Hapoel Beer Sheva Eyes Midfield Reinforcement After Humiliating Loss

Hapoel Beer Sheva is looking to strengthen its midfield following a significant 4-1 home defeat to Maccabi Tel Aviv. The club acknowledges that a team aspiring to win the championship cannot perform so poorly at home. The loss highlighted perceived weaknesses in squad depth, particularly in the central midfield.

Adding to the team's woes, key midfielder Lucas Ventura suffered a hamstring injury in the fifth minute and is expected to miss several weeks, including upcoming matches against Hapoel Petah Tikva and Dynamo Zagreb in the Europa League. His absence exposed a lack of central midfield cover, with the only available player, Forson Amankwah, having recently joined.

Further complicating matters, another central midfielder, Eliel Peretz, was sent off with two yellow cards for arguing with the referee, just two and a half weeks after a similar incident. The club is reportedly furious with Peretz's repeated lack of discipline and anticipates a disciplinary hearing that could result in a suspension of more than one game.

Beer Sheva is now actively seeking to sign an additional Israeli midfielder, as players naturally suited to the position are not receiving sufficient opportunities or are being deployed elsewhere. While the club has expressed interest in Maor Levy of Maccabi Netanya and Yarin Levi of Maccabi Haifa, securing either player is considered unlikely due to club reluctance.

Despite the setback, which leaves them five points off the league lead, coach Kozuch believes the team can still contend for the title, emphasizing the need for action over words. Goalkeeper Ofir Marciano, who faced a barrage of shots, echoed the sentiment, stating that a championship-contending team cannot concede so many goals and expressing confidence in the team's ability to recover.