Category: News

Know your opponent- Hapoel Haifa

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Year Founded: 1924

Stadium: Sammy Ofer Stadium (30,000)

פרומו: זהבי ובן בסט מנצחים את הפועל חיפה

Head Coach: Tal Benin – A former Maccabi Tel Aviv player who won two Israel State Cups and a league championship while playing with the Yellow-and-Blue, took over as coach from Reuven Atar last February. Benin was able to save the team from being relegated last year and started fresh this 2015/16 season.

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Players who left: Hamdi Salihi, Steven Cohen, Roie Shukrani, Tosaint Ricketts, Maharan Abu Riya and Or Ostaynd

Players arrived: Anas Dabbur, Hanan Maman, Tomer Swissa, Bruno Pinheiro, Miki Vazao, Eli Elbaz, Ali Khatib, Ahed Azam, Adrian Rotchet,

Key player: Hanan Maman

The midfielder came to the club from Beitar Jerusalem and has admirably filled Or Ostaynd’s shoes to lead Hapoel Haifa. Maman controls the flow of the game for the dolphins in the middle of the pitch and has scored one goal while assisting on another so far this year. The 26 year-old will once again be the ma_MG_0182n in charge of distributing the ball to the offense for the home side this Saturday especially since Tomer Swissa will not be available.

How has their year been to date:

Tal Benin’s club started off the season on the right foot with a 1:0 away win at Hapoel Akko, but they were unable to keep up the positive momentum throughout the past couple of months. They lost in the last minute to Hapoel Beer Sheva this past Matchday and will enter the match with Maccabi in 11th place, just two points shy of the relegation zone.

Youth Department Action- November 21

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Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv – Hapoel “HaShelosha” Beer Sheva, Ramle Stadium, 12:00

 Ziv Arie’s side returns to action and will host Hapoel Beer Sheva in a crucial game. The Yellow-and-Blue want to get back on the winning track after last Matchday’s loss to Hapoel Haifa. The team enjoyed the break and will come into the match and the Champions League game fresh and ready to go.

 Maccabi “Eli Fuchs” Tel Aviv – Hapoel Beer Sheva, Kiryat Shalom Training 4Z6A6665Facility, 11:00

 Eliezer Ben Aharon and Gady Brumer’s club will also face one of Beer Sheva’s youth sides at Kiryat Shalom. The Yellow-and-Blue’s opponent sit in last place with only a single point, while Maccabi “Eli Fuchs” will look to pick up some points and move up the table.

 Hapoel Ramat Gan – Maccabi “Eldad” Tel Aviv (Cup), The Safari Field, 13:00

 In State Cup Action, Maccabi “Eldad” will face Ramat Gan in the second round of the Israel State Cup at the Safari Field at 13:00.

 Maccabi “Team 2” Tel Aviv – Hapoel “Shlomi Wurzel” Petach Tikva (Cup), Kiryat Shalom, 13:00

 Maccabi’s other Under-15 team will also play in the second round of the State Cup as they will host Hapoel Petach Tikva at Kiryat Shalom.

Galili: “I’ve been able to improve year to year”

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After a two week break, the Israel football league resumes action including the youth leagues. Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv will host Hapoel Beer Sheva on Saturday, 12:00 at the Ramle Stadium on Matchday Seven of the Toto Youth League. This match will be the first for the side in a very busy week ahead as they will also face Chelsea on Matchday Five of the Champions League Youth League at the Netanya Stadium on Tuesday at 14:00.

Prior to their final training session, the club’s central defender Bar Galili spoke about how he’s been handling a packed schedule, Chelsea and his thoughts about having a two week break:

“The break came at a very good time. We had been in the middle of a very busy time with many matches including the Champions League. Our muscles were “yelling” atבר גלילי us to take a break as we needed the rest where we took some time off from playing but worked on other aspects of the game including tactics and practice. When you’re
playing three games a week you have less practice time, and the time away from the games allowed us to also clear our heads and I think you’ll see this already on Saturday.”

