Maccabi Haifa before the crossroads. On one side is Nikita Rokavica, who has won with the Greens for two years the title of top scorer and wants to return. On the other hand, is not this the time to move forward in his sector and prefer another striker? We tried to present the advantages and disadvantages of signing the striker in terms of the Greens, expressed your position.
Pros: Rokavica is a safe bet
Nikita Rokavica proved himself at Maccabi Haifa. The year outside Carmel has intensified his longing for the seller, and his connection to fans is well known. During all the time he was in Be’er Sheva, he lived in Haifa with his family, and he is connected to the club members and players, with whom he is in contact to this day. In terms of dressing room, Rokavica will connect very quickly and will not need an adjustment period to integrate.
In addition, with numbers it is impossible to argue. Even last season, which was not one of the most successful in Rokavica’s career, he scored 10 goals in the Hapoel B’Shlosha uniform, so the Australian-Ukrainian can definitely give the numbers that Maccabi Haifa needs.
Another advantage is the coordination of expectations. According to reports, at 34 Rokavica is not Rokavica who was in terms of requirements. He now realizes that he is not the leading striker and does not expect to complete 90 minutes in each game, but it was made clear to him in advance that he will be the third striker in the hierarchy after Dean David and the foreign striker to arrive. In addition, also financially, because of the coordination of expectations, his salary will not be among the highest in the group.
Cons: It’s time to move on
Nikita Rokavica has proven himself at Maccabi Haifa, but it has also been proven in the past that trying to bring back what worked in the past does not always work in the present.
Rokavica of the summer of 2022 is a player who has suffered a number of injuries last season, and finished the season in a very lukewarm way, with the last goal already somewhere in March, so there is no certainty that next season will open in a different way.
Another issue is the man at whose expense Rokavica will arrive. When you add a 34-year-old player, in fact it comes at the expense of a perhaps younger player who can develop into a more significant player at Maccabi Haifa in the future. If you add a player who is in any case a third striker, then perhaps he should be a player who in the future can develop into a first striker, such as Stav Nachmani or another young player.
Another issue is the issue of Rokavica’s status. True, if he comes to Haifa, there will be a coordination of expectations with the striker, but he has never been in the position of a third striker at Maccabi Haifa. Will he over time agree to spend much of the season on the bench? It is not certain that this is a reality he will agree to get used to.
