Maccabi Haifa is a champion again

Hamsa on him: Barak Bachar's updated status among Israel's top coaches

Blowing in the back of Kashtan, looking down on Switzerland, and not going to stop: the fifth championship of the Maccabi Haifa coach jumped him to the top of the list of decorated coaches of all time.

How did he do it at 42, how will winning another trophy affect the rankings and what stands between him and first place

Moshe Boker

18/05/2022

Wednesday, May 18, 2022, 1:00 p.m.

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Maccabi Haifa fans outside the players' bus after the cancellation of the game against Bnei Sakhnin (use according to section 27A of the Copyright Law)

Now is the beautiful (or ugly) time for commentators, historians, and fans, each of whom will begin the game of chairs around Barak Bachar's place on the honorable list of the greatest coaches in the history of Israeli football.

Is he already the greatest of them all, is he just at the top, and if so, what does he need to be the greatest of them all.

The question will surely arise, whether it makes sense to give the 42-year-old coach the title, in such a short training period, and thus belittle those who ran between large and small teams, between championship fights and relegation campaigns, between winning the state cup with a development town team, or championships with a neighborhood team.

And Bachar, compared to the great coaches we had (David Schweizer, Emanuel Sheffer, Dror Kashtan, Shlomo Sharaf, Giora Spiegel, Abram Grant), is generally a child.

One who coached only three teams.

He was not a great footballer, he did not make a brilliant career, he did not star in the national team, he even retired from a game at a young age, was and remains an anonymous figure until eight to the Kiryat Shmona municipal coach.

It is impossible not to ponder the question of whether it is possible to treat Bachar in the same breath as, for example, Emanuel Sheffer who lifted us to the World Cup, Dror Kashtan who won non-stop titles, did a huge campaign in Europe, and even won championships with three big teams: Betar Jerusalem, Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Tel Aviv has twice won a double, leading two other very small clubs to a historic achievement (Lod State Cup and Champion of Champions, and Kfar Saba Championship and Champion of Champions).

More on Walla!

Lightning in the eyes: Barak Bachar continues to devour degrees and does not intend to stop

To the full article

Already left behind.

David Schweizer (Photo: Flash 90, Moshe Shai)

With all due respect to the honorable list of the great coaches who have been here (and there is respect), Barak Bachar is undoubtedly ranked at the top of the great coaches of Israeli football of all time, and he is making his way safely to conquering the summit.

Currently it is Kashtan or he.

Meanwhile, Kashtan has an advantage.

A clear advantage.

But the list of titles Bachar has collected in his short career as a coach is undoubtedly unprecedented.

5 Premier League championships, one National Cup (maybe two soon), two Toto Cups, and three Super Cup wins.

And was also a very successful campaign in the Europa League.

And he is only 42. In the English media, a debate has recently arisen as to who is the best coach - Pep or Klopp.

This question remains open.

At least until the end of the month.

Pep has more degrees, but the media (as here, also in England), likes to deal with topics that have a lot of interest and history.

The debates, as in England, over Barak Bachar's place on the list of the greatest coaches of all time, may also end at the end of the month.

It is possible that one game (the Champions League final) will give Klopp the coveted title (at least temporarily), and it is possible that one game (the state cup final) will give, or bring (depending on who you ask) Bachar to the title - the greatest of all.

Here with us.

If Bachar wins four titles in one season, it will be an unprecedented achievement.

In the Champions League, Toto Cup and Championship he has already won this season.

Degree 4 in one season, it's already a story we did not have.

Still (in my opinion), he will have to make one more achievement to stick to Kashtan and maybe get around it - the Champions League (we’ll get to that soon).

Let's linger a bit on the path that led Bachar to his fourth championship of his career.

Bachar brought to football a style we did not know (or perhaps forgot), a combination of an independent coach, one who knows how to stand on his own (even in front of dominant owners who like to intervene), resilience, tactician, adventurous, indefinite, one who knows how to maintain a strong and cohesive locker room.

Unlike other coaches (not all), Bachar will never run away from responsibility, on the contrary - he will take responsibility.

He will not look for a damn goat to drop the bag on (especially not live).

He knows how to take responsibility, stand in front of the cameras a moment after an embarrassing loss and say where he went wrong.

Bachar does not let his ego win, he knows how to combine the desire to close an account with a player with his personal ego.

He knows sometimes to be sensitive and sometimes cruel.

Sometimes he laughs, sometimes he is nervous, but always, always, he is purposeful.

He sees in his eyes nothing but the conquest of the target.

More on Walla!

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• Good in numbers: data from the 14th championship of Maccabi Haifa

• The possible rivals are already known: What awaits Maccabi Haifa in the Champions League qualifiers?

• 9 for Noble, David and Sherry, 8 for Goldberg and Haziza: Maccabi Haifa championship scores

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Disconnects the emotion.

Barak Bachar (Photo: Udi Citiat)

Bachar does not try to educate players.

Neither do rebels.

He is not a decorator.

Neither did Guttman.

He is not monitored, and his notebook does not have a blacklist, nor tasks to be liked by the media.

He has breathing space, he will take advantage of the rebellious players, he will get the most out of them for the success of the team, and at the right moment, for him and the team, he will show them the door out.

Without saying a word.

Maybe hello.

Bachar is of the opinion that media festivals have a very short deadline, and all of them have an expiration date with an expiration stamp.

The degrees are forever.

