Hibs reap benefit of having a better Ofir
OFIR MARCIANO has formed a one-man barrier to the ambitions of Scotland’s three pre-eminent football managers. The Hibs goalkeeper made Steven Gerrard wince as he produced high-quality saves to keep out Ryan Kent and Scott Arfield as Rangers dropped precious Premiership points at Easter Road last weekend.
Today, he will form the last line of defence against his old boss Neil Lennon’s Celtic as the champions seek to maintain momentum in a title race that already shows minimal margin for error.
Most nervous of all might be Scotland boss Steve Clarke as Marciano prepares to tend the posts for Israel as the countries face up in the Euro 2020 play-off semi-final at Hampden on Thursday week.
Established as No1 for both club and country, the 30-year-old admits he is playing as well as ever. So settled in Edinburgh are he, wife Shelly and three-year-old boy Sun, that the family rejected the chance to return to the sunshine of the Middle East during lockdown. Their domestic happiness has shone through in his performances at the start of the new season. ‘I am happy I have created a good environment around me and I’m enjoying my job and how my life is,’ says Marciano. ‘I want to keep that as much as I can.
‘You can look back on my time at Hibs, or even earlier stages in my career, and I have played well. But I’m definitely in a good place right now because I feel like I am in control.
‘I try not to get carried away with a good performance. I know there is more for me.’
It was Lennon who brought Marciano to these shores, signing him on loan from Ashdod for Hibs’ Championship-winning season in 2016 and then making the deal permanent 12 months later. ‘I think we worked quite well,’ reflects Marciano. ‘I really appreciate him as a manager and a person.
‘He brought me here and gave me my chance in Scotland and I think I did well for him.
‘Of course the expectations are high with Neil Lennon, but you need to set standards.
‘I’m happy that I had someone who pushed me every day — but you cannot progress unless you are also pushing yourself. It was a good combination for me.’
Marciano has not always been first choice at Easter Road. Ross Laidlaw and Adam Bogdan both had spells in the team under Lennon, while Paul Heckingbottom went out and signed Chris Maxwell to play in goal.
Under Jack Ross he has blossomed. Until Rangers’ visit last weekend, he had not been beaten in open play this season and he emerged as one of the star performers in that 2-2 draw.
It took a Lewis Ferguson penalty to consign Hibs to their only defeat of the season so far and they travel to Glasgow in the knowledge that they are good value for their current placing of third in the table, three points off top spot. Under Lennon, Hibs finished fourth in their first season back in the top flight in 2018 and although there has been a high turnover of players since, Marciano sees parallels between the sides.
‘We had a good
team with him, good players,’ he continues. ‘That is the same now. It’s nice to be back towards the top of the league and have those comparisons, but the key will be to stay there and, even on the tough days, still get a good result.
‘That’s why the big teams are always at the top through the whole season.’
Hibs sealed that fourth-placed finish with a 5-5 draw with Rangers on the final day of the season, a match that epitomised the full-blooded, often cavalier, style present during Lennon’s reign.
The current Celtic team is equally committed to attack and Marciano knows that many of the threats he faces today will also be big players for Clarke in the forthcoming international.
It took a Ryan Christie penalty to beat Marciano when the teams met in a Nations League warm-up earlier this month and, with the stakes raised, the form of the visiting goalkeeper could go a long way towards influencing Scotland’s prospects of making it to a major final for the first time in more than two decades.
‘We know what Celtic are at Parkhead, we know they are a great team, but we trust in ourselves and know that there are areas we can exploit,’ says Marciano.
‘Obviously, we know Scotland’s best players. Ryan Christie, Callum McGregor and James Forrest are also Celtic’s main threats attack- wise. So we will prepare for the game on Sunday but we know they are a threat at national level as well.
‘We know we have a game coming up that is our most important for a long time. In two months’ time, we might be in the Euros, we have a chance.’
Out of contract next summer, Marciano’s excellent form might just be catching the eye of alternative employers.
Having recently tied down prize asset Martin Boyle to a new deal, Ross insists he remains relaxed over the pace of talks with his keeper but Marciano rules nothing out.
‘To be fair, I am trying not to think about it,’ he adds. ‘Obviously, we always have ambitions to make our best and be at the best places but, at the moment, I am in a great place.
‘I am happy at this club, my family are settled here and this is the only thing I am worried about, to be as good as I can here. No one knows what the future will bring.’