Maccabi Tel Aviv Suffers Major Disappointment After Toto Cup Final Loss

Maccabi Tel Aviv is reeling from a painful 3-2 defeat to Hapoel Tel Aviv in the Toto Cup final, with coach Kenny Miller criticizing his players for a lack of intensity. "You cannot come soft to a game like this. You were soft in the derby, a game for a title, this cannot happen," Miller stated after the match, urging his team to look forward to future goals.

The disappointment within the club is significant, as many believe the scoreline did not reflect Hapoel Tel Aviv's dominance throughout most of the game. One player commented, "We weren't aggressive, we weren't first to every ball. We lost every tackle, it's very worrying. We had to look different."

A key issue highlighted is Maccabi Tel Aviv's short squad, exacerbated by injuries to Tyris Asante and Noam Ben Harush. Players like Ido Shahar, Itamar Noy, and Dan Glazer are reportedly not being utilized effectively, while Hicham Laayos sees limited playing time. Coach Miller appears to rely on a core group of only 12 or 13 outfield players. Defensive concerns were also raised regarding Mohamed Ali Camara, with Itai Ben Hamo not receiving opportunities.

To address the squad's depth, Maccabi Tel Aviv may need to acquire a new foreign or Israeli striker, a defender, and a midfielder in January. The return of Christian Blic after the November international break is expected to provide a significant boost.

In addition to outfield players, the goalkeeping situation is also under scrutiny. Ofek Malika is experiencing a poor run of form and appears to have lost confidence, while former first-choice goalkeeper Roi Meshpati is available. However, there is no indication that Miller plans to make a change in goal. Apart from Dor Peretz, few players stood out positively in the cup final. Professional manager Steven Vahran is tasked with addressing these issues with the coach and evaluating the current squad's adequacy.