As in the previous round, tonight (Thursday) Maccabi Tel Aviv will also take to the field with the knowledge that any result other than a victory will make it very difficult for them to win a third consecutive championship. Maccabi Haifa did its job (1: 2 over Hapoel Tel Aviv in Bloomfield) and opened a gap of 5 points at the top, and Patrick Van Leven’s team will have to withstand the pressure in the away game against Hapoel Haifa (20:45, Sami Ofer).
“The pressure is on us again, but so far we have dealt with it in a fantastic way. The burden of proof is on us once again. Whoever wants a championship – must also pass this difficult hurdle,” said a Maccabi Tel Aviv player. At the club, we marked Hanan Maman as the opponent’s key player. “Everything goes through him and he is in fantastic shape. We must not leave him alone for a second,” said a source at the champion.
If Van Leven also gets the three points in Sami Ofer, he will already overshadow Vladimir Ivitch, the coach of Maccabi Tel Aviv in the last two championships, by one thing. The record for consecutive victories in Maccabi’s league in the Ivica era was seven – as Maccabi has now. A victory in Haifa will be the eighth in a row – a streak that the Yellows last achieved 8 years ago under Oscar Garcia.
In general, the success rate of the Dutch coach after 11 league games is particularly impressive and stands at 94%. Where does he stand in relation to the other foreign coaches who have worked in Kiryat Shalom in recent years? The findings are in front of you (In parentheses: Number of league games per coach).
Oscar Garcia – 74% (36)
Paulo Sousa 78% (36)
Paco 65% (36)
Yukanovich 73% (16)
Peter Boss 75% (19)
Arbeldeza 58% (16)
Vidigal 67% (14)
Cruyff 69% (42)
Ivica 81% (72)
Donis 52% (11)
Van Leven 94% (11)
And here are the data of the other coaches after 11 league games (the number of Van Leven games so far):
Oscar – 8 wins and 3 losses
Souza – 8 wins, 2 draws and a loss
Paco – 8, 1, 2
Yukanovich – 8, 1, 2
Boss – 8 wins and 3 draws
Arbeldeza – 6, 2, 3
Vidigal – 8, 1, 2
Cruyff – 8 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss
Ivica – 8 wins and 3 draws
Van Leven – 10 wins and a draw
Meanwhile, Van Leven is expected to continue in the lineup with Sami Ofer as well, and Dan Glazer, Eitan Tibi and Tal Ben-Haim are destined to return to 11th. Andre Geralds and Enrique Sborrit are expected to continue playing despite the rush.
Estimated composition: Daniel Tennenbaum; Andre Geralds, Ethan Tibi, Luis Hernandez, Enrique Sborrit; Dan Glazer, Eyal Golsa, Dor Peretz; Matan Hozaz, Tal Ben Haim, Itai Schechter.
