A decade has passed since Maccabi Haifa brought satisfaction to its fans for the last time, a decade since it ignited hope in the hearts of its fans, a decade since Dado Beach was covered in green and champagnes opened after a championship plate was hoisted. There is still a long way to go until the end of the season, but what is certain – this year the feeling is that the ground has ripened and not far from the day we see Neta Lavie waving his hands in the air along with the coveted plate.
But all of the above is just a finishing image. Today (Saturday) we are just at the beginning of the 13th round of the Premier League. Although Maccabi Haifa is currently leading safely at the top, with eight points difference from the reigning champion Maccabi Tel Aviv, but are the expectations and hype around Maccabi Haifa of 20/21 really justified? And more than that, did Barak Bachar really change anything from his predecessor, Marco Belbul?
The strength of Haifa or the weakness of Maccabi Tel Aviv?
At the same time last year, Maccabi Haifa was in second place and not first, but it is with 27 points, which is a total of one point less than what Becher achieved. Therefore, the question arises, do the green hopes for the championship stem from the strength of Maccabi Haifa under Bachar, or rather the weakness of the rival Maccabi Tel Aviv, which scored 12 points less this season than it achieved after 12 rounds last season?
I will compare and go up. Confusion Maccabi Haifa at this stage scored one more goal and conceded one goal less than this season. So, looking at things, it seems that there really is not much difference between the two coaches, probably in terms of ability. At least until the end of the first round of the league.
But where is the difference after all? There is a feeling that Marco Confusion was on the stabilizer standard, the one that took a dismantled team with a bad defense and managed to spot every problem, along with the existing tools. And that’s a big but, he reached the ceiling. If not in points, then in the character projected outward.
With Barak Bachar in this aspect, it feels a little different. If confusion was what balanced, Bachar came to give a knockout. At the moment it looks good, but there is a question mark, and it hovers above the ability of Maccabi Tel Aviv. If this improves, Bachar’s name will really be examined.
There is no escape. In the last two years, and especially in the last one, the league has been dominated by one team and the 2: 2 of the Greens this season against the team of Yorgos Donis radiated the show “Marco Belbuli” of mental fall against the yellow rival. If Bachar wants to give a knockout and bring a championship, he will have to find a way to change his players’ phase. The truth? After the loss to Hapoel Kfar Saba, it seems that he also succeeded.
Bachar’s pragmatism versus the fixation of confusion
One thing can not be taken for granted – his Maccabi Haifa looks threatening, powerful and above all and says it carefully, Winner. She will finish as the champion of the first round, it will no longer be taken from her, but to be just a champion Bachar will have to make the right changes and at the right time, something that has confused him.
Bachar did the exact opposite of the insistence of confusion on substitutions and players, even if they are not at their peak. For example with Josh Cohen. The current coach tried to give Omri Glazer a chance, but something in the connection between the goalkeeper and the defensive line did not work. There was no confidence in the goalkeeper, and it was projected on to the other players and the ability was accordingly. Bachar threw Josh Cohen back into the fray and also took out Ernest Mabuka (the banker of confusion) and made a real change. One that gives confidence. How much confidence? One absorption in the last six games. safe box.
Also, in the Greens’ recent victory against Bnei Yehuda, Bachar showed that he manages to rotate, something he will have to continue to prove. Making changes and managing the staff at a high level were exactly the mines where his predecessor fell, so here Bachar will have to have his hand on the pulse, and it seems that this is how he works.
Another point that is to Bachar’s credit are the stationary situations, and especially the foundation exercises. Maccabi Haifa has won five times this season as a result of a corner kick. The Haifa perception this season is that from any situation you have to squeeze the juice, be precise and also conquer, caused great confidence on the green side and created a real deterrent on the other side in every opponent.
Maccabi Haifa under Marco Belbul was a good team. Maccabi Haifa under Barak Bachar is the same good team, but with an addition. That of confusion was like a unit of flanges attacking in the evening, out of order and with a lot of faith and desire. That’s nice, but we’ve seen that it does not bring degrees. Bachar’s is already a neat, precise and frightening commando unit. In both cases the key to the championship has passed in Bloomfield, if Bachar wants to mark V for the challenge he will have to take his commando team and give a knockout to Maccabi Tel Aviv.
