The success of Maccabi Haifa comes as a result of a smart summer

by time news

Maccabi Haifa celebrated this evening (Wednesday) at Sami Ofer with another huge show in front of the home crowd, when they defeated Apollon Limassol, the champion of Cyprus, 0:4. The greens took a big step towards the playoff stage of the Champions League, where they will probably meet the Red Star – a tough opponent, but not insurmountable. A third appearance in its history in the class is certainly not a dirty word.

The greatness of the champion last summer was the surgical treatment she performed on the squad. It is clear to everyone that Barak Becher’s weak points last season were the defenders and there she brought in two foreign reinforcement players, who at least so far are making a positive impression. In the attack, which was also good, she strengthened herself with a dominant striker, but just as importantly – she kept all her possessions.

Those who saw the last games of the Greens could see a team with convincing physical fitness, as if it was not the beginning of the season. In the biggest class, where the goal is first of all to “pass”, Maccabi Haifa not only “passes” but is also particularly impressive. Take for example Franzi Pierro, who after a shaky start at the Champions League, now looks like he’s been playing at Carmel for two years.

Franzi Piero celebrates. connect fast (Omari Stein)

The big question is whether Maccabi Haifa did not reach its peak too early. The way of the world is that the teams start a little lame, the players get into shape slowly and in the middle of the season comes the peak. Does this mean that the baker’s peak is yet to come? If so, her rivals in Israel should certainly be afraid of her. Barak Becher’s job will be to prevent the tension from dropping even before the opening whistle of the season.

In the next stage, Maccabi Haifa is expected to play against the Red Star, which, like them, dismantled in the first game and took an important step towards the next stage. The Serbian champions are a tough team, used to these situations, but they are definitely not invincible. In the meantime, the Israeli champion continues to live the dream and will try to do what seems impossible and play in the status of the majors.

Either way, the greens have guaranteed themselves a boiling winter in Sami Ofer when they will play at least in the group stage of the Europa League (unless we witness a historic rematch of the Cypriots) and they can certainly aim higher than that. It will be interesting to see if such a busy season will hurt their chances of lifting a third plate in a row, as it is important to remember that to date no Israeli team has won the championship in the year they played in the group stage of the Champions League.

The text is an opinion column.

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