Preview

Maccabi arrived at the Netanya stadium for the MD21 WINNER League match away to Ironi Kiryat Shmona with the team currently 4th in the table. 6000 Maccabi fans travelled to Netanya to support the team and welcome newly appointed Head Coach Ronny Deila who will have his debut match in charge.

A week after the defeat in the Tel Aviv derby, Deila, who will be assisted by Kenny Miller and Kenneth Dokken will aim to guide Maccabi back to winning ways. Tyrese Asante who recovered from an injury which sidelined him last week, was named by the Norwegian coach alongside Heitor dis Santos as the two central defenders infront of goalkeeper Ofek Melika. Noam Ben Harush started on the right side of defense with Roy Revivo completing Maccabi’s back-four on the left. With Issouf Sissokho serving a one-match touchline ban due to yellow cards, Itamar Noy started in the anchorman role with Dor Peretz alongside him in the midfield engine room. Kervin Andrade completed Maccabi’s midfield trio in a more attacking role as the 20-year-old Venezuelan midfielder will try and supply the ammunition for the frontline. Osher Davida who played under Deila during their spell with Belgian side Standard Liege, was named on one wing with Helio Varela on the opposite flank. Saied Abu Farchi led the line as the 19-year-old striker will try add to his tally of two league goals and five in all competitions.

On the bench Deila named goalkeeper Roi Mishpati, Sagiv Jehezkel, Raz Shlomo, Elad Madmon, Ben Lederman, Ido Shahar, Itay Ben Hemo, Ilay Ben Simon and new signing Emir Sahiti.

First Half

Backed by a wall of noise created by 6000 traveling fans who filled the entire east stand, Maccabi began the match as if they were launched out of a cannon. In the opening minute Helio Varela charged down the left and into the box but his square ball lacked accuracy and was cleared. Two minutes later Varela began another counter attack before Noam Ben Harush was released down the right. The full-back tried a shot which Daniel Tenenbaum punched away for a corner which led to Maccabi’s opener. Kiryat Shmona’s defense failed to clear the resulting corner as Kervin Andrade stripped Cristian Martinez of the ball and teed up Saied Abu Farchi whose cross was headed home by Dor Peretz. In the 12th minute Kiryat Shmona were back on level terms as Maccabi’s defense didn’t clear a ball which was launched into the box as it fell to Ariel Sheratzky who blasted in the equalizer.

Abu Farchi was in the thick of things once again five minutes later as he applied pressure on Yaw Ackah following a failed attempt of a clearance. After kicking the air, Ackah then kicked Abu Farchi without a reaction from referee Idan Leiba. VAR intervened to call the referee to the screen before the initial decision was reversed and a penalty awarded. Abu Farchi stepped up, sent Tenenbaum the wrong way and slotted in the spot kick to restore Maccabi’s lead. In the 27th minute Peretz and Abu Farchi combined on the edge of the area, but Tenenbaum was at full stretch to push Abu Farchi’s shot for a corner. Right on the hour mark Peretz received the ball on the edge of the area but couldn’t keep his shot down as it sailed over the crossbar. 

Varela tested Tenenbaum with a powerful drive which the former Maccabi custodian managed to save. In the 44th minute Maccabi came close once again as Verela found Davida at the center of the area but his initial attempt was blocked by Shai Ben David while his second blasted over. On the stroke of halftime Davida came even closer as he cut inside onto his left and curled a shot that caught Tenenbaum stranded but struck the post. Just as the fourth official signalled five minutes of added time, the combination of Varela and Davida resulted with a goal as the Cape Verde winger squared to Davida who with his weaker right foot managed to squeeze the ball home for Maccabi’s third goal.

Second Half

While Kiryat Shmona’s coach Shai Barda made two changes at the restart, Maccabi’s coach Ronny Deila stuck with the same players for the start of the second half. In the 57th minute Abu Farchi came close as he fired a shot which Tenenbaum pushed away.

In the 63rd minute Maccabi increased their lead to 4-1 as Roy Revivo’s throw in was nodded by Davida towards Kervin Andrade who launched himself and released a half volley that gave Tenenaum no chance. This was Andrade’s final action on the night as Deila made a triple substitution with the Venezuelan midfielder bowing out together with Ben Harush and Davida. Sagiv Jehezkel stepped in for Ben Harush at right back, Ido Shahar came into the midfield engine room while Emir Sahiti was handed his Maccabi debut on the right wing.

