It was not Hapoel Beer Sheva's greatest week this season to say the least.
A sense of failure and severe disappointment surrounds us when the draw yesterday (Sunday) was even more disappointing than the loss in the cup final at times.
We met Netanya twice for a pair of important games and failed in both.
The more the gap from Maccabi Haifa grows, the closer we get to the season of bathing in the sea at an early stage of the season, too early.
Although blizzards and hurricanes do not frequent the winter in Israel, it is still very cold and we do not want to be there.
If in the final of the Toto Cup we did not appear in a simple game, in the league game yesterday we went up and started quite well.
But Netanya also arrived tactically prepared with the intention of playing football without feelings of inferiority and ran into a weak defensive system, which was also due to the suspension of Lopes last week.
Maccabi Netanya celebrates in Turner.
A draw that was all a loss for Hapoel Beer Sheva, photo: Barney Ardov
The opponent from Sharon with the obsessive crowd that came in low numbers despite the "historic achievement", pressed high from the first minutes, made it difficult for us to develop an orderly game from the bottom and often forced us to clear balls high.
They took good advantage of the weakness of our defense and dummy defenders, just did everything they could from the wings and we had no solution.
Eliniv Barda started with a lineup that included three defenders and two defenders, three midfielders but a poor offensive offering in the form of Spori and Rotem Hatuel only.
He bet on Rotem as a striker, who paid him back with an early goal, but later in the game he lost hundreds if not thousands of balls.
The number of times he entered the separate was even greater.
If we have four strikers on our bench and we still start with a player that is not his natural position, there is a problem here that needs to be taken into account.
But in order to solve it there is not much time left, the transfer window is closing soon and it doesn't seem like we are close to purchasing.
Shagiv Yehezkel is hard to digest.
On the one hand, he finished with a goal and an assist, impressive numbers by all accounts and more from the attacking defender position, but defensively he was non-existent and losing the ball in Netanya's half of the court led to their first goal.
Apart from that, as mentioned, his wing was breached and Netanya players passed him time and time again.
Dor Micah started in the corresponding position and he will not want to remember this game.
In Maccabi Netanya, they recognized ahead of time the vulnerabilities in the wings and attacked mainly through them.
Yehezkel responded.
A goal, cooking, and a breached right wing, photo: Barney Ardov
Despite all that, it wasn't such a bad game by the team.
There were also good minutes of control and not bad football.
We've known much worse games in the past.
Despite the disadvantage of Shafi, Lopes and Faun who came in late and was good, we still had enough tools and situations to win at Turner but we didn't take advantage of them.
As mentioned, a victory of Maccabi Haifa today against Maccabi Tel Aviv will give the signal for green celebrations even before the January transfer window closes.
Because there is nothing to do, in a season like this in which Haifa does not lose points, even its rivals do not have the privilege to do so.
Any loss of points is critical.
Even if our season ended yesterday, we have to remember that there is an excellent staff and a young and talented coach.
The future currently looks rosy.
It is worthwhile and necessary to prepare for the next season already now.
Eliniv Barda and Maor Malikson.
Be'er Sheva are optimistic for the next season, photo: Barney Ardov
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