After seeing falls like Kamara and Olah get ahead of him in the lineup, Omar Damari changed attitude • India club: "There was a tough time; he made the change" • Next task: Derby vs Maccabi on Monday

• Damari. Hapoel is pleased to change the approach of the striker

  Photo:

  Alan Shaver

Here's a statue that Hapoel Tel Aviv fans will love to read ahead of the derby: The last time their team defeated the urban rival and hated was in April 2014.

It was also the last season the Reds played in the top playoffs, so that if Nir Klinger's team failed to play in the two remaining seasons until the end of the regular season, it might be able to recover history, and perhaps surprise even more in the upcoming derby, securing its place among the top six.

The big news the red crowd received before the derby is the return of Omar Damari. The striker who scored and cooked in the Reds' last win of the 13/14 season - which was also his peak season in a career with 26 conquests and then signed in Austria Vienna - was to be the anchor of the season. At least that's what he built at the club. In practice, Damari, meanwhile, is having one of the most difficult seasons of his career, which he mostly spent on the bench or in the stands.

Damari versus Conte, this week // Photo: Bernie Ardov

It was widely believed that Damari would receive more credit when Klinger replaced Nisso Avitan, who also dried him quite a bit off the grass, but in reality happened just the opposite. The veteran coach felt that the striker was not strenuous enough in training to take up space in the lineup. From that moment Klinger made him an education series, but in the same breath he made it clear in his personal conversations that if there was access, the door to the ensemble was open to him.

At the time, Hapoel Tel Aviv Klinger explained that "Omar is a leading actor, he should give a job and give an example." A week went by, and another week, and another week, and Damari saw Damba Kamara (long ago released) play in front of him, followed by Michael Olha coming up in front of him and even Omri Altman moving to pioneer position. In all, Damari only had 91 minutes in 16 games (including a trophy) under Klinger, until the last game against Betar Jerusalem.

"Give him his time"

"Crazy Damari that he didn't play," Hapoel says, admitting that the trend for the striker, which will be celebrating next month 31, has been reversed in recent weeks. The reasons were that Damari showed seriousness in training, but also because of Olha's weakness, which right now makes the impression that the worker was wrong with him big time.

Damari celebrates with friends in front of Betar this week // Photo: Bernie Ardov

And so, earlier this week, Damari, whose only goal this season against Hapoel KP in the first round was the last field goal scored by the Reds, opened the Klinger era for the first time, recorded 70 minutes and squeezed compliments from the professional team.

"There was a tough time with Damari, but now the hunger is back," Hapoel says. "He gave him his time, without pressing it, and he made the change. He doesn't have the same speed, but the quality and the wisdom cannot be taken away. That it can be brought back to being the Damari of yesteryear. "

At the end of the season Damari ends his contract after the summer has already shown him the way out in the management, and only the fan protest has returned him. Until the game of Teddy no one in the club ever thought he would continue next season, but now he has the opportunity to change the management's thoughts about him. If there is no dramatic change in the coming days, Damari will also open in a derby against Maccabi in Bloomfield on Monday.