Tyrese Asante who recently recovered from an injury and was carrying a booking from the first half was replaced by Raz Shlomo as Deila made his fourth substitution on 77. Three minutes later Shahar released himself and teed up Peretz whose shot sailed high and wide. Peretz limped off on 85 and was replaced by young Ilay Ben Simon for the closing stages as Deila made his fifth and final substitution. Ben Simon came close in the 90th minute after Jehezkel slipped him through but Tenenbaum managed to save and deny Abu Farchi from scoring the rebound. The 16-year old had another attempt on goal but Tenenbaum saved again to before the final whistle was heard.

The 24-year-old winger who ended his goal drought in the league which lasted since September to score his second in the league and fifth in all competitions, said at the end of the match: “I am delighted. I finally saw smiles from the players, from myself, and from the staff. It’s great to get back to winning, largely thanks to our fans, 6,000 of whom came here after a tough period, in the middle of the week, with traffic jams.”

On the reunion with newly appointed coach Ronny Deila who coached him at Standard Liege, Davida said: “You can see a change in terms of energy. The system is different. Over these two days, players felt that something had changed. We saw an intense team, that’s what characterizes the coach, and I hope we continue this way. I didn’t play under him much; we had a slightly different system. I always said he’s a good coach and a stand-up guy with the players. I liked him personally. I told the guys here too, it’s great to have a coach like that, and I hope we take off moving forward.”

As Maccabi now moved within nine points from the league leaders, Davida remained adamant: “We always believe. I think in a tight title race, people tend to look at the other teams, but now is not the time. We need to focus only on ourselves. There are still three head-to-head matches against the rivals. We have to win game by game and gain confidence. Let’s see what happens.”

Davida whose last goals were scored in the Cup against Hapoel Haifa late in December, added: “It’s not easy when the balls don’t go in. Personally, I don’t measure myself by that, but it’s frustrating when it doesn’t happen, and I’m happy it did today. I’m always trying to see what I need to improve. I believe everything happens for the best, and I’ll keep working hard.”

Maccabi Tel Aviv announces the appointment of Ronny Deila as the new Head Coach until the end of the season. Deila will be supported by Kenny Miller and Kenneth Dokken as his assistant coaches.

Ronny Deila arrives with a wide range of managerial experience at both European and international levels, having achieved success in top-flight leagues across Norway, Scotland, the US, Belgium, and the UAE.

After his appointment Deila told the club’s official website: “I am pleased to join Maccabi Tel Aviv FC a club with such a rich history. I am fully aware that success only comes through hard work and commitment, and I am looking forward to start working with the players to achieve the best results”.

Maccabi’s owner Mitch Goldhar said: “Ronny made a positive impression throughout the recruitment process. He brings a proven track record, significant experience and strong leadership qualities. Ronny arrives ready to begin work immediately and we all wish him success”.

Deila, spent his playing career in Norway playing as a central defender for IF Uraedd, Odd, Viking Stavanger, Stromsgodset, and Sparta Brageroen. Having made over 350 professional appearances as a player, Deila began his managerial career with Stromsgodset initially as an assistant coach before taking over as Head Coach in 2008. Under Deila’s guidance, Stromsgodset won the Norwegian Cup in 2010 and league title in 2013, their first in 42 years. In 2014, Deila was appointed manager of Celtic where in two seasons he won two successive Scottish championships (14/15 and 15/16) and a League Cup in 14/15.

After returning to Norway with Valerenga (17-20), Deila moved to the MLS and joined New York City FC, where he won the 2021 MLS Cup, the first in the club’s history.

Deila’s recent managerial roles include Belgian clubs Standard Liege (22/23), Club Brugge (23/24), and Al Wahda (24) in the UAE before returning the US last season to coach MLS side Atlanta United FC.

Kenny Miller (46), a former Scottish international striker who had a distinguished playing career between 1997-2020. Miller scored more than 250 career goals in 785 professional appearances for Hibernian, Rangers, Celtic, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Derby County, Cardiff City, Bursaspor (Turkey), Vancouver Whitecaps (Canada), Livingston, Dundee, Partick Thistle and Scotland for which he scored 18 goals in 69 international appearances.

