Maccabi Haifa's Resilience and Tactical Challenges This Season
Translated & summarized from Sport5 by baba
Maccabi Haifa is facing tactical challenges against defensively oriented teams like Hapoel Jerusalem and Maccabi Petah Tikva, requiring coach Barak Bakhar to enhance fullback contributions. Key players like Eli Dasa and Keni Saf are being utilized to break down dense formations, though a natural left-back solution is still sought. The team has shown resilience and quality in attack, but must now prove themselves against stronger opponents like Hapoel Be'er Sheva to solidify championship ambitions.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Maccabi Haifa faces tactical challenges against defensively strong teams like Hapoel Jerusalem and Maccabi Petah Tikva.
- Coach Barak Bakhar needs fullbacks to provide more offensive output against dense formations.
- Eli Dasa and Pedro Brazão are expected to create numerical advantages on the right flank.
- Keni Saf has been effective on the left, but a natural left-back solution is needed.
- Maccabi Haifa must defeat Hapoel Be'er Sheva to solidify championship aspirations.
- Nigel Lonwijk's recent performance needs to continue against stronger opponents.
Maccabi Haifa has recently faced two teams that have historically troubled them: Hapoel Jerusalem and Maccabi Petah Tikva, coached by Ziv Arie, who previously built Hapoel Jerusalem. The team's coach, Barak Bakhar, needs to find solutions for "nuisance" teams that employ defensive tactics, often a 5-5 formation with no true striker, designed to disrupt play. To counter such dense defenses, Bakhar must elicit more offensive output from his fullbacks. The acquisition of Eli Dasa was intended to bolster the right flank, creating numerical advantages when paired with Pedro Brazão against packed defenses, an element that has been missing this season. On the left, Keni Saf has proven valuable, contributing to the equalizer with an assist, though he is not a natural fullback. Bakhar will need to address this until at least January, possibly by finding a solution within the current squad or considering a new left-back signing in the winter transfer window, potentially replacing an existing foreign player, especially with Pierre Cornud still recovering. The team's strengths include quality attacking reinforcements, resilience shown by coming back from behind in three consecutive matches, and a strong character. To solidify their championship aspirations, Maccabi Haifa must now defeat Hapoel Be'er Sheva at Sammy Ofer Stadium. Beating stronger top-tier teams, which possess the quality to inflict significant damage, is the next crucial step. Nigel Lonwijk was a bright spot in the recent match and needs to maintain that form against Be'er Sheva. After dealing with smaller "nuisance" teams, Maccabi Haifa faces a tougher schedule including Be'er Sheva, Hapoel Tel Aviv, Netanya, Beitar Jerusalem, and a final derby. Successfully navigating these challenges will signal that the current squad is capable of aiming for higher achievements.
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