After the disappointing 1:1 against Nes Ziona section, Hapoel Beer Sheva will be hosted tonight (Saturday) at 17:30 by Hapoel Jerusalem for the top battle. Three points separate the Reds from the capital in third place, and the Reds from the capital of the Negev in fourth place. This morning the coach of the cup holder, Eliniv Barda, spoke before the game at the press conference which was transmitted live on the website:
Breda He said: “We have a game against an opponent who started the season in an excellent way and proved to be very strong. This game is very important to us and we must give our best. The deficiencies in the defense? I think we have significant shortcomings, but that is no excuse. We have players in the squad with various injuries, they even take painkillers so you understand how important this game is and how committed they are.”
The coach continued: “Regarding Or (in Lorient), I don’t like to talk about players personally, but we will get him involved and integrate him into our system, once that happens he will contribute a lot to us. Losing the points in Turner? We are very much looking at not winning at home and doing such a sequence because we all know what Turner’s strength is, but we will dig deep and get to the root of the problem because that is the only way we will solve it, there are no shortcuts, I don’t know any other way.”
On the integration of Astrit Slimani and Adrian Fawn, Berda said: “Everyone needs acclimatization and it is difficult to get used to the climate, the food and the style of football, we try to help them and give them the maximum. Taking advantage of situations? There is no doubt that we are constantly working on attack patterns, to produce things that are planned and not accidental, against Hapoel Haifa and Nes Ziona we had a lot of situations. But we need to know how not only to create situations but to conquer.”
Barda concluded: “My focus is exclusively on Hapoel Jerusalem. the injured? Mariano (Barreiro) with a knee injury, he is a strong guy and he did a partial training session and we will see how he is with the ball this morning, Ramsey is in the final stages of recovery and will be back very soon. Any decision regarding Barreiro or Ramsey or any other player is first of all the medical team’s, we will not risk it. Miguel (Vitor) is a critical player for us and we know how to steer and direct his minutes so that he can contribute to us in the best possible way.”
The holder of the cup held an evening practice yesterday that started in heavy rain for about fifteen minutes, while in the morning they held the concluding practice. The coach held a long meeting before going down to the grass and gave his highlights for training and Hapoel Jerusalem, which was mainly tactical and work on attack patterns of the wing players and the forwards.
In yesterday’s training, the players who are in doubt for the game, Ramzi Spuri, Mariano Barreiro, Shagib Yehezkel and Iyad Abu Abid participated partially. Or Dadia held a running practice on the sidelines, when Eitan Tibi was not present at all due to a small tear in his hamstring that will cause him to miss the next month. There is optimism about Ramsey Spori who may be included in the squad and get minutes in the second half.
Regarding Abu Abid, there is also optimism, but only in case of receiving an injection to alleviate the pain in the abdominal muscles, but the morning training is expected to determine. In the morning training, Shagib Yehezkel and Mariano Barreiro will also be checked to see if his knee has swollen. Abu Abid will take a risk and start with a shot at the right defender position, but in Be’er Sheva they will have to find another option as a backup. One of the options that have come up is to go with the fullback Moatasem Issawi who arrived this summer from League A and can play in this position.
In light of the injuries Or Balorian is expected to start in the center of defense. Shay Elias abandoned training yesterday due to sensitivity in his back muscle and is highly doubtful. Miguel Vitor, despite the load, will continue in the center of defense, when Omari Glazer will return between the posts, as well as Shafi Sulaimanov and Dor Micah.
During the morning journey, the brakeman also spoke Iyad Abu Abid, commented on the preparation for the upcoming game and talked about the feelings in the dressing room following the sequence of results: “The players are disappointed, and it is natural not to win at home. We get into a lot of situations and miss and it frustrates us even more. We need to be at our best tomorrow, we have prepared well and I am optimistic.”
Regarding his ability in recent times, he added: “First of all, in every game I try to give 100 percent and that is my duty. Sometimes there is time and it is possible to treat an injury at ease and sometimes it needs to be treated more quickly and all in coordination with the medical team. Game overload? We have played 20 games since the beginning of the season, which in a normal situation we would only get there in February. There is also a very large mental load, but I’m not complaining, face forward.”