Following his retirement, Miller transitioned into coaching and management serving as player-manager of Livingston in 2018. Miller later held coaching and assistant roles at Newcastle Jets (Australia) and Falkirk FC, before joining Ronny Deila’s staff at Atlanta United.

Kenneth Dokken (47), a former Norwegian midfielder who played over 300 matches in the top tiers of Norwegian football at Stromsgodset, Honefoss, HamKam, Odd Grenland, Ranheim, and Sandefjord. He began his managerial career with Birkebeineren, then spent seven years as head coach at Notodden, later served as an assistant coach at Valerenga and AGF Aarhus in Denmark before returning to Norway for a head coach role with Odds BK and last season as an assistant manager at Fredrikstad FK

Maccabi Tel Aviv welcomes Ronny, Kenny, and Kenneth to Maccabi and wishes them every success in the challenges ahead.

Emir Sahiti (27) joined Maccabi from Hamburg after an agreement was reached between the two clubs for the loan of the winger until the end of the 25/26 season with an option of making the move permanent.

Sahiti, scored 3 goals in 26 appearances in all competitions for Hamburg since joining the Bundesliga club in the summer of 2024 from Hajduk Split.

After successfully completing his medical, Sahiti told the club’s official website: “I am proud and excited to join Maccabi Tel Aviv, a club with a rich history, passionate fans and clear ambitions. From the first conversations, I felt the club’s vision and knew this was the right step for me.

I arrive hungry, motivated, and ready to give everything for this badge, help the team win trophies and make our fans proud. I can’t wait to feel the atmosphere at Bloomfield Stadium.”

Sahiti, began his playing career with KF Trepca 89 in Kosovo before switching in 2015 to Rabotnicki and playing at the North Macedonia club until 2018. At the age of 20 Sahiti moved to Croatia and joined Hajduk Split for which he scored 18 goals in 121 appearances in all competitions during a six-year-spell which also included a season long to Sibenik where he added 7 goals in 35 appearances.

At international level, Sahiti scored a goal in 7 appearances for the Kosovo national team and previously represented the young national sides of Albania at U21 and U19 levels.

Dan Romann who was appointed interim coach and had less than 48 to prepare the team since taking charge, said after the match: “We played against a strong team and will prepare ourselves for Kiryat Shmona.”

Maccabi’s U19’s coach Dan Romann appointed interim coach of the senior side on Tuesday following the dismissal of Zarko Lazetic, spoke at the end of the 0-3 Europa League defeat to Bologna at the TSC Arena:  “We played against a very strong team. We came into the match after turbulent days the club has been going through. It was important for us to look good and put in a strong performance. Overall, it was a bit difficult for us against a very good team. The players gave everything they had, and that’s something we need to carry forward.”

On his personal feelings regarding the entire situation, Romann said: “On a personal level, I was asked to coach the team, and that’s what I’m doing. I’ll continue coaching the team for as long as I’m asked. I’m not looking too far ahead. We had very little time to prepare the team for this match, that was our focus. The match is over, so now the focus is on the game against Kiryat Shmona, and we’ll need to take things one game at a time.”

Ahead of Monday’s league match away to Kiryat Shmona Romann summed up: “In terms of managing minutes, loads, and player availability, we tried to take Monday’s match into account. These are two completely different matches. Today we played against a team from the Italian league, very strong. We had a total of 40 minutes on the pitch and another day and a half to prepare. The match against Kiryat Shmona is a different one, and we’ll prepare ourselves well. The dynamics will be different, and we’ll approach that match differently.”

The 21-year-old who was kept busy by Bologna’s forwards throughout and kept Maccabi in the game for large parts of the game but couldn’t do match to prevent the defeat against a superior Italian side: “After every action, whether good or bad, you have to keep your head up. In the end, we came out disappointed. I think we showed good ability, and unfortunately the goal didn’t come, but we’re looking forward.”

On transition between the Europa League and the domestic league, Melika added: “It is a different level. We will keep working on ourselves, and I believe that next season we will come back stronger and have a better campaign.”

On the current difficult spell Maccabi are currently experiencing, Melika said: “We are not in a crisis. It’s been a challenging period. But for everyone, it’s a fresh start and we’re moving forward, doing our job.”

Having reached the State Cup Quarter Finals yet with a 10 point gap from top spot, Melika said: “We believe everything is possible, whether it’s the cup or the championship. We’ll see at the end of the year.”