The pressure at the beginning of the season, the trust he received from Barak Bachar, the personal work with Guy Tzarfati and the mental video that is edited for him before games • Dolev Haziza excels at Maccabi Haifa and not by chance
Firecracker.
No more actor shooting shots
Photography:
Maor Alexelsi
Dolev Haziza is probably Maccabi Haifa's half-season player.
18 games have passed, and Haziza's season is also divided in half - until the ninth round, and from there.
At the start of the season Haziza's contribution was zero goals and assists, but since then he has flourished with seven conquests and four assists.
The 25-year-old midfielder has made a leap this season that has been reflected on several levels, but it has not really come easily to him.
At the beginning of the season he had a hard time, he moved between the team and the bench, lost a lot of balls and it was obvious that he was under pressure.
"I do not go," he shared with his friends.
At that time, before the league game against Betar Jerusalem, the pressure increased and was expressed in a confrontation with Bogdan Planic in one of the training sessions.
Since then, he has not stopped.
Coach Barak Bachar and the other members of the professional team should not have received a message from him, because firecrackers are as transparent as nylon, everything is seen through him.
Bachar spoke with him and clarified: "You are an excellent player, you have nothing to be stressed about. Be calm, play as you know and the rest will come alone."
Assistant coach Guy French also took him under his wing at the professional level, sat down with him on videos and worked with him on improving the game - which continues to this day.
Firecracker. "In the most important game he will do exactly what he would have done on Friday afternoon" // Photo: Alan Schieber
On the mental side, Eitan Azaria and Danny Inbar entered the picture.
They edit a "mental video" for him before games, each with a message relevant to the upcoming game.
Thus, for example, after his big game against Hapoel Kfar Saba with the candidate for the goal of the season and more cooking, Haziza stood in front of the camera at the end and said: .
Haziza not forget the loss to Maccabi Tel Aviv, then planted Lavi grabbed the harshest reviews.
"It was important for him to pick up Neta, just as Neta tried to pick up others in the team," players explained.
The same kid who played in the neighborhood
for the fans is far beyond that quote.
Haziza speaks from the belly and says sharp things, but also knows how to express them in reality.
In his debut interview last season, in front of journalists who were sure that Haifa was going for a mediocre acquisition, the contact stated: "I came to be a leading player in Maccabi Haifa."
Haziza has indeed led the Greens, and he is doing so this season as well.
The relationship stands in front of the cameras even after losses and leaves the clichés at home.
You will not hear from him phrases like "Only together will we get out of this" or "Life from game to game".
After the loss to the champion in the 95th minute, he honestly admitted: "I want to die", and reflected much of the real feelings of both the players and the fans.
When sports channel reporter Yigal Goldstein asked hard and asked what is being done to not break after such a loss, he received an answer that "Maccabi Haifa is not broken."
The thing is that firecrackers not only shoot hollow words, but mostly try to stand behind them.
"Dolev is the same player who played in the neighborhood when he was a kid, only in the format of an adult player," his teammates said. "That's all the beauty in him. "But that's all his magic."