Summary: Maccabi Haifa - Maccabi Netanya 0:4/Sport1
Even before his team's game against Beitar Jerusalem on Monday, when he was still dealing with what will happen and what will happen, a Hapoel Tel Aviv fan told me with the sarcasm reserved for people of Shaar 5: "I see that Maccabi won one of the last five games and that makes me feel good, until I remember Who did it beat." It's
hard to understand how Maccabi Tel Aviv declined in such a short time. I mean, professionally it's not really difficult, after all in this derby, about which the same Adom fan is talking, we got to know all the weaknesses of the leader - an unstable defense, a team that loses its composure When it absorbs, a reasonable goalkeeper, who, like the man he shares the role with, is not always sharp, and a tired and worn-out squad. The numbness that Eran Zahavi has been suffering from for the past month disappeared in that game, until the injury struck again in full force in Petah Tikva.
Over all of this hovers one heavy cloud: the lack of energy How do you even measure a level of energy? We'll leave that to all kinds of spiritual gurus, but it's obvious that Maccabi Tel Aviv is turned off, drained, joyless, even in the stands. There's a sense of despondency and resignation, a bit strange for a team that until not many weeks ago was leading by 10 points in the table Tonight
all this could deepen - or change.
How do you change the momentum?/Kobi Eliyahu
The change and crowding of the game schedule arranged for Maccabi Tel Aviv and Maccabi Haifa three key meetings in about a month.
In the first part of the trilogy, Haifa won, the second comes at a particularly hot time - three days after narrowing the gap to a point (and reducing a potential point that could raise the Greens to the top of the table) and a day after the signing of Lior Casa.
As far as the champion is concerned, the Toto Cup final could be the move that brings her closer to Matt for the season, just before the meeting between them in Haifa.
Maccabi Tel Aviv will have to quickly find the mojo it lost.
If in the first round she made mistakes in defense and didn't pay the price, now the offensive anemia is killing her.
The fear of Milson's prolonged absence turned out to be justified, this team now has less speed and little imagination, but that is not the only reason.
Traditionally she has a psychological difficulty to run over.
She doesn't know how to kill games and as the minutes tick by she only gets more stressed and tends to lose points.
A victory in the final of the Toto Cup can do for Maccabi Tel Aviv what the first victory of the season in the same enterprise, the famous 1:6 over Hapoel Beer Sheva, did for them - to give confidence, to make a statement, to change the momentum back.
A loss could increase the snowball, which gained momentum yesterday following Casa's decision to join Maccabi Haifa.
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His choice is the choice of most players in the situation.
Lior Casa/Danny Maron
Casa will not play too much in Maccabi Haifa this season.
He will spend time on the bench, sometimes stay out of the squad, at the end of the season he might ask to gain experience.
He was acquired as a senior prospect, as a talent who could become a superstar.
Time will tell if he will be Hassan Abu Zaid or Igbini Yakobo.
From a player of such an age, who has not been in a big club, it is hard to know what will come out.
Maccabi Haifa put money on a potential that could explode in its face and certainly not one that would yield immediate dividends, yet became the great symbol of the struggle in the current transfer window.
Often when a player is nominated for Maccabi Haifa the name "Maccabi Tel Aviv" is also thrown into the air.
Sometimes, as in the case of Lior Rafalov, it is about agent games to raise the price.
In the case of Gadi Kinda, Maccabi Tel Aviv became interested only after it was already closed in Haifa.
On Casa she went hard, head to head.
This time it wasn't a mock fight, the yellows really wanted the player.
If they win it, a moral victory will come along the way.
But it didn't happen.
Casa, like many others, chose Haifa.
Did he see a better professional horizon there?
Probably.
Did you get the impression that Shahar's desire is greater?
It's possible.
Do the energies of Sami Ofer influence the decision?
There is a chance.
Whatever the reason, he made the predictable decision that many players his age would have made.
In the end, it all boils down to one place: reputation.
Why not attack him?
Adi Yona/Danny Maron
First of all, it should be said that Ben Mansford's return to Maccabi Tel Aviv was necessary.
This club has been stuck in recent years without a proper managerial avenue, which affected the moves and the whole season.
Without Mansford, there is no Robbie Keane, who does have professional question marks hovering over him, but especially considering the difficult political situation in which he finds himself, he shows remarkable loyalty to the club, and, in general, Maccabi Tel Aviv today broadcasts that it is a healthier and more organized club.
And yet, Mansford has not been able to solve the constant outbursts that hold the team back every time in January.
Even if a purchase comes here and there, even if now they woke up about Elad Madmon, the club never broadcasts that it goes all the way.
Aden Kartsev was a good acquisition, but he was a fluke and comes on loan, the preferred option is always there.
You lost Casa - why not go all out for Ainau Freda?
Why not attack the quality Adi Yona?
And if a right wing is needed, how come Timothy Mozzi is not on the agenda?
Maccabi Haifa, on the other hand, does not see eye to eye.
It's a message that has been passed down for years.
Sometimes Shua, sometimes noble, sometimes Saba, sometimes Seif and Kinda.
Every year comes a big name.
Sometimes it is more successful, sometimes less so, but the picture is clear: when there is a competition - Maccabi Haifa wins, and usually this procurement fits well, ask Goni Noor.
So a young player like Casa and his surroundings are looking at both options.
Why would they choose to go to Kiryat Shalom?
The next talent is bought.
Einau Farda/Danny Maron
It's time to talk a little about Hapoel Jerusalem.
What started as a somewhat dreamy fan project, has become over the years one of the best incubators in Israel.
Hapoel Jerusalem's youth department is the club's flagship, at least 10% of the budget is directed to it and additional funds that come in are invested in it, such as the two million shekels that Maccabi Haifa paid for Goni Naor and in any other club would have been directed to procurement.
Hapoel Yerushalayim "took advantage" of the bankruptcy of its municipal rival in the youth department, spread through neighborhoods and talent identification tournaments, connected with communities and managed to make children prefer to come to it despite the almost one-sided sympathy in the city in favor of Beitar. In six years, the Red Youth Department grew from 4 for 12 teams. The department works with a sports doctor, a fitness and physical education system, an educational consultant and even a math doctor.
The sales of Naor and Kassa are the most prominent, but other buds are starting to sprout. Players like Ferda and Kerem Zoevi are expected to bring a lot of money to the club in the future , especially when every professional defines them as having the potential to be part of the senior team in the future. No less important - these deals are also a recognition of the club's status, a development team in the Premier League that is trying to break glass ceilings. Sometimes it ends in the top playoffs and sometimes in relegation battles, but as long as work is done every So good in the junior department, there is someone to rely on.
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