The Under-19 team enters this Saturday’s match winless in its last two games. Does that increase your desire to get back in the win column?

“We want to win every game, including this Saturday’s. It doesn’t matter if we won or lost last match and we come into every game looking to win. The time off and being able to clear our heads will help us achieve this goal, to win.”

Just three days after the match in Ramle the Yellow-and-Blue will play an even tougher opponent, perhaps the toughest of them all in Chelsea. Can you differentiate between the competitions? 

“Of course it’s only normal that we’ll be thinking about that game. It’s Chelsea and they’re coming to Israel where we will want to show that we can play at these types of levels but it shouldn’t bother us. Saturday’s match is an even harder hurdle for us as we have to win and we have to be cognizant of that. If we only think about Chelsea we will miss our chance. We will come into the Beer Sheva game ready as ever and it’s shouldn’t have any effect on Tuesday’s match.”בר גלילי

Today, Friday, is International Children’s Day. As one who grew up in the Yellow-and-Blue youth system, how was it to go through Maccabi’s Youth Department?

“To grow up in Maccabi’s Youth Department is a real learning experience. There is always a sense of achievement and accomplishment from when I arrived at the club as an Under-13 player. Every year we challenged for the title, made it to the late stages of the Cup competitions and got to experience things that not every child does even with the other big teams in the country. There is pressure and games that we have to win be it a State Cup semi final, but again it’s not something that every kid has a chance to experience. I feel that every year since I’ve been part of the youth department I’ve been able to move up step by step and improve year to year.”

Maccabi’s Room- Redecorators Rikan & Azulay

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After the Official website received tons of pictures from Maccabi FIRST members who wanted to have their rooms redecorated Yellow-and-Blue, we chose 9-year old Eilai Damri to be the lucky winner.

Maccabi’s room: כשאזולאי וריקן עשו את המהפך

Avi Rikan and Shlomi Azulay were responsible for Eilai’s room make over and redecoration as they went to pick up all of the Official Club merchandise right after practice to bring over to his home. Products included were a special picture, Maccabi linens, slippers and even a night table lamp. How does it look now? Don’t miss Eilai’s reaction as soon as he saw his brand new room!

Ben Haim: “We’ll be ready to go”

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Tal Ben Haim, Maccabi’s veteran central defender is geared up and ready to go after a two week break from league action. Saturday’s Matchday Eleven clash will feature a trip up to the Carmel to visit Hapoel Haifa at Sammy Ofer Stadium. This will be the first of two matches in four days at the state of the art facility with Chelsea visiting the Yellow-and-Blue on Tuesday in Champions League play. Number 26 also discussed his youth days and took a trip down memory lane with the recognition of International Children’s Day on November 20th:

טל בן חיים לקראת המשחק מול הפועל חיפה

“We’re coming back after a good break and a few days vacation. We returned fresh and ready to go. We had a good week and prepared well for the upcoming match.”

Other clubs always want to try and beat Maccabi:

“Of course. Even when I was a child in youth system the other teams knew they were playing Maccabi Tel Aviv and gave over 100% effort against us. Our current rivals have studied how we play and put in a lot of thought when preparing for us.”

Preparing for a team that isn’t near the top of the table:

 “Haifa is a good team with an excellent coach but we also have set goals for ourselves and we’ll be ready for this match and ready to go.”ילד בן חיים

International Children’s Day is November 20th. Do you recognize yourself in this youth team photo?

“Yes, that’s me on the bottom right. I think I was about 9 or 10 years old with a few friends Eli Bitton, Baruch Nimni, Eldar Betito, Ohad Buzaglo, Elisha Lev, Tomer, Shushan, Kobi Musa, and Tzachi from Rechovot. I was a striker until I was 14 years old and not even a central defender yet. The picture was taken right over there by one of the training pitches where we practiced.”

