Asi Maman 2/13/2021 10:16 AM
Or Dadia encounters Sagiv Yechezkel (Martin Gutdamek)
Four and a half years after Maccabi Tel Aviv acquired him from its city rival in the amount of almost one million euros, Sagiv Yehezkel closed another transfer to another large team in the Premier League. The striker, who was part of the success at MS Ashdod this season, is the new acquisition of Hapoel Beer Sheva, which will try to realize its full potential after years of shuffling that ended last season under the guidance of Ran Ben Shimon. This time, he comes as a much more diverse and mature player to this move.
Yehezkel, who will be 26 next month, may not have managed to impress Maccabi and Hapoel Tel Aviv as expected of him, but in the past year and a half he has flourished in Ashdod and is more pronounced. Now, following his move to Alona Barkat’s team, the story of the change that took place outside the 03 dialing area has been revealed. The one that made him return to play for a team that aspires to degrees.
Everyone who knew Sagiv Yehezkel in Ashdod claimed that on the outside he radiates strength and power, but inside he is a sensitive and complex type. For years he lived under pressure, because of the big price tag that was attached to him in his youth and the disappointment he had when he did not live up to expectations.
His start in Ashdod was not easy either, because in his first season in the south he joined a team that fought against relegation – and even then he was not always in the squad. When he lost balls, he was said to be selfish, when he did not score he was said not to invest and when he was complimented after a good action, it already seemed strange to him.
The one who managed to connect with him on a personal level is the former coach of MS Ashdod, Roni Awat, with whom he had many conversations and trusted him. Ran Ben Shimon also connected with Ezekiel, with his biggest challenge being disconnecting him from environmental noises, such as a referee’s decision against him, a player who did not deliver on time or a miss in front of goal, events that would sometimes cause him to lose control and take his eyes off the goal.
“Sagiv was difficult on a mental level because in a sense there was a feeling that everyone had already given up on him, but Roni Awat and Ran Ben Shimon gave him reinforcements when he fell and really believed in him, each in his own way,” the group said. “When you build a relationship of trust between a coach and a player, then the commitment also increases. There is no doubt that it also affected the professional level because it changed the dynamics in the team, made him open to changes and hear new ideas.”
“With courage, a lot of sweat and a large investment, Sagiv managed to change the most difficult thing a person has to change – his habits,” noted the coach of MS Ashdod, Ran Ben Shimon. “Sagiv was an actor with amazing abilities, but things less connected to him in his career and we recognized that a big process had to be done with him to realize his potential. To my delight, I found in front of me a person thirsty to learn and progress, and I have no doubt the environment we created contributed to his success. Disruptive and the player may be less vital to the system. When the environment is positive and inclusive, we get much better things out of him and he will shoot for the team. After our first half of the season together, this season we created an environment in the club that is both supportive and demanding. This new one. “
Along with the many conversations he had with his coaches, he also underwent a professional change. In the past, Ezekiel was used to playing on the left wing, getting a ball, passing his guard and threatening the goal with his right foot, so he invested less thought in his actions and relied more on personal ability. It worked great for him in his youth, but as he advanced to the seniors he found that rival teams had learned how to prevent him from performing his familiar dribble. In addition, he was also required to perform defensive actions at this position, even if he had to run 70 yards back, and by the time he went on the attack he was already tired and had lost his sharpness. And when Sagiv failed to express himself, he became frustrated.
The change in his function began with Awat, who moved him to the position of central striker instead of playing in the wing, as he did in the past to Niv Zrihan in Ashdod. This is a similar process that even Nikita Rokavica underwent at Maccabi Haifa, a change of position that made him a formidable striker and the king of goals. In fact, instead of thinking about the many tactical instructions a line player has, Awat asked Ezekiel to focus only on offensive work, making it clear to him in meetings with the players: “You are free to play wherever you want, left, right or middle, it does not matter to me. Do not chase the defender. “Stay up and save energy for the last actions you need to do in front of the gate.”
