Hapoel Be’er Sheva closed the regular season last Sunday evening with a dramatic 1:2 victory over Kiryat Shmona, and for the umpteenth time this season proved mental strength and a lot of character.
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BS players celebrate a victory over KS. This ability will not be enough in the playoffs
(Photo: Herzl Yosef)
Eliniv Barda led the team to the goal he set: obtaining nine points in the last three games of the regular season with the goal of reaching the playoffs, which will start this coming Saturday, with a lot of confidence.
On the eve of the opening of the playoff games of the 22-23 season, the goal of Hapoel Beer-Sheva is to reduce as much as possible the gap between the amazing numbers and the insufficient ability.
Beer Sheva scored 58 points in the regular season (26 games), which is a 74.3 percent success rate. This is an amazing statistic that in a “normal” season is worth first place.
But this is not a normal season as far as Maccabi Haifa is concerned, which qualified in class for the Champions League and recorded a 79.4 percent success rate in 26 league games.
Beer Sheva scored 52 goals in 26 games, and this without a classic central striker. Beer Sheva is second in the league in the number of goals scored after Maccabi Tel Aviv with 53.
Of the 52 goals scored by the team, 16 were scored from the 75th minute onward, which shows the excellent character of the players, who never break or give up.
The Reds conceded 19 goals this season, and in this category as well, the team is in second place after Maccabi Tel Aviv (15).
Beer Sheva also recorded an amazing number in the away games. The team has won 11 out of 13 games away from “Turner”. This is the third time since 2000 that a team in the Premier League reaches such a figure.
Beside the excellent numbers Beer Sheva opened a gap of 21 points from the fourth place, so that if imaginary scenarios do not take place in the ten playoff games, the Reds will guarantee participation in the games in a European framework this summer for the tenth season in a row.
But with all due respect to the excellent numbers, the team’s ability in recent months is not at a level that is sufficient to overtake Maccabi Haifa on the way to the coveted title.
Eliniv Barda is aware of this situation, and at the press conference after the game against Kiryat Shmona, the coach said, among other things, that “it is clear to me that we need and can play better and for longer periods of time.”
First published: 08:00, 17.03.23