This is how you build a team: Hazan's players came from below.

This is the secret of their success

As in every truly successful campaign of the Israeli national team for generations, the hardworking and efficient team of Hazan is devoid of ego and stars.

Ron Amikam sums up an unexpected achievement, is concerned about the problematic phenomenon that has arisen around Atzili and Davor and calls on Benion: Don't be in a hurry to jump Gloch into adulthood

Ron Amikam

25/09/2022

Sunday, September 25, 2022, 09:45

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Summary clip of the day in sport, 25.9 (Sport1)

When Alon Hazan took over as coach of the Israel national team, he wanted to lower expectations.

The goal he set, along with professional manager Yossi Benyon, was to restore the public's trust in the national team.

First you create the shell, then pour content.

After three months, one high-profile retirement, another hand-wringing story, the re-summoning of Omar Atzili despite the new revelations in the case, there are already 30 thousand people blowing up Bloomfield, the team wins a decisive game in injury time as a result of an embarrassing mistake in the opponent's defense (which usually happens against them ), wins an official tournament for the first time since SHG in Oceania 1989, with players some of whom you might not recognize if you passed them on the street.

To know if this is not a one-off we will have to wait for the start of the Euro 2024 qualifiers, but so far, even against teams in decline like Iceland and Albania, even in the face of Russia's suspension that might have devoured everything that happens in this house, Israel has won two games, not losing a single game , and scored a lot of goals in the opening term of a coach who has almost no resume as a coach in the Premier League.

All bets are off.

Cantor and Benion (Photo: Barney Ardov)

When a coach makes decisions and they come true for him one by one, you can't argue about anything.

Not because Eran Zahavi wasn't on the field to realize the quick movement of the ball and use his virtues to decide earlier;

Not for the fact that Shawn Weissman got his and Davor's place, and justified it with crazy pressure on the brakes, a wonderful sacrifice game and, of course, an important goal;

Not for the decision to start with Gabi Kanikowski at the expense of Beavers Natcho, and to receive a genius shot from him, nor for the decision to wait with the substitution of Thai Bribo almost until the end, alongside other substitutions that only started to be made in the 72nd minute when players were already with their tongues out, also to receive From him a winning goal that is worth a lot of money, quite a bit of prestige, and many awards that can help this team make history.

It is not just about three clear prizes: promotion to the first tier of the Nations League, which will guarantee a meeting with the elite teams on the continent (not including England, who dropped to the second tier) alongside a meeting with the elite teams from South America who join the enterprise starting from the next tournament, but also almost guaranteeing a place in the 2026 World Cup playoffs, which also Thus it should contain 48 national teams;

Tier B lottery in the Euro 2024 qualifiers, the lottery that will take place next weekend, qualifiers from which two teams from each group advance to the Euros, and the playoffs are also guaranteed in case of failure;

And in any case, home team in the first playoff semi-final game (home team in the final is determined by lottery).

There are five real prizes here thanks to one tournament, which is actually meant to fill the windows of the friendly games.

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Justified the preference over Zahavi and Davor.

Weissman (photo: Barney Ardov)

The achievements of the Israeli national team over the generations can be counted on the fingers of one hand.

Mexico 70 was fielded by a team whose majority of players were defensive players, or offensive players who started as defensive players;

Even in the 1990 World Cup playoffs, the stars of the hour were surrounded by grey, diligent and efficient players;

This is also the case in qualifying for the 1976 Montreal Olympics, where we arrived without the Legionnaires who were not allowed to participate in the event, but rather with compatible league players, and not even the best of them.

If they told you that the first achievement of the Israeli national team since qualifying for the playoffs of Euro 2000, would be made by a team whose majority of the team players were not marked from the beginning to be the team players in the national team, you would not believe it, but these teams are built from these materials.

This team has no shining stars, no ego, it has players who work from the first moment of the game until they run out of air (physical fitness is built in teams, not in the team).

