A lesson in citizenship: Ali Muhammad's next test at Maccabi Haifa

The fall last season put his future in green in doubt, but after he realized that in order to reach the Champions League you can't be satisfied with things that you don't see in the statistics, the jump came.

After creating another revolution in Israeli football, is one of the biggest and most influential foreigners who were here able to take another step forward?

Inbal Manor

06/09/2022

Tuesday, September 6, 2022, 10:00 a.m

• Share on Facebook

• Share on WhatsApp

• Share on Twitter

• Share by email

• Share in general

• Comments

  Comments

Maccabi Haifa training in Lisbon (Shlomo Weiss)

In the second round of the top playoffs last year, Ali Muhammad started only one game.

He was just done.

53 official games in all frameworks gave their signals.

The physical fatigue turned into mental exhaustion and led to a sharp decrease in ability.

He was not alone, of course.

Maccabi Haifa ended last season with a limp.

When the championship was already in the pocket, there was a general drop in tension that led Barak Becher to the conclusion that the refresh in the staff - perhaps the trademark that is so identified with the coach - is necessary and should be bigger than he planned.

There was no intention of giving up on Muhammad, but there were those in Maccabi Haifa who thought that the drop in ability was the first sign of a future decline in his status.

Maccabi Haifa made the necessary adjustments to arrive ready for the qualifying campaign test in the summer.

The procurement players who arrived early contributed immediately, the refreshment effect was achieved and so was the overarching goal.

In the dizzying weeks that passed the champion, the main freshman stood out.

Ali Muhammad recovered from exhaustion and took over the link of Maccabi Haifa, Angulo Kante Style.

He jumped a step.

The good things that were always there suddenly seem even better.

The things that were missing are suddenly there.

Ali Muhammad understood that being the player who brings the things that you don't see in the statistics is nice, but to reach the Champions League you also have to appear in the statistics.

And he appeared.

big time.

Has always been a player of Balance.

Ali Muhammad (Photo: Danny Maron)

With the end of the season, Mohamed asked to give up the African Championship qualifiers with the Niger national team, focused on mental recovery and working on improving elements of his game.

Already in the champion of champions match, Bakr understood and told his companions: Ali Muhammad is back.

Mohammed has always been a player of balance.

One that frees the offensive tools in a rescue and a pass that opens the game.

A player who is able to run from wide to wide, but is still flawed in several aspects.

Not physical enough to be a full back, doesn't provide the numbers of a modern "8".

This was enough to become over the years one of the most prominent midfielders in the Premier League, a player who perfectly complements a team that has offensive abilities and knows how to move the ball, but it did not motivate clubs outside of Israel to want to pay high sums for him.

"He made a significant leap forward," agrees Uri Ozan.

"What he has, he has, and in this he is tremendous - the physical fitness, the ball rescues, the defensive work, covering the area, the joining. He has improved in decision-making and it is obvious that they worked with him on the kick. The technique in the kick suddenly looks good. He puts his foot in properly, unlike in the past , when he would push the ball. This is something that is very difficult to change at this age. Together with Dolev Haziza, these are the two players who were the best in all the qualifying games. Take Daniel Sondgren's goal in Belgrade. It's a goal by Ali who went for a steal and confused the star players."

Let's go back a bit.

Shortly before the end of their journey in Beitar Jerusalem, Slobodan Drapich and Shay Berda moved Ali Mohamed to a forward position in midfield and got two goals from him (compared to three league goals in total he scored in five seasons in Israel). But then the midfielder fell ill with Corona and had trouble recovering, Beitar The change of coaches and in last season's Maccabi Haifa, Muhammad had to play quite a bit in the back midfielder position.

"Neta Lavi is back and he's flourishing next to him because Ali is coming back to save balls. It's fun to play next to someone like that. He cleans everything next to you and you have to pick up scraps. He's a player that's hard to get past and sometimes it seems like there are several like him on the field," Ozan continues.

"When he has good players next to him, he improves even more. He plays in a very good team that has everything going for it, in a style that suits him and allows him to play the box to box and go forward with the dribble. The step up for him had to come in numbers. 8 Without involvement in the goals is a problem, of course in the Israeli league. His goal should be direct involvement in 7-8 goals this season."

He is on the right track.

