Maccabi Tel Aviv veterans faced 'Shualei' Kfar Aza fro an exhibition match

Youth fixtures this weekend

Maccabi Tel Aviv's under-19s travel to Bayit Vagan to play Beitar Jerusalem while U17 return from their break to host Hapoel Beesheba. U16 and U15 will be at home in the State Cup

Beitar Jerusalem will host Maccabi Tel Aviv “Shahar” at Bayit Vagan on Saturday at 11:00 in the under-19 youth league. It will be a test of character for Maccabi’s players who take the field after their 6-1 win over Bnei Sakhnin last week. In their previous meeting this season, Maccabi won 1-0 in Ness Ziona thanks to an 86th minute goal by Itai Ben Hemo.

In the junior fixtures, Maccabi Tel Aviv “Oded”, U17, host Hapoel Beersheba at Kiryat Shalom at 11:00 in a return to action following an international break. Maccabi lead their division, while Beersheba are in eighth place and the boys will also hope for another win following their 7-1 victory in the south in their first meeting this season.

Maccabi Tel Aviv “Eli Fuchs,” U16, and Maccabi Tel Aviv “Eldad,” U15, will host respective opponents Hapoel Rishon Lezion and Hapoel Tel Aviv in last-16 State Cup action at Kiryat Shalom at 08:30 and 11:00.

Beitar Jerusalem will host Maccabi Tel Aviv “Shahar” at Bayit ...

Youth Academy train according to European standards

Maccabi Tel Aviv's Youth Academy has increased its activities in recent years and we spoke to four under-19 players to hear their impressions

The under-19 league season is at its height, and coach Eliezer Ben Aharon’s players are holding their own in second place in the standings as the final third of the campaign is in full flow.

Four leading squad players spoke to us and gave us their perspective on how the season has progressed and how they have benefitted from being part of the Maccabi Tel Aviv “Shahar” squad.

These are our four squad members:
Omer Itzhaki, 19, central defender and captain, has been at Maccabi for a decade, loves to watch Lionel Messi and Barcelona. He hopes that in 10 years’ time he will be playing at the highest level of the game.

Ben Musayof, 17, goalkeeper has taken his place between the posts in his first season with the big boys after winning the Boys A title last year. He’s a fan of Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola and wants to be the senior team’s captain in 10 years’ time.

Guy Mizrahi, 18, a right-back, is another product of the Maccabi youth academy. He has supported Arsenal since age six. He likes to watch box sets and play tennis.

Omri Ram, 18, a right-winger, is in his second season with the youth team and apart from football, he enjoys swimming which he says helps him to “switch off.” He loves to watch Liverpool’s passionate play.

Musayof said that he has been exposed to the best possible training at the Academy. “I work with the best coaches and fitness trainers in the country and I feel a great improvement in many aspects, including my footwork and with aerial play. Maccabi’s approach is that the goalkeeper is an additional player to the 10 colleagues ahead of him. He can also create tactical situations, so we also work hard on aspects which are more appropriate for non goalkeepers.”

Ram said mental preparation was an important focus. “I feel that I have improved thanks to talks I have with our mental coach and through the training obstacles that the team places before us to challenge us. We are also taught how to play simply, just like at the highest levels.”

Mizrahi said the values that the players are imbibed with “are very important, and the improvement can be seen in many aspects.”

Itzhaki spoke of his the changes he has experienced personally. “I have been at the club for over a decade and if I look at myself at the start of my journey compared to where I am today, I feel that I have improved out of all recognition.”

Ram said that morning training has added an additional aspect to specific points, while Musayof said that he preferred the early sessions during the week “to start the day with the things I like to do most. Nothing could be better.”

Mizrahi said: “It’s a huge bonus for me and my teammates and we should all appreciate every additional training session we receive.”

Mizrahi said Maccabi’s players were lucky to get more training than most other clubs who do not train in the morning. “When you join the sessions as a young player, you get to understand that football is not only a pastime for you, but that this is what you are going to do in your life in the foreseeable future.”

Additional training aids are also crucial for player development and as Mizrahi said: “It proves that the Academy is working to give the players the best possible tools to improve their skills and to advance the team as a whole.”

The broad team of professionals are there to help with all aspects, including learning from past mistakes, Musayof said.

All the players were thankful for the international tournament held earlier this year.

“Playing against good teams from abroad is something that can help improve us in so many aspects,” Musayof said.

“These sorts of events have allowed us to experience international competition, and that is the sort of level we need to aspire to,” Ram added.

Mizrahi said the form displayed by Maccabi, who won the six-team tournament that included three European teams, gave a push to raise the level, but Itzhaki summed up by saying that “winning this event three years in a row should not be taken for granted. It shows that the Academy has prepared us according to European standards.”

The under-19 league season is at its height, and coach ...

Maccabi’s late flurry a rare event

The three goals scored late in the match against Kiryat Shmona are one of a select few occasions when the club has closed out a match so convincingly in the late stages

With just a week to go until the Tel Aviv Derby against Hapoel next Monday, Maccabi have delivered a crucial result and have restored their lead over Maccabi Haifa at the top of the TASE Premier League standings to six points.