What  was it like to play in Maccabi’s youth squad?

“It was the best team. It wasn’t a question of if we would win but by how many goals we would win by. To grow up in Maccabi’s youth program gave me the fundamentals to play the game and it was every child’s dream to be part of Maccabi’s youth team. This picture takes me back about 24 years. It’s amazing to see it.”

Do you want to keep the picture?

“Yes please.”

Victor Belkin’s Historic Performance

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November 19, 1994, Matchday Ten Ligat Ha’Al. Avram Grant’s Maccabi Tel Aviv returned home to host Hapoel Haifa after losing first place the prior week away at Beitar Jerusalem.Negative0410

7,000 Yellow-and-Blue fans came to Blooomfield on a wintry weekend. Grant’s players had one goal in mind, to get back on the winning track. The starting lineup was almost identical to the one that opened up the last match at Teddy Stadium with Shura Uvarov, Gady Brumer, Nir Klinger, Alon Brumer, Avi Nimni, Alon Mizrachi, Nir Sevilla, Amit Levi, Guy Nachman, Amir Shelach while new recruit Victor Belkin also joined them on the pitch.

The Ukrainian midfielder arrived at Kiryat Shalom in the summer of 1994 at the age of 21 and joined Grant’s team that hadn’t won the league title the prior two years. Belkin hadn’t yet stood out for Maccabi, that was until this November evening.Negative0406

It took 61 minutes for the Yellow-and-Blue players to finally penetrate the Haifa defense and beat keeper Yakov Assayag for one of the most impressive goals of the season and Belkin’s first in a Maccabi kit. Nimni sent the ball to the Ukrainian 17 meters out and his accurate shot went right into the corner of the goal. Just four minutes after Belkin’s impressive strike, he scored again from a difficult angle by the corner of the pitch to beat Assayag again. 2:0 Maccabi.

In the 79th minute, Nir Sevilla leaped over the Haifa defenders and headed in a corner kick for Maccabi’s third goal and in the 90th minute Belkin completed his hat-trick scoring from the box to help the home to side to a 4:0 victory and return to first place. It’s a match that the Ukrainian midfielder will never forget on the way to capturing the league championship.

Jokanovic: “We have a lot of room to improve”

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The Yellow-and-Blue get back to league play on Matchday Eleven against Hapoel Haifa at Sammy Ofer Stadium as Head Coach Slavisa Jokanovic spoke to the assembled media this morning and began by taking about coming back from the break:

“I believe that these two weeks off came at just the right time. We needed rest and to renew our strength. I expect that we will play better than the last few matches. I’m working with my current squad and it’s clear that we have to perform better than we have been. We have a chance to show our improvement this Saturday against Hapoel Haifa.”

Maccabi’s main rivals, Hapoel Beer Sheva:

“We have the same amount of points that we had last year at this time. I’m not really thinking about Hapoel Beer Sheva right now but just about our own play. I’ve been explaining to the players what they need to do to improve and if everyone thinks Beer Sheva is better than us then that gives us a lot of room to improve.”

Keeper Predrag Rajkovic’s injury:

“We will check if he can play in the next game, but I understand from our medical team that the injury is not serious. We have players that are ready if we need them.”

January transfer window plans:

“Right now we are in November and we will play many games until we reach January. Once we get to January we will see what we need to do. We will have to see if we need to invest or if we are fine the way we are. I will push my interests which are the same as Maccabi Tel Aviv.”

Shlomi Azoulay’s status:

“Shlomi has improved himself and he is working hard. January is two months away and we shall see.”

Rumors from England:

“I spoke to my agent last week and there is interest in England but now I am here and that is where my focus is, with Maccabi Tel Aviv. I’m here. There may be speculation but I’m here to coach Maccabi Tel Aviv.”

Concerning the status of Barak Itzhaki and Eli Dasa:

“They have returned from their injuries and this week