Ran Ben Shimon also preferred to play with him as a striker and his professional team demanded that Ezekiel not perform any action that is not in the opponent’s court area. It helped him focus on what was important, save forces to put effort into actions that would surprise the opponent with his dizzying speed, and of course also led him to produce more numbers. Thus he managed to upgrade his game and return to being a menacing striker.
Thanks to the mental change and the professional change he went through, Ezekiel was much more effective. Last season he set up seven goals and four assists for his team in the Premier League, in what was the peak season of his career. This season, Ezekiel already has five goals and a lone cooking in the league games, when among other things he defeated Maccabi Tel Aviv 2: 3 with a dramatic goal with a sharp ball for connections. In time, the wineries stuck with him, when in addition, in the Toto Cup, Ezekiel scored another crazy four in a perfect game against Bnei Yehuda, with two goals on the right foot, one on the left and another goal with a shot.
But his contribution on the field is not always expressed only in numbers, because even if he did not conquer or cook for himself, Ezekiel was responsible for creating many situations for Ashdod during the current season, thanks to the actions he performed on the field. In 0: 3, against Hapoel Beer Sheva (just before he moved to its ranks), he squeezed Pendel already in the third minute when he went out to press the goalkeeper Ohad Levita, who tripped him in the field after he lost the ball unexpectedly. Against Maccabi Haifa, he recorded a great break into the box with a dribble on the brake Bogdan Planic and kicked to the goal a strong ball that was pushed to the feet of Yaakov Barihon, who scored the winning goal in front of the exposed goal. Also against Hapoel Tel Aviv, he made a great round on Raz Shlomo and scored an equalizer on the way to a 1: 2 victory.
It is now completely clear. Yehezkel contributed significantly to MS Ashdod’s attack and instructed a player like him to play on that line to miss his abilities, but the road to success in his new position was not always easy because he was also required to pass many barriers that limited him and prevented him from advancing.
In one of his first conversations with Ran Ben Shimon, according to Ashdod, the striker did not want to attend a press conference that took place before a league game against Maccabi Haifa. According to sources at the club, Ezekiel told his coach that he was afraid to make statements in the media and not comply with them later, so he preferred to avoid it. But Ben Shimon, in his unique way, still managed to convince him to come and sit next to him in front of the journalists in order to achieve “emotional stability” and get rid of this fear. Ezekiel sat down, answered questions, made statements – and also scored the next day in that game.
This incident, which was around the game of Maccabi Haifa, happened a year ago. From then until today, Ezekiel has become a different player. “There is no doubt that he has matured,” his agent testified My father is a member, Which closed its move to Hapoel Beer Sheva. “I’m glad he was able to overcome what happened with his first move in his career and put it behind him. Every obstacle you face and pass, makes you better, more forged and with a lot more tools that help face the future to come. Alona Barkat, Aliniv Barda, Maor “Melikson and Yossi Aboksis, who is no longer there, wanted to bring him to Be’er Sheva. Everyone is happy and satisfied with the move. He arrives there with a much better decision-making ability, both about what happens on the field and about what happens off the field.”
After a long period of many personal conversations, video meetings, training and various attempts to make him change his habits, Ezekiel leaves Ashdod as a different player from the one he came to. Although he is no longer one to look back on, looking back to his time in Ashdod, it is possible that the process he went through there saved his career.
“There are not many strikers with dribbling ability, speed, explosive power, depth movement and an extension like Sagiv Yehezkel has to do,” said his former coach Rooney Awat. “In my opinion, he is the ultimate striker for the Premier League and one who can also reach Europe. He reminds me of the way Nikita Rokavica went, but beyond Sagiv’s personal ability, not many players entered my heart. When I learned that he was signing for Hapoel Beer Sheva “For him. I love him, everyone in Ashdod loves him, and we hope that from now on he will continue to succeed.”
