Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv, the club’s Under-19 side fell to Ramat Hasharon 3:0 on goals by Aviel Ben Hemo, Liat Salama and Guy Lehrer. Last match saw the two squads play to a 1:1 draw. The Yellow & Blue began the day in 2nd place behind first place Maccabi Petah Tikva by 3 points while their rivals were in 11th place.

Head Coach Guy Tzarfati’s Starting XI: Or Itzhak, Michael Chilaka, Ain Shtrozberg, Yoav Hofmayster, Dan Lugassi, Tamir Glezer, Ido Shahar, Omri Ram, Bar Cohen, Rave Assayag, Tal Yagudaev.

First Half
Maccabi controlled the pace of play early on and in the 13’ Yagudaev’s shot went over the goal but 3 minutes later Ramat Hasharon almost took the lead when Jeff Embriya’s chance went over keeper Itzhak but the ball hit the post as the shot stopper recovered to grab the ball off the line.

Ram sent Assayag a cross but he couldn’t control the ball as it went out and ten minutes later Lugassi sent a pass to Assayag but his header was saved by the Ramat Hasharon keeper. A double pass between Yagudaev and Shahar almost gave Maccabi the elad but the former’s opportunity went over the bar.

Second Half
An alert Itzhak made the save for Maccabi in the 48’ off of Shai Belhassen and two minutes later Maccabi’s Yagudaev sent a ball just over the goal. In the 54’ a short corner made it to Cohen but his shot was saved by Valkovich, however, 7 minutes later Ramat Hasharon took a 1:0 lead. Aviel Ben Hemo went one on one with the keeper and sent it begin Itzhak for the advantage.

Itzhak was again tested in the 66’ when he made a couple of saves in the box and 3 minutes later Eyal Hen’s chance for Maccabi missed the target. Ramat Hasharon took a 2 goal lead in the 77’ when Tomer Mahluf lost the ball and Liat Salama beat Itzhak for a 2:0 advantage.

Three minutes later Guy Lehrer added to Ramat Hasharon’s lead with their 3rd goal of the match on a counter attack as they wrapped up a 3:0 win over Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv.

Maccabi Netanya 0:3 Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv (U19)
Matchday 26 of the Israel Youth Premier League saw Guy Tzarfati’s squad record the win and pick up 3 points. Eduardo Guerrero scored a brace thanks to a pair of assists from Bar Cohen while the third goal saw their roles reversed. The Yellow & Blue are in 2nd place, 3 points off the top of table. For the Full Match Report Click Here.

Hapoel Haifa 1:2 Maccabi “Oded” Tel Aviv (U17)
The Under-17 side headed to an away match at the Carmel Reds on Matchday 26 and came away with the 3-points thanks to goals by Yali Lazar and Niv Berkovic. The Yellow & Blue are in first place and hold a double digit lead. A win next Matchday will crown the U17 champions. Head Coach Eliezr Ben Aharon summed up the win: “Any match at Kiryat Haim is difficult not just because of the quality of the opponent but also the condition of the pitch. The players understood quickly that we couldn’t play our regular style of football and put in place out game plan from the very first minute. The instructions were to take the game to the Haifa side of the pitch quickly and force them to make mistakes close to their goal in order to get closer to the championship. I hope we can do the job next match, Derby.”

Maccabi “Eli Fuchs” Tel Aviv 1:0 Maccabi Petah Tikva (U16)
The Under-16 team won a dramatic match with ten men on Matchday 26. Eran Sassi’s side are in 2nd place just two points off the top of the table thanks to Rotem Grama’s free kick goal just two minutes until the end of the match. Head Coach Sassi summed up the encounter, “This was a match between two quality sides and began with a high pace of play. However, we had a player who was sent off in the 20’ which influenced our game plan. The players showed character and fight as we continued to create chances while making sure our opponent stayed at bay. The second half was almost like the first and the players tired over the last twenty minutes. All of the substitutes did a great job and gave strength to the team. Thankfully we scored a goal near the end of the match and we knew how to maintain the result until the final whistle. It’s important to note that Ofek Sasson a U15 player was in the starting XI, was fantastic throughout the match and didn’t make a mistake. He played a mature game with a lot of confidence.”

Hapoel Ramat Gan 1:0 Maccabi “Eldad” Tel Aviv (U15)
The U15 squad fell to Ramat Gan on Matchday 27. The Yellow & Blue were left with 9 players by the end of the match and are still in first place with a 2-point lead. Head Coach Ori David spoke about the match: “This was not a match where we saw a lot of football due to the poor pitch. We gave up a goal on a set piece and it was difficult for us to come back after having lost two players to red cards. Our sights are now on to the Derby which takes place in two weeks.”

Over the past few years, the Maccabi Tel Aviv Avi Cohen Youth Academy has seen a dramatic change thanks to Performance Director Patrick van Leeuwen who introduced and imbued his football philosophy throughout the department. This season also saw the introduction of the Individual Elite Training program headed by Raymond Atteveld, van Leeuwen’s assistant, with the goal of developing the Academy’s players.

The Individual Elite Training program runs in conjunction with the regular training program and is designed to suit the individual needs of the players who are part of the project. The program includes additional resources for better living, video, physical and tactical sessions for individual players.

