best in the group alongside Austria. We expect a difficult and complicated match, but one we very much want to win.”

Right-back Eli Dasa also spoke to the media, addressing criticism over his inclusion in the squad due to not playing with a club team at this time and reflecting on the difficult days since the defeat to Ireland.

Asked about the criticism surrounding his call-up despite being without a club, Dasa said, “First of all, I think the criticism is fair. If I were in their position, I’d probably be asking the same questions. But I have two roles here. My first priority is to perform on the pitch, but I also bring experience and can be there to support the players and the coach. I’ve always arrived at national team camps in good shape, even when I wasn’t playing for a club, and I’m not going to apologize for being here.”

On his current situation as a free agent, Dasa added, “Right now, my focus is on the national team. Once this international break is over, I’ll turn my attention to finding a club. This is the fourth time in my career that I’ve found myself in this situation. It’s not ideal, but I’ll deal with it.”

Reflecting on the difficult days following the defeat to Ireland, Dasa said, “I’ve had a difficult few days, just like everyone else in the country. I’ve had to take a hard look at myself, but in football, you have to move on. We have Kosovo tomorrow, and I hope we’ve learned our lessons. At the end of the day, nothing I say will make anyone back home feel better. We need to deliver on the pitch.

“Our emotions got the better of us in the last game, and we need to respond differently against Kosovo. I’m not going to promise a win because they’re a very good team, but we’ll do everything we can to get the result and put the last game behind us.”

Asked whether he would consider returning to Israel, Dasa replied, “Let’s see what happens.”