After much effort and a position that needed to be refreshed, Bnei Sakhnin landed the brake just before the end of the transfer window last month on loan from Muscoli. Lucas Spendelhoffer Behind him is a resume in Serie A and even grew up at Inter. Since then, it seems that the 27-year-old Austrian has completely changed the back of the team and if the arrival of Sharon Mimar helped the club from the sector collect important points in the underground struggle, then quite a bit of credit goes to the player who joined in February through his agents Idan Bo Abu and Shai Atas.
Spendelhoffer recorded 8 appearances with Sakhnin (6 in the league and 2 in the cup) and only in one game (his first, against Beitar Jerusalem) did he not complete a full 90 minutes. How much did the Austrian change Sakhnin’s defense? Well, in 20 league games before the player arrived the team conceded 33 goals that led it to last place in the table and a real danger of continuing its path in the major leagues. However, since the brake came from Muscoli a lot has stabilized behind, and in eight games Sakhnin has conceded 5 goals, so in fact the team has dropped an average of above goal per absorption, below that.
The road to Sakhnin
The brakeman grew up in Inter’s youth department and also won titles in the Narazuri reserve team, but made just one appearance in the senior team uniform with 13 minutes against Genoa in the 2012/13 season. In an interview with ONE, Spendelhofer said About his days at Inter, the connection with Willy Rotensteiner, the paragons to Dabour and his journey to Doha. In addition, he emphasizes the longing for his son and his pregnant wife and the attempts to bring them to Israel, when the government moment does not allow it.
“In October 2010 we had a friendly match with Austria’s U17 in Switzerland and after that match I had offers from Inter, Lazio and Milan. So I choose Inter, which won the Champions League that year, “said Spendelhofer about his days in Italy. “I played for two and a half years in Inter’s second team. “We won the reserve league in Italy in 2012 and the UEFA youth league that year. After I was a year with the first team. In most games I sat on the bench, but I got to one game in Serie A, against Genoa.”
“Zanti and Cambiasso were the two most important players in my eyes at that time. They were the biggest stars on our team, every day they asked me how I felt, if I needed anything, like big brothers. I also had good relations with Mateo Kovacic who was born in Austria and lived there until the age of 14. I remember also playing with Filippa Coutinho (who played for Inter between 2013-2010). He is the best football player I have ever played with, “he continued.
The brake hoped to fulfill a dream with credit in the senior team, but that as stated did not happen. Spendelhofer was first sent on loan to Varese from the second division and then loaned to Austrian Storm Graz to whom he also officially moved in 2015 and played 5 years at the club. The Austrian told of the journey he took after leaving the team from San Siro: “Inter sent me on loan to Varza for a year, which is a club near Milan. It was a tough year, with a few injuries and only 4 or 5 games I played. A year later Storm Graz spoke to me because they saw me play in Austria’s U21. I decided to return to Austria on loan to practice. “It went so well that Storm Graz bought me from Inter and in total I was there for 6 years and I was also the captain.”
“The biggest moment in the team came in 2018 when we won the Austrian Cup with a 0: 1 victory over Red Bull Salzburg and Mons Dabour. During my six years in Austria, he was definitely the best striker I saw there and my toughest opponent, “added the brakeman about the Israeli national team player who is currently at Hoffenheim.
How did you get to Sakhnin?
“Last summer, because of the corona and club politics, a lot of things changed at Storm Graz. So I decided to leave the club after 6 perfect years. Italy is like my second home. The Italian language is like my mother tongue so I was very happy to return in 2020 to Escoli in Serie B. This season I played every game, but then we got a new coach and I had to sit on the bench. So I talked to Ascoli that I would leave the club on loan. I’m a player who needs to play and be there for my team. I can not sit outside and do nothing. That is why it was very important for me to find a new challenge. I am very happy and thankful that I arrived in Sakhnin. “
How are you impressed with Israeli football and what are your goals until the end of the season?
“In terms of football, I’m very happy here, that’s what I wanted to do, just play football. Now we are also in good shape in the league and I am happy that I can help the team. The people here, the city and football in this respect are all fine. I have good friends here and I am in good contact with everyone even off the field. Football here is much more full of ups and downs, more tactical play and less conquering but maintaining the result. One should pay attention and be one hundred percent focused because every little mistake loses you the game. For the rest I want to keep the same way with Sakhnin, I do not think of anything else. We are currently 6 points above the red line and the situation is better but we are expecting tough games. I concentrate on staying in the league with the team and doing everything to ensure that. We are also in the quarterfinals in the cup and everything is possible in the cup, it will be good for us if we continue on the same path. “
Do you still have a dream to return to Serie A?
“It’s a dream of course, but I have to be realistic. I was there when I was younger but since then a lot has passed and it is unrealistic to think about returning to the top league in Italy. I was in Serie B last season and maybe with a little luck and investment to get to a bigger league, but Serie A is less realistic. “
Despite the good ability on the pitch, Spendelhoffer’s adaptation period in Sakhnin is not easy. Brake has a small child between the ages of two who stays in Austria and the actor’s surroundings tell of the understandable difficulty of being away from his son. In Sakhnin, they have been trying for several weeks to bring the child to Israel with his mother, but are not succeeding at this stage. Spandelhoffer also addressed the painful issue and has a full stomach for the decision makers in the government.
“I have been without my family for six months,” says the brakeman. “I tried to do everything to bring my son and my wife to Israel who are pregnant. The government here does not allow me to bring the family, I tried to do everything. The club is dealing with it for me but I have not yet received good news. It seems like they do not care, because also all the affairs of the corona is not something that is dealt with here in the government and it is sad to me. My family is very disappointed and sad, it is very difficult to be away from my wife and child, this situation is bad and I am sad from this distance. I want them part of my life here, I wait and wait and still hope they can come, but I got an email from the people in the government that they still can’t come. “
What about next season? You finish the loan in the summer.
“It’s very much up to my family, it’s hard to say, at the moment I can not stay in Israel because if the government does not allow me to bring my family then what do I have to do here? Nothing. I do not think about staying in Israel if my family can not come. “
The club from the sector tells of a good relationship between Spendelhofer and Biram Kiel, while in addition the Austrian is also friends with his compatriot Willy Rotensteiner. The coach of the Israeli national team has known him since the time he was in charge of the youth team of the Austrian national team, when he was Spendelhofer in the young national team. The brakeman spoke about the connection when he arrived in Israel: “I know him very well and he is me, I also spoke to him when I arrived here and I will meet with him as well. “When I was in the young group, he was there and we have a good relationship. We talked about the group and life in Israel when I came here.”
The change on the lines and the arrival of Mimar certainly marked a turning point for Sakhnin’s season. “When Mimar came for the first time it was only two days before a game so he did not have too much time to work on tactics and things like that. He talks about energies and good feelings and instills motivation. He does a good job. ” Along with the coach who brought a new spirit, but there is no doubt that the credit for the resurgence also goes to the brake that arranged the club for stability. If it ends up staying, Spendelhoffer has a lot of stock in it.