They cannot be erased, nor can they be forgotten.

So even when he is angry, a moment later he is embracing.

Even when he screams, a moment later he laughs.

Bachar learned the new rules of the game.

He knows how to maneuver in the locker room even in moments when there is a storm.

The precipitation he sometimes carries with him, he leaves to forecasters.

Bachar makes decisions from the head.

He disconnects the emotion, ignores background noises, does not count the media, and all he is interested in is just one thing - more and more degrees.

Therefore, he gave up the team and decided to stay in Haifa.

Not many coaches would bring him, certainly not to Maccabi Haifa.

Noble Omar (Photo: Maor Elkelsi)

One of the main culprits for Bachar's fifth championship is Noble Omar.

The main person responsible for bringing Noble to the group was Bachar.

Not many coaches (certainly not at Maccabi Haifa) would bring Noble (not for professional reasons of course), Bachar made a brave decision with the understanding that this is exactly the player he lacks to swing a fourth and fifth plate, and maybe a sixth.

Bachar did not take into account public opinion, even from criticism from the media, he took Noble as a personal project, he put him back on track and together they both took off for two dream years.

Bachar's achievement this season is much greater, if you look at the strikers he had - Sahar and Donio.

Both actually did not exist this season.

He made Noble the best Israeli player, he let Noble bring him the championship, and Noble did it like a great.

Brought the championship.

True, the losses in the playoffs blurred the celebrations a bit, especially after the loss against Maccabi Tel Aviv, but the failure in the playoff games, the fact that Maccabi Haifa won the championship (twice a week - unofficially and officially), when once lost and a second time did not play at all, shows The club's huge achievement in the regular season.

In the games in which Noble played (until recently), he gave Haifa fans an unforgettable experience, and game lovers moments that make it clear to all of us how much we miss quality and great players in our league.

Noble's great moments during the season (and there were many), brought us magical moments that we have not seen in the Premier League since Eran Zehavi played here.

The beauty, brilliance, wisdom, daring and talent, we have not seen in recent years, and we have missed.

(Imagine a season in which Noble in Haifa and Zahavi in ​​Maccabi. We will have some magical moments).

On the way to being pushed to second place?

Dror Kashtan (Photo: Kobi Eliyahu)

And back to the fight against Kashtan for the title "Greatest Israeli coach of all time."

Beyond degrees, achievements, there are labels in football that everyone wants to get rid of.

Bachar has at least two.

Despite his impressive achievements, despite the ability to properly prepare his team for crucial games, Bachar fails to convince in games against Maccabi Tel Aviv.

No matter the timing, nor the location, nor the fact that Maccabi Tel Aviv is weak and in poor shape, Bachar fails to beat Maccabi.

Bachar carries this stain for quite some time, he wants to erase this stain.

Must delete.

Another hurdle Becher has to cross (to face Kashtan on the debut), is the Champions League.

Bachar did not fulfill every coach's dream of reaching the Champions League, and worse, in the two fateful games in which he could have qualified with Beer Sheva for the best league in the world, he failed and lost against Celtic (5: 2) and against Maribor (1: 0), in both These games, Bachar erred in the composition, lineup, and game management.

In fact, it happened to Bachar that what happened to Guardiola in the final stages of the Champions League.

Bachar, like Pep, wanted to reinvent himself, get smart and prove he was bigger than the game, and in both cases he suffered a blow that got him back on track.

Despite all of Messi's achievements in Barcelona, ​​despite the many victories in the Champions League, despite and despite and despite, Messi still does not get the stamp of the greatest of all time.

Why?

Because Maradona won the World Cup and Messi did not.

And although the legendary number 10 has won only two championships and Messi won 11 championships 4 times in the Champions League and countless other titles, without the title of world champion - Messi's superiority over Maradona will occupy the football world, at least until the upcoming World Cup in Qatar.

Another championship or two that Bachar will take in the Premier League will not be enough for him to win the biggest title of all.

Bachar must lead a team to the Champions League.

And maybe this is really the reason why he preferred to stay in Haifa and give up the team?

Player of the season

Noble Omar

Charon Cherry

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302 participants

Coach of the season

Ziv Arieh

Slobodan Drapic

Bnei Lem

Barak Bachar

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334 participants

Breakthrough of the season

Itamar Shabiru

Eden Kartzb

Maron Gentus

Sean Goldberg

Omri Gandelman

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312 participants

What is the goal of the season?

Osher Davida (Hapoel Tel Aviv - Maccabi Petah Tikva 1: 2)

Muhammad Abu Fani (Maccabi Haifa - Hapoel BS 0: 2)

Yaakov Barihon (Bnei Sakhnin - MS Ashdod 1: 0)

Maxim Flakushchenko (Hapoel Hadera - Betar Jerusalem 2: 1)

Charon Sheri (Hapoel Haifa - Maccabi Haifa 1: 0)

Ben Bitton (Hapoel Tel Aviv - Maccabi Netanya 2: 2)

Igor Zlatanovich (Maccabi Netanya - Maccabi Haifa 0: 3)

Hanan Maman (Hapoel Haifa - Hapoel Jerusalem 2: 1)

Noble Omar (Hapoel B'Shlosha - Maccabi Haifa 2: 1)

Charon Sheri (Maccabi Haifa - Bnei Sakhnin 0: 1)

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290 participants

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Tags

• Barak Bachar

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• Dror Kashtan