It looks like he was appointed yesterday, but last Wednesday Mladen Krastic closed for two months at Maccabi Tel Aviv. His balance is not bad: seven wins, 3 draws (including a penalty shootout win over KS) and one loss – the same game that was decided in a quarter of an hour by Sami Ofer. Because it is still too early to make a decision that may have long-term consequences, but the coming period will be critical.
To understand Krastich’s status in Maccabi Tel Aviv, one must first understand the balance of power within the club. The Serb is the one who still needs to prove himself, while the status of professional manager Barak Yitzhaki Eitan is not up to the task. ‘Goldhar, who is in close contact with him and will be given a lot of weight in deciding whether the coach will get a contract extension, or in the summer the club will again start looking for a coach who will bring him back to the good days of Vladimir Ivitch.
But make no mistake about it. The Serbian coach is slowly assimilating into the club and making moves to deepen his grip within Maccabi Tel Aviv. One of them is the addition of Georgia Juvanovic, who came on his recommendation and encouragement. Yitzhaki also joined the move. The thought was that he was a player he could be built on for years to come and beyond that, Stepa Fritza only holds a guaranteed contract until the end of the season.
In general, it seems that Krestic plans to stay here for the long term and does not think about the possibility of him leaving at the end of the season. Although he still does not have a perfect command of English, he takes courses and the players testify that the meetings are not affected due to the language barrier. “Everyone understands everything. There is an interpreter and he explains everything,” says one of them. During training the Serbian also conducts personal conversations and small talk with the players without the help of an interpreter, who participates in only a small part of them.
And there is, of course, what is happening on the grass. The team says that the pace of training has increased following the arrival of Krestic, but the level is still not enough. The club would like to see a greater professional improvement, and the team plays more convincing football, and it starts with the Tel Aviv derby. The coach himself, on the other hand, does not hide his dissatisfaction with the staff. He claims it is limited and not of sufficient quality. If he could, he would have replaced all the foreigners as early as January. He eventually got two new foreigners in January and with that he will have to make do.
Beyond that, Krasteich demonstrates a lot of creativity and mental flexibility, the actors testify, he changes methods and layouts and does not take names into account. Those who are good at training, play. He revived Eden Shamir, Tal Ben Haim and Elon Almog, but on the other hand Eyal Golsa, Stifa Fritza and Brandley Kubas went back to him.
It can be said that Krestic’s big test starts tonight (20:00, Bloomfield). The days of grace are over. Every game from now on, starting with the derby, will affect his future. “He will measure in results and achievements. Second place, a trophy and maybe a surprise in Europe. At the moment no one will make a decision about him,” said those around the club. The Serbian’s Money Time kicks off.