During the course of the week, the next week’s program is already being designed. Some are more individualized while other sessions can be with players at the same specific position or with players that they will play with in the future. The players are under the tutelage of Raymond Atteveld as well as the mental coach, fitness coach, video analyst, technical and tactical coaches who are tasked with working on all of these elements with the individual.

The experts meet prior to every training session in order to make sure that certain elements are worked on in order for the player to continue to improve. The staff lets the players and their coaches know what specific activities need to take place and why. The player receives the necessary information and specifics of where they need to improve while the coach also receives that same information so they can continue with their regular team training session as well.

Raymond Atteveld, the head of the program spoke about the idea behind the project: “In some cases the improvement is in small elements like how to move your foot when you are shooting or passing, or your body stature while defending. Other times it can be working on timing between players, so they would be together during the training session. The players receive plenty of information that will contribute to their progress.”

Atteveld summed up the project to date: “The project has begun well. We will make improvements in places where we feel that is needed but so far the project is very promising based on the players’ reactions and how they have applied it their game. Football is a team sport but personal attention contributes to the how the players think during the individual training plan and in specific elements of that training. At the end of the day the club will benefit from this program and they will gain a lot of knowledge about the game which will ultimately have a positive impact on the progress of the home grown players in the Academy.

The Under-19 squad, Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv visited Maccabi Netanya on Matchday 26 of the Israel Youth Premier League and began the day in 2nd place just 3 points off table leader Maccabi Petah Tikva while the hosts were in 11th place.

Head Coach Guy Tzarfati’s Starting XI: Daniel Peretz, Michael Chilaka, Alon Shtrozberg, Yoav Hofmayster, Tomer Mahluf, Tamir Glezer, Omri Ram, Nadav Nidam, Eduardo Guerrero, Bar Cohen, Tal Yagudaev.

First Half
In the 10’ Netanya had the contest’s first chance when Ram Johaja’s Chance from the right of the box went out while ten minutes later Ram found Cohen on the left of the box but his left footed attempt was saved by Netanya keeper Amit Merigin.

Guerrero tried to find Ram in the area in the 28’ but the ball was blocked at the last minute while Cohen’s rebound attempt hit the outside netting of the goal. Four minutes later Guerrero’s opportunity was blocked by a Netanya defender as the score remained as is.

However, in the 35’ Maccabi took a 1:0 lead when Cohen flicked the ball elegantly over a pair of defenders right to Guerrero who found the back of the goal. Three minutes later, Tzarfati’s crew doubled their advantage when Cohen once again sent Guerrero a through ball that he unleashed behind the keeper for a 2:0 lead. Just before the break Yagudaev sent a magnificent cross to Cohen but he missed the target as the Yellow & Blue took a 2:0 advantage into halftime.

Second Half
Netanya had the first chance of the half when Johaja’s shot was blocked by Shtrozberg and in the 65’ they once again threatened to cut the lead when Amit Yakov sent a through ball towards the Maccabi goal but Peretz was able to cut off the play.

Ten minutes later, Tzarfati’s squad added a third goal when Cohen took care of a Guerrero assist for a 3:0 lead. In the 78’ Netanya tried to cut the lead when Eyad Hagi’s attempt went out. Rave Assayag’s 84’ chance came up short as Maccabi wrapped up a 3:0 victory.

Maccabi Netanya – Maccabi “Shachar “ Tel Aviv, 12:00 Netanya (U19)
After defeating Bnei Yehuda in the Little Derby, the Yellow & Blue head to Maccabi Netanya on Matchday 26 of the Israel Youth Premier League. Last match, the Yellow & Blue won 1:0 thanks to a goal by Gil Ben Shalosh. Guy Tzarfati’s squad are in 2nd place, just 3 points off the table leaders Maccabi Petah Tikva while the host’s are in 11th place.

Hapoel Haifa – Maccabi “Oded” Tel Aviv, 11:00 Kiryat Haim (U17)
The Under-17 side plays at the Carmel Reds on Matchday 26. Eliezer Ben Aharon’s squad is in first place with an 11 point lead while the host’s are in 10th. Last match between the two saw Shaked Navon and Nehorai Bitton score in a 2:0 win for the Yellow & Blue. Should Maccabi win and their rivals for the league title they will secure the title.

Maccabi “Eli Fuchs” Tel Aviv – Maccabi Petah Tikva, 9:30 Kiryat Shalom 1 (U16)
The Under-16 team host’s Petah Tikva on Matchday 26 of league play as they find themselves in 2nd place just two points off the top of the table. The visitor’s are in 4th place just two points away from the Yellow & Blue. Last match Eran Sassi’s squad win by the score of 2:1 on goals by Ariel Belhassen and Orel Azarzar.

Hapoel Ramat Gan – Maccabi “Eldad” Tel Aviv, 8:30 Ramat Gan Safari Asi (U15)
The Under-15 squad faces Ramat Gan on Matchday 27 of league action, the young Yellow & Blue are in first place with a 5 point lead while the host’s are in 10th. Last match Maccabi won 2:0 on goals by Oskar Gluch and Nir Levi.