Despite the appointment of senior team coach Patrick Van Leven, he remained loyal to the additional role as director of the academy. Before his first game against Kiryat Shmona, instead of sitting at home and going through another video of the opponent, he hurried to Netanya. The youth team played against Tobruk and he wanted to watch up close some of the young talent. There, without prior knowledge, he met his good friend Raymond Atfeld. Understanding that a football coach or professional manager is a profession that requires many hours away from home is just one of the things that connects the two.
The two Dutchmen, who will face each other when Maccabi Tel Aviv meets Maccabi Netanya, came from different backgrounds, but their relationship was not born in Israel. Van Leven did not grow up in a football home. He started his career at an amateur club and joined Sparta Rotterdam at the age of 16. He He also played a few games in the seniors, mainly due to injuries, and in between he studied and issued a coaching certificate. At the age of 27 he retired and moved to managerial positions, where he found himself much more. Kazakh and brought with him who would later become his best friend, Atfeld.
Van Leven served as the sporting director of the Kazakhs, Atfeld was in charge of the junior division. The fact that they are twins in their football principles helped: a regular set of 4: 3: 3, pressure after losing a ball, patient and fast ball movement, physical fitness, tactical discipline throughout every training session and most importantly – they do not have big names. “Both treat Schechter or Almog Cohen as they treat a youth player who first joined the senior team. Whoever does not run or drop a foot from the gas, will not play. Sharp and smooth,” both teams say.
An example of Van Leven’s attitude to the game was given to Betar Tel Aviv / Bat Yam player Ran Vatori in the cup game against Maccabi Herzliya. Van Leven, who was a professional manager, did not like the fact that the captain came up with tights at his feet, caused him to be replaced in the half and at the end of the game shouted at him in front of everyone: “This is the last time you put on pajamas.” Atfeld have no clashes, but he was not afraid to take out Jonas Melda and Ben Azoubel after just 20 minutes when he was unhappy with their performance. So no it did not surprise anyone that the first name in Van Leven’s mouth when he was appointed director of the yellow youth department was Atfeld.
The Netanya coach was a much bigger name than Van Leven as a player, and has also been a coach for several years and does not engage in managerial positions. Prior to Netanya, he worked at Betar Tel Aviv / Bat Yam, Dan The Hague, Roda and AAL Limassol. Atfeld is three years older than his Dutch friend and was the first Dutch footballer to play for West Ham. During his career he also played for Everton, Bristol City, Roda, Vitesse Arnhem, Groningen and Dan the Brother.
Despite similar professional thinking, there is one fundamental difference between the two. While Atfeld is witty and has a very well-developed sense of humor, Van Leven is a pretty cold type. While both are tough, strict, believing in a rigid schedule, long workouts and long video sessions, Van Leven is less embracing and more distance-keeping. On the other hand, the period in England probably led Atfeld to a different place personally. He can be cynical in the locker room and light-hearted outside of training. He understands that these are people who sometimes look for a good word.
Both were educated in Dutch football, but the fact that they worked in other cultures helps them a lot. Both, for example, know how to use technical means to reach the smallest resolutions in the game. While Maccabi Tel Aviv has money to raise a skimmer to photograph the training from above, Atfeld was content with GPS, meals and a larger medical team, something he was not in Netanya until he arrived.
The long period they have been in Israel has also helped them to assimilate well into groups, and to develop relationships with local managements. Unlike Yorgos Donis, Van Leven is more accessible to Barak Yitzhaki and also likes to consult with him. This connection gives a little more peace to the group’s stressed system from Tel Aviv. Atfeld, for his part, is in excellent contact with Netanya owner Eyal Segal and CEO Niv Goldstein and does not interfere in financial matters, negotiations or talks with agents.
On Saturday, Atfeld will be able to achieve a prestigious victory at the expense of the friend who helped him advance his career, and perhaps make himself a candidate to replace him. Maccabi Tel Aviv and Maccabi Netanya arrive when they need the points. One to get closer to Maccabi Haifa, the other fears the bottom is approaching. One thing is for sure, no matter who wins or if the game ends in a points split, the membership will remain. The only question is when they will cooperate again. .