Omri Glazer witnessed the serious injury of Ariel Harosh in Hapoel Beer Sheva, assistant goalkeeper;

Miguel Vitor didn't think he would ever play for the Israeli national team;

Shawn Goldberg is one of the less prominent players in the youth team that qualified in 2014 for the European Championship.

There were Michael Ohana, Ramzi Spouri and Dor Peretz, even Shagib Yehezkel;

Shawn Weissman was also there, but who would have believed when he played for Hapoel Acre and Maccabi Netanya in the second league, that he would be the starting striker for the Israel national team.

We certainly didn't believe in Doron Leidner, and Aden Kartsev, and Dolev Haziza who played with Abu Fani and Ofari Arad in Hapoel Ramat Gan in the second league, not even in Liel Abda and Tai Bribo who were perhaps promising players, but in the youth department of Maccabi Petah Tikva.

Neta Lavi was also not marked, certainly not after his injury.

And does anyone remember that Israel started this campaign with Mahmoud Jaber in the lineup?

This transition between the players of the previous generation and the old generation, was so fast, that the immediate achievement is unfathomable.

It's them.

Kartsev and Firecracker (Photo: Barney Ardov)

Omar Atzili went through yesterday what Mons Davor went through in the Israel national team since Operation "Guardian of the Walls" - booing for every touch of the ball.

Part of the crowd cheered him, chanted his name.

Yesterday's game was in Bloomfield, and if it had been in Haifa, the phenomenon might have been more limited, but it would not have disappeared.

There is a new trend here: the audience - which consists of fans of teams - and with the encouragement of social networks, decides who their favorite is, based on behavior.

This is the most well-staffed disciplinary committee known in Israeli football, and it can affect the composition of the Israeli national team even without the coach's initial intention.

Without referring to the actions of Omar Atzili in the case of minors and the new revelations, there is an unnatural and problematic phenomenon here, especially in light of the fact that Atzili - unlike Davor - did not function in the minutes he played yesterday.

And Davor retired, because he could no longer.

Imagine that after the youth team has been selected, and the list of injured has been cleared, the professional team will begin to determine the composition or squad based on the reaction of the audience.

This is anarchy that there is no way to prevent it.

An unnatural and problematic phenomenon, which brings us closer to anarchy.

Noble yesterday (photo: Barney Ardov)

The day after tomorrow, the young team can close a crazy summer that has never been the same in Israeli football.

It may be the third age team to secure its place in the European Championship, an event that only Israeli basketball knows, and it was accepted into Europe 35 years before soccer.

For that to happen, Guy Luzon's team needs to play much better than they did in Dublin on Saturday night, even though they came back with a draw.

She should be more daring, take advantage of the many technical advantages she has and an audience that will surely come in droves, certainly after the achievement of the senior team, on a holiday night, for only NIS 20 per ticket.

But there are things to be careful about.

First, the relegation of Liel Abda, Aden Kartsev and Doron Leidner - those of them who are healthy - to the young team, is not necessarily a boost.

It is very difficult to go from one training camp to another as if nothing happened, certainly not to a team that has changed quite a bit since Luzon took the reins.

None of those players will play shortstop in place of the suspended Stav Lemkin, and they'll get spots for players who might deserve to finish the job.

It is very tempting to strengthen yourself with three senior players, but it should be done wisely, not a frisch-misch of everything that has been done so far.

In the same breath, the critical question should be asked: what do we do with Oscar Gloch?

It is clear that Gloch is the next thing in Israeli football, but he was born in 2004. He could actually be a player of the outgoing youth team that will play in the Mondialeto, a player of the current youth team that will try to reach the European Championship that will be held at the end of the season, at the same time as the youth team - whose promotion to the European Championship also opens up a chance to reach the Olympics - and all this when there is no one who does not think that Gloch should play in the senior team and leave Maccabi Tel Aviv and advance to a big club in Europe.

And all this is placed on an 18-year-old boy.

So calm down.

Alon Hazan has proven in recent months and in his team that those who go slowly, arrive on time.

Gloch's call-up to the senior team can wait.

He has quite a few tasks to accomplish and there is a good team even without him.

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