“So, how impressed were you with the team?” Peter Bosz asked at this morning’s meeting at Kiryat Shalom. The Dutchman smiles while looking outside at the beautiful sunny mid-January day holding his cup of coffee. At Arnhem it’s just 4 degrees and stormy, he recalls.
“Well,” the new coach says in perfect English, “The situation here is much better than I thought it was and the team knows how to press. The midfielders know how to distribute the ball and create opportunities and with time that will improve as well. The defense is good but there is what to work on. There’s no question that this is a very good team.”
“What do you have to say about our big star player?” He’s asked. “He certainly is,” Bosz smiles to himself. “There are some very good players even some who are outstanding, but only one is the complete player a cut above the rest. There’s only one that I can completely trust with my eyes closed, that I know will give everything he has every single match, who understands and knows how to follow instructions. They’re all great, but only Gal Alberman is a star.”
This imaginary monologue is one that every single Maccabi coach over the past few years has said to himself. If these words were never spoken then its an absolute travesty. It’s true, there’s not much more that you can say about Zahavi, and 20 goals in a half a season is certainly a massive stat. And yes, Tal Ben Chaim can rip apart an opponents defense (at least in Israel) and Dor Micha can finish off a game with one soft touch. But yesterday at Bloomfield we saw the best defensive midfielder in Israel playing in his heyday.
Alberman as they say is a coach’s dream player. His commitment to the team is no less than the fans who sit in Gate 11 and his understanding of the game and style is ten times more than any one of them. He is the complete player at that position – no one is expecting him to score or even hand out assists. One goal and a pair of assists in one season is about what you can expect. The 33-year old knows how to control the match, close down the opponent and press the ball. These are the things that are the bread and butter of a professional footballer and no one does it better between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Ocean.
Peter Bosz has plenty of work ahead of him. There are many parameters of the club that need to be improved – from the striker to a quicker central defender. The well-oiled machine sometimes hits some rough patches and yesterday’s match was far from the complete performance. Improvement in these areas still come from the club’s mainstay, Alberman (and yes Zahavi), a player from whom you know exactly what you’re going to get. The players around him may change or move to different roles, but he’s one that you can always count on to do his part. That’s exactly what he did yesterday – and for the last three years – he makes all of the difference.
This is an opinion column
