Hapoel Tel Aviv Emerges as Israel’s Strongest Football Team Amid Maccabi Tel Aviv’s European Failure

Following recent European football competitions, Hapoel Tel Aviv has been recognized as the strongest Israeli team, despite their elimination by Italy’s Atalanta. Coach Aloniv Breda described the exit as a "big disappointment," but praised his team’s performance against a top-tier opponent. Hapoel Tel Aviv showed resilience and competitiveness over two matches, signaling their potential to contend for the Israeli championship with some squad reinforcements.

In contrast, Maccabi Tel Aviv suffered a significant setback, being eliminated early from European tournaments by comparatively weaker teams like CSKA Sofia and Lugano. The club’s owner, Mitchell Goldhar, faces mounting pressure to explain the failure, as the team’s roster was deemed insufficiently strengthened despite the club’s financial power and history of selling players for millions of euros. The management, including CEO Jack Englidis, sporting director Steven Vanharan, and coach Kenny Miller, were criticized for poor preparation and squad assembly, leading to a humiliating exit and diminishing hopes for the domestic title.

Hapoel Be’er Sheva, the reigning Israeli champions and the only remaining Israeli team in Europe, were eliminated from the Champions League qualifiers in a cruel fashion, conceding a decisive goal in the 94th minute. The team’s failure was attributed not just to that late goal but to inadequate squad depth and preparation for European competition. Coach Ran Kojuch and owner Alona Barkat were noted for not reinforcing the squad sufficiently, with key players from the previous championship season absent. Despite these challenges, Be’er Sheva remains determined to defend their league title, though their demanding European schedule with multiple away games and limited squad size will pose difficulties.

Overall, the Israeli football landscape is marked by Hapoel Tel Aviv’s rise, Maccabi Tel Aviv’s crisis, and Be’er Sheva’s struggle to balance domestic and European commitments. The coming season will test these teams’ abilities to adapt and compete, with Hapoel Tel Aviv currently leading the domestic conversation and Maccabi Tel Aviv needing urgent changes to regain competitiveness.