The 3-0 win over Hapoel Kiryat Shmona on Sunday night came thanks to three goals scored between the 75th and 86th minutes, and a glance at the history books shows that it is the 51st time in which the club have managed to score three goals within 11 minutes. The previous occasion was during the 6-0 win over Maccabi Haifa at the end of the 2015-16 season.

But rarer still, is that this was only the third time ever that Maccabi have opened their scoring account in the 75th minute and then gone on to score two more goals. The previous two occasions were against Maccabi Netanya in January 1018 and December 1949.

This was also the 19th time this season in which Maccabi have kept a clean sheet and they are now just two games away from equalling the all time league record for a season.

In attack, Maccabi have scored at least three goals in six out of their last eight league wins and while they left it late on Sunday, individual records were also updated as Yonatan Cohen, who scored the first goal of the match, raised his season’s tally to ten league goals. This put him third overall in the league and top among Maccabi’s players.

The winger also added a third assist in his last four games and he leads the league in this category with nine overall. Cohen is also second in the league in delivering telling passes, having racked up 17 so far. 

Omer Atzili also continued his fine form, scoring the second goal and setting up the third. He has seven goals and seven assists and is third in the league.

Chico Ofoedu scored the third goal for a total of eight this season is second among the club’s scorers and fourth in the league.

Dan Glazer returned to his position in defensive midfield and has reached 92 successful dispossessions this season, putting him at the top of the list. He and Jair Amador shared nine successful dispossessions during the win over Kiryat Shmona.

Eyal Golasa registered two telling passes out of three attempts, one of which put Cohen through for the second goal that came thanks to Atzili’s cross in from the left.

With just a week to go until the Tel Aviv ...

Weekend youth results

Maccabi’s under-19s inflicted a 6-1 drubbing on Bnei Sakhnin while U16 beat Hadera and U15 got a good away win over Beitar Jerusalem at Bayit Vagan

Maccabi “Shahar” Tel Aviv displayed their full dominance over visitors Bnei Sakhnin at Ness Ziona in their under-19 league clash on Saturday and delivered a thrashing that consolidated their second place in the division as RonenAsayag hit a hat trick, Ronen Hanchis scored twice and Yahli Lazar added another in a famous victory.

U16 continued their run of victories in the 21st round of action in their division and registered a 1-0 win over Hapoel Hadera, the goal being scored by Orel Baya.

U15 came back from Bayit Vagan with a 2-0 win over hosts Beitar Jerusalem in the 18th round of action in their league with Osher Bruchim and Roy Zersevsky scoring the goals.

U17 were not in action as the national team in their age group are playing in a friendly tournament in Germany.

Maccabi “Shahar” Tel Aviv displayed their full dominance over visitors ...

Maccabi Academy morning sessions at northern branch

Maccabi Tel Aviv's Youth Academy is continuing to expand and is offering the future generation of players more support as they aim to develop their skills

Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Youth Academy is continuing to expand its curriculum under the oversight of Robin Verheul at the northern base at Tel Aviv University and is offering the future generation of players more support as they aim to develop their skills.

Verheul has this season introduced special one-hour training sessions for under-13s and under-14s on Mondays and Wednesdays starting at 7 a.m. before they head to school. He is also working individually with the youngsters.

The sessions are an addition for the players who continue their usual training at the Academy, which is managed by Patrick Van Leeuwen.

Training focuses on specific footballing skills with the aim of raising the tempo of the players as they get older.

Verheul said: “We open our training with a warm-up that involves coordination with and without the ball, each player then practices in his own position on the pitch and this is how we manage to hone their correct movement skills.

“During training we also work on technical elements, coordination, passing, ball control, tactics and completing moves in front of goal. We aim for a high work rate and players receive specific tuition to improve their own abilities in their expected positions. They also receive great guidance in their ball skills.”

Italy Rosencrantz from Boys a North and Roy Geresh from Boys B North said the additional training was helping them improve greatly.

“I arrive with huge motivation in the morning and try not to miss any sessions. These sessions feel like personal training because I get so much more time on the ball and that helps me improve my control and my confidence,” Rosencrantz said.

Geresh, from the younger team, who has been with the club for seven years said he enjoys getting up early in the morning to come to training.

“These sessions improve me as a player and it will be beneficial in the long term. We also manage to fit these session in with school so our studies are not affected.”

Watch the clip to see some of the training.

Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Youth Academy is continuing to expand its ...

Under-19s inflict 6-1 drubbing on Sakhnin

Maccabi "Shahar” Tel Aviv were in full flow against their opponents from the north as Asayag hits hat trick, Ronen Hanchis scored twice and Yahli Lazar added another in a famous victory

Maccabi “Shahar” Tel Aviv displayed their full dominance over visitors Bnei Sakhnin at Ness Ziona in their under-19 league clash on Saturday and delivered a thrashing that consolidated their second place in the division.

Ronen Hanchis got Maccabi off to their flyer in the eighth minute as he chipped the ball over Sakhnin’s advancing goalkeeper and the ball landed in the back of the net.

