Second attempt: Maccabi Haifa's big test is now back in Europe

After the lack of experience almost cost the Greens their first championship in a decade in 2021, Barak Becher's team now prepares to battle for the Champions League against Red Star Belgrade - a much more experienced opponent in the standings.

So what still encourages the Haifaites?

Shlomo Weiss

08/17/2022

Wednesday, August 17, 2022, 10:45

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Summary: Apollon Limassol - Maccabi Haifa 0:2 (Sport1)

End of May 2021 - Maccabi Haifa conceded a goal in the 93rd minute in what was supposed to be the championship game against Kiryat Shmona.

The thousands of fans who have already seen how ten years of standing came to an end saw the ground opening up from under them and returned home bareheaded for the decisive match against Hapoel Be'er Sheva.

In the days between the heartbreak in Kiryat Shmona and the game against the Reds from the Negev, there was one mantra that popped up in the media at every opportunity, as well as among the Greens' fans - and that was that the fact that no Greens player except Omer Atzili and Rami Gershon won the championship among the players actually playing caused the equalizing goal and that the Greens were simply unable to kill the Championship fight.

"There is no doubt that experience in such positions and in winning titles is important," states an official in Haifa, "We felt it throughout the season of Barak Bacher's first championship, there was a feeling that if there were a little more experienced players we would have killed the fight at a much earlier stage."

With all due respect to the experience, a few days later the Greens met Beer Sheva and this time they did not let the championship slip from their hands.

The experience question returns, this time in Europe.

Maccabi Haifa players (Photo: Maor Alxalsi)

If anyone was looking to see a different, more experienced and mature Maccabi Haifa, they did.

The biggest proof came in the game against Maccabi Tel Aviv - the greens fell behind by two goals but recorded a tremendous comeback and in the last few minutes knew how to pull the clock with Mohamed Abu Fani starring above all.

"There is no doubt that this is part of maturity," states a player from the champion, "If we had this experience against Kiryat Shmona, we would not be afraid to play ugly and drag out the time until the whistle that would have given us the championship."

A little more than a season has passed since that game in the far north and the Greens can mark in their favor highly experienced players in championship battles with two plates in hand.

However, the next step for the Greens is a third participation in history in the group stage of the Champions League, and once again Becher's group faces a challenge when most of the staff has no experience in these positions.

Will it have an effect in the fight against Red Star, where the players are much more experienced?

How does the team intend to deal with the issue and which players can tell the rest about the experiences in the group stages of the Champions League?

All the answers are here.

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One of the most experienced in the European arena.

Planich (photo: Maor Alxalsi)

The current squad of the Greens carries with it players whose European experience mainly includes the group stage in the Conference League, a position they were in last season.

This status, the club feels, has significantly improved the maturity of the players in everything that also concerns the European establishments.

"Experience is an important thing," said a player in Haifa, "but the conference gave us the start and the hunger we all have outweighs the lack of experience."

Indeed, in Haifa they build mainly on hunger as well as on the "magic" of the professional staff.

If you look at the squad of the Greens, the only two who were in the group stage of the Champions League are Rami Gershon and Ben Shaher - two who are not scheduled to start in the lineup tonight and it is very doubtful if they will play at all in the double match.

Apart from them, the center of defense of the Greens are the most experienced in European classes, when Bogdan Palanich and Sean Goldberg were in the group stage of the European League, the first in Stiava Bucharest and the second in Hapoel Beer Sheva.

Also in the positions of the green wings are players with experience in the domestic stage of Europe's secondary factory - Omar Atzili with Maccabi Tel Aviv and Mavis Chibuta with Ludogorets, but neither of them should be in the starting lineup tonight.

Twice he went down defeated, and what about the third time?

Bachar (Photo: Maor Alxalsi)

If there is anything that can encourage the greens on the issue of experience, it is the one standing on the lines.

Twice Barak Becher stood in a position where he will stand tonight as well, twice he was defeated, but in Haifa you can tell that his hunger and focus are greater because of this.

Bachar was also not in the group stage of the Champions League, but he was three times in the group stage of the Europa League - once in his first season as a coach in Kiryat Shmona's municipal uniform and twice in Hapoel Beer Sheva, where he recorded tremendous campaigns.

"Barek is probably the most experienced among us in the European classes," agrees a club official, "but in the end on the grass tonight, the ability will speak, the hunger will speak and the tactics will speak - experience is significant but it is not the one that will decide."

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