By the way, Berda said in the past: "In an initiative team, he can be much more relevant because he is very smart, knows how to clear areas, get in between the holes, he has an amazing streak, decision-making and understanding of the game on a different level. There is no player in Israel who is so agile on a small area. That's his strength. This is one of the biggest relationships I've coached."

More in Walla!

Odelia's cancer is back, and she is not going to give up

In collaboration with AstraZeneca

Ali Muhammad was moved to a more forward position in Beitar. Barda and Drapich (Photo: Barney Ardov)

Muhammad came to Israel in the first place because teams like Bordeaux and Freiburg who tested him thought he was too small or not physical enough and demanded a training in the reserves.

Ali Muhammad did not leave Israel (even though Eyal Segal and Moshe Hogge dreamed of an exit) because for them a player who had been stuck in Israel for too many years was not attractive enough at the stated price.

Things you don't see in the statistics are not necessarily enough to move to a higher league.

Fortunately for the team, in the food chain of the Israeli transfer market, above Segal sat celebrating and above celebrating sat Yaakov Shahar.

Ali Muhammad reached the peak of his career just before the age of 27 and will get a chance to show his ability on the biggest stage in European football.

This is true, by the way, for quite a few Maccabi Haifa players, led by Haziza.

The Champions League can change their careers.

Could this happen to Ali Muhammad?

Ozan thinks yes: "He has never received such a stage and I think that after the Champions League he will leave here. Maybe they won't buy him for 20 million euros, a good tournament can certainly send him to places like Celtic or the league in Portugal for a price tag of two million."

Meanwhile, something no less important happened around Ali Muhammad.

The decision to register him as an Israeli player did not go down our throats and cannot go down our throats as long as the taint of Pedro Galban's deportation hangs around us.

In today's reality, the average fan demands "justification".

Unlike Miguel Vitor (and if and when Enrique Savorit too), Muhammad cannot play for the Israeli national team.

On the other hand, there is no doubt about the connection between the actor and his family and the country.

Perhaps in this context the correct comparison is to Gustavo Boccoli or Giovanni Russo.

A player who has been stuck in Israel for too many years is not attractive in Europe.

Ali Muhammad (Photo: Maor Al-Kalsalsi)

The Ali Muhammad precedent annoyed quite a few people in Israeli football.

Some see it as a "trick" by the big leagues to get another advantage for themselves - because not every club is financially able to give up the tax breaks and become a foreign Israeli.

Professionally, Maccabi Haifa made a huge profit.

In recent years, the annoying term "tie-breaker player" has taken root in the discourse here.

It is customary to use it mainly in the context of foreign players, but the reality is different.

In the sparse Israeli market, it is not easy to add a player who plays the cards and changes the balance of power.

When there are more resources, there are more options to bring in a good player, but - and this is a big but that is true for Israelis and foreigners - being able to pay the transfer fee and a high salary does not guarantee professional success.

Think about how many local players (and Maccabi Haifa has several of these) who were bought from the minor leagues could not handle the step up to the big leagues.

Think of foreigners who came with an inflated resume as huge promises and remained a comma in history after a few months.

However,

The precedent annoyed quite a few people.

Ali Muhammad and the certificate (photo: official website, Maccabi Haifa)

This might be the next future trend in Israeli football, the trend named after Ali Muhammad.

Bringing in foreigners at a young age not necessarily for future sale but also those with the potential to settle here.

Even in a different political reality, don't be surprised if one day a regulation change is adopted here that will allow the registration of "HOME GROWN PLAYERS" - that is, players who have played here for several years will not be counted as foreigners regardless of the naturalization process.

This is ultimately what really matters in terms of the teams.

Ali Muhammad has completed a dream path from a gentle player whose abilities many doubted, including as mentioned at the end of last season, a sensitive guy, quite a few coaches testified that his need to receive a hug limits him mentally, a talent that the fantasy of making money on him has not (yet) come true, to one who will go down in the history of the greatest and most influential foreigners in Israeli football .

He is reaching the peak of his career.

In two months he will probably have to think about whether he has the ability and desire to take himself another step forward just like he did this summer.

Maccabi Haifa, in any case, will be happy to keep him for a few more years.

• sport

• Israeli soccer

• Super League

Tags

• Ali Muhammad

• Maccabi Haifa