Maccabi had to wait until the 37th minute for their second goal, when Parfait Guiagon, who was instrumental in scoring the first goal, passed the ball to Rave Assayag and he tapped the ball home.

At this point, Sakhnin were still in the running and pulled back with a goal of their own four minutes later when Nassim Abu Younes headed in, but things slipped away badly from them in the second half.

Yahli Lazar restored the two-goal advantage in the 59th minute, rolling the ball into an empty net as the goalkeeper was off his line and then Asayag made it 4-1 in the 74th minute. He added a fifth goal in the 77th minute to complete his hat trick and Hanchis completed the rout with a powerful shot in the 81st minute.

Maccabi “Shahar” Tel Aviv displayed their full dominance over visitors ...

Youth fixtures this weekend

Maccabi Tel Aviv's under-19s host Bnei Sakhnin while U16 host Hadera and U15 are away to Beitar Jerusalem

Maccabi Tel Aviv “Shahar” host their under-19 counterparts from Bnei Sakhnin at Ness Ziona on Saturday, kickoff at 11:00 in the 20th round of action. Maccabi are in second place and. Sakhnin are 13th in the standings. Both sides will want to better the result of their previous meeting which ended 1-1.

U16 host Hapoel Hadera at Kiryat Shalom at 09:00 and will be looking to ride the momentum of of their big win last weekend and from second place in the standings, they will feel confident of another good result against their visitors, who are in 13th place. In the previous meeting, Hadera won 3-2.

U15 will play against Beitar Jerusalem at Bayit Vagan at 09:00.

U17 are on an international break.

Maccabi Tel Aviv “Shahar” host their under-19 counterparts from Bnei ...

Maccabi “Shahar” lose 1-0 to Kiryat Shmona

Maccabi Tel Aviv's under-19s dominated throughout but conceded a late goal in the fifth minute of injury time

Maccabi Tel Aviv’s under-19 side on Wednesday lost their replayed fixture against Kiryat Shmona in the north to a single goal scored in the fifth minute of injury time.

The game had to be replayed because the original fixture on Saturday was abandoned at halftime with Maccabi leading 2-1 when the pitch was deemed unplayable because of heavy rain.

Maccabi dominated throughout but had nothing to show for their efforts and were unable to convert several good chances. They finally conceded a late goal against the run of play just before the referee blew the final whistle in the fifth minute of injury time.

Maccabi Tel Aviv’s under-19 side on Wednesday lost their replayed fixture against ...

Youth team’s match abandoned because of rain

The wet weather this weekend forced the abandonment of the game between U19 team and Kiryat Shmona at halftime. U17, 16 and 15 all won but younger age games were all cancelled because of the weather

The wet weather this weekend forced the abandonment of the game between Maccabi Tel Aviv’s youth team at Kiryat Shmona in the 19th round of action with Maccabi leading 2-1 when the referee called off the second half because the pitch was unplayable.

Ronen Hanchis scored for Maccabi in the 26th minute after his shot rebounded off the goalkeeper into the net and Rave Asayag added a second two minutes later when he stabbed the ball home after his first shot fell still in a puddle on the goal line.

Kiryat Shmona pulled one back on the stroke of halftime after the ball was deflected off Maccabi full back Omer Itzhaki.

The match will be replayed on Wednesday.

Beitar Tubruk 2, Maccabi Tel Aviv “Oded” 3: U17 backed up their midweek 2-0 over Ashdod SC with a win in the 17th round on Saturday over their hosts in Netanya. Dor Turgeman got Maccabi on the scoreboard in the seventh minute and Shon Edri added a second in the 54th minute but Tubruk equalised with two goals of their own in the 60th and 70th minutes before Edri scored the winner on the 85th minute. The result has kept Maccabi at the top of the standings.

Maccabi Tel Aviv “Eli Fuchs” 5, Ironi Nesher 0: U16 returned from their international break in style and goals were scored by Ido Mizrahi, Bar Lin and Oscar Gloch, with a hat trick. The result keeps them in second place in their division.

Maccabi Tel Aviv “Eldad” 4, Ironi Modiin 0: U15 racked another home win, this time with goals by Nikita Alexienko and an Osher Bruchim hat trick.

The wet weather this weekend forced the abandonment of the ...

Youth fixtures this weekend

Maccabi Tel Aviv's under-19s travel to Kiryat Shmona while U17 are at Tubruk and U16 host Ironi Nesher

Hapoel Kiryat Shmona will host Maccabi Tel Aviv “Shahar,” the under-19 side, in a youth league fixture in the north on Saturday, kickoff is at 11:00. Maccabi’s boys are in second place in the standings, seven points behind leaders Maccabi Haifa, and will hope to do better than the 1-1 result between the sides in the first phase of the league this season.

U17, Maccabi Tel Aviv “Oded,” also play away on Saturday. They will be in Netanya to face Beitar Tubruk at 13:00 but U16, Maccabi “Eli Fuchs” host Ironi Nesher, and U15, Maccabi “Eldad,” host Ironi Modiin at Kiryat Shalom. Kickoffs are at 11.30 and 08.30 respectively.

 

Hapoel Kiryat Shmona will host Maccabi Tel Aviv “Shahar,” the ...