The dawn of a new day: Maccabi Haifa's success symbolizes a phenomenon in Israeli football

Maccabi Haifa's victory in Greece surpassed all of its predecessors in Europe, but the great news is that this is not an accidental achievement but part of a broad phenomenon in Israeli football.

Ron Amikam marvels and also explains: why Israel still has a long way to go until it becomes a power

Ron Amikam

07/28/2022

Thursday, July 28, 2022, 09:00 Updated: 09:11

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Summary of Maccabi Haifa's 0:4 over Olympiakos in Greece (Sport1)

Israeli teams have already won away games in Europe - Hapoel Beer Sheva at San Siro, Hapoel Tel Aviv at Parc de France.

They even won in goal shows - Maccabi Petah Tikva in Belgrade, Hapoel Tel Aviv in Parma;

They also won in goal plays against a full court - Hapoel Tel Aviv in Vienna and even beat Olympiakos in goal plays - Maccabi Haifa in the Champions League.

It seems that yesterday all the records were broken: the status, the result, the presentation and the purpose.

It was wow, it was a Champions League team performance.

If it's not a one-off, it can also end there - in the Champions League.

Apollon Limassol enters the movies, because losing against Olympiakos is at least losing against a revered team.

To end a match against a team of this magnitude - don't let the results of Olympiakos against Israeli teams confuse you, this is the almost eternal champion of Greece - when the opponent kicks once into the frame, does not score, does not manage to create any advantage anywhere on the field, in an away game, this is truly a display of purpose .

So true, so focused.

Maccabi Haifa at its best (photo: official website, Reuven Cohen, Maccabi Haifa)

Haifa was so correct - which is more than precise, focused or efficient - that sometimes it seemed that those in red and white were Israelis.

When you connect Maccabi Haifa to the games of the senior team in June, of the youth team in the European Championship, and of the other Israeli teams in Europe, you realize that something is happening here.

It is not sporadic, it is not a coincidence, it is an unfolding event.

I would give credit to the Israeli coaches: Hazan, Haim, Lem, Barda, Bachar.

They raised eggs, they play without feelings of inferiority, with their football, with a deep understanding that as they move around the field and look for the ball, they will determine what happens on the field.

Israel has been creating its own style in recent months: coming up as an underdog, but playing as a favorite.

The rivals don't know how to eat it, their food chain goes wrong.

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Has been feeding us hats of all kinds since yesterday (photo: official website, Reuven Cohen, Maccabi Haifa)

After the meteoric success of the youth team, those who think it's black or white rose again and railed against the amount of foreigners in Israeli football, as if this amount is unusual in global terms.

And here comes Maccabi Haifa and proves that a good selection of foreigners is necessary for success: both in Israel and abroad. One of the main requirements of the British Ministry of Labor for granting a work permit to a footballer is proof that he deserves to take the place of a British footballer. It seems that there is not a single foreigner in Maccabi Haifa that can be said He must take the place of an Israeli player who is better than him. Add to that three nationals such as Josh Cohen, Mavis Chibuta and Nikita Rocabitzia, and you already have 9 foreign players who create a significant gap between Maccabi Haifa and Israeli football and significantly reduce its gap with the elite of Europe.

Haifa plays with three foreigners in defense, Curno gives an offensive dimension, Sondgren is defensive, Planich is a monster;

Ali Muhammad at the start of a dream season is slowly becoming Haifa's Anglo Kante;

Charon Sherry is a soccer master with dream kicks and Ferenzi Pierro has been feeding us hats of all kinds since yesterday, including wide brims.

Piero is a movement heavy, but he has an imposing physical presence and a deadly first step, which puts him before his brakes.

This is how his two goals looked like, this is also how the situations he misses look like.

The power and ease with which he ran over his brakes yesterday, including ex-Roma and Napoli player Kostas Manolas, was very reminiscent of Iacoubo Igbeini's runs in his brace against Olympiakos in 2002.

The players of the youth team should be dispersed in teams that cannot bring such foreigners, where every constructive comment about foreigners and young players will be correct.

A soccer master with dream kicks.

Charon Sherry (Photo: Maor Alxalsi)

The strengths of Maccabi Haifa cannot be ignored.

She has disadvantages only in the goalkeeper position and maybe in the second striker position next to Piero.

Dean Dodd's miss is once again proof that 15 league goals are less important than two Money Time goals.

If Maccabi Haifa had conceded at the beginning of the second half, and lost in the end, we would only talk about David's miss.

On a day like this, you also have to look at the half-empty glass: David received a ball two steps before his brake, when the goalkeeper leaves him a completely empty corner and he kicked his body, both recklessly and carelessly.

If David wants to be the leading striker of the Israel national team, he must step up.

Apart from the less good squads - and they do not affect the overall game - Haifa is physically strong, knows how to get the ball quickly after it loses, much thanks to reaction speed, and has players with excellent kicks - Sherri and Abu Fani demonstrated this last night - and now also comes the giant's head game Piero, who cannot be defended against.

And the most essential: Haifa won yesterday without Rockavicia, almost without Azili, without Mahmoud Jaber.

What depth, how many possibilities.

Last night Maccabi Haifa secured its place in the group stage in Europe - but it is not clear in which factory.

She has also secured 10 more games this season in Europe.

In terms of scoring, this will boost it, it will help Israel to jump, and Israel is in a fantastic situation after two very successful years - with a dream opening of an elaborate point after only 5 qualifying games and before tonight's games - that at least Maccabi Tel Aviv is ranked in the draws all the way to the group stage and Hapoel Beer Sheva can More to find herself ranked in the playoff stage.

The expected amount of games in Europe can jump Israel this year as close to the 15th place it has been since 2004. And the meaning: 5 representatives in Europe, two of them in the Champions League qualifiers.

In the same breath, it must not be blown out of proportion.

The victory of Maccabi Haifa or the progress of Israeli football does not make Israel a power.

You should always remember that successful football is from the same swamp of the combines, of the never-ending extensions that are given here to teams with no budgetary capacity, and of uninhibited footballers looking for casual sex with schoolgirls, and running to tell the guys about it.

• sport

• Israeli soccer

• Super League

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• Maccabi Haifa

• Barak Bacher