In the not-too-distant past, we would define a meeting between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel in the "game of the season".
This season the Southern team has opened burners and leads the table, while the Yellows are fighting for a place that will lead them to Europe.
The main reason for the gaps between the groups is last summer.
We will not go into the changes that GSS made in the summer, that is not the purpose of the article. Change the situation.Spoiler: It will not be easy.
Let's start from the beginning
In the summer, the Yellows lost too many key players: Yonatan Cohen and Dor Peretz left for Europe, but for the rest of the leavers, the story was completely different, and the ball was in the hands of the team.
Then came the critical mistake - parting from Eitan Tibi, who moved to Hapoel B'Shlosha. "Eitan held the defense for Maccabi, look what happens to them without him," said a former player in the Yellows.
Indeed, Maccabi's defense without Tibi this season is one of the worst the Yellows have had in recent years.
How bad?
The Yellows conceded 23 goals in 16 league games, and only Bnei Sakhnin and Hapoel Nof Hagalil conceded more.
The person responsible for Tibi not being at Maccabi is the previous coach, Patrick Van Leven.
It could be that if the professional manager Barak Yitzhaki had been in office longer, or brought in the Dutchman, as happened with Mladen Krastic, such a release would not have happened.
Eitan Tibi.
Today in red, Photo: Liron Moldovan
Maccabi brought Idan Nachmias instead of Tibi out of long-term thinking, but forgot in the way that Luis Hernandez is not Jair Amador, and that being the starting brake at Maccabi is not like being the opening brake of Urban KS. "Of all the brakes in the league, Nachmias was The greatest potential is to be the next Tibi, "said a Maccabi source, and that is certainly true, but in many games Maccabi paid tuition with Nachmias in the squad.
The thing is, Nachmias is just one piece in the puzzle, where so many pieces are missing.
Let's start with the fact that with the exception of Gabi Kanikovsky, none of the new players who arrived were able to maintain stability.
Dan Bitton, for example, or Osama Khalayla, who started well but very quickly was pushed out of the rotation.
Also Brandly Kwas, who once appeared in a few games and disappeared, and Stifa Fritza, who is currently the king of Maccabi's goalscorers, but less suited to the method and unstable.
Last but not least is Eden Shamir, who was not really counted until Krastich arrived.
And when reinforcement players don’t really make an impact, that’s already a big problem.
Idan Nachmias.
Part of a puzzle where many pieces are missing, Photo: Berni Ardov
In the summer they were convinced that dragging him would become a key player.
"If in half a season he scored seven goals, imagine what will happen in his second season in the seniors," the club said at the time, but in practice the Yellows only received a single league goal from him.
On Saturday, he will miss the game against the Reds due to a dismissal he suffered from the court.
It did not happen.
Except for Hozaz, everyone else did not conquer at all.
Ben Haim should also be included in this list, who until the change of coach was in the freezer, but has since scored four goals.
And as if all that wasn’t enough, there are strangers, like Seborit and Geralds, who were good last year but are experiencing a big drop in ability.
When you put together this dilapidated puzzle you get a staff that is not good enough, and thus a gap of 15 points is created from the first place.
Tal Ben Haim.
Of the only ones still functioning, Photo: Sefi Magrizo
How do you change the situation?
Maccabi needs to understand that they have to fight for the best Israelis in the Premier League, even if it costs a lot of money.
Bring in 4-3 players in January with a view to next season, and in the summer continue with deep plowing in the roster.
Even before that, on Saturday, as mentioned, Maccabi will try to inflict the first loss of the season on BS and perhaps regain some of the lost honor.
4,000 reds in Bloomfield
And in the WC? Madness. The 4,000 tickets allocated to the fans were hijacked, and the club clarifies: "We want to return with three points and a huge push towards Maccabi Haifa."
Rotem Hatuel was exposed to a verified patient and will not be on Roni Levy's staff.
Were we wrong?
Fixed!
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