Maccabi Haifa's New Signing Criticized After Heavy Defeat
Translated & summarized from N12 by baba
Maccabi Haifa lost 4-0 to Maccabi Netanya, with Brazilian defender Tsunami heavily criticized for his role in the defeat. Club sources admitted they "fell for him" and that his performance was disappointing. The team faces significant defensive and mental issues, which the new coach must address. Several players will also be absent for international duty.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Maccabi Haifa lost 4-0 to Maccabi Netanya, with defender Tsunami criticized for his performance.
- Club sources admitted they were disappointed with Tsunami's performance, stating "We fell for him."
- The team faces significant defensive and mental issues that the new coach must address.
- Tsunami is expected to lose his starting position after the international break.
- Several Maccabi Haifa players will be unavailable due to international duty.
Maccabi Haifa suffered a significant 4-0 loss to Maccabi Netanya at Sammy Ofer Stadium on Saturday, conceding all four goals in the second half. This marks the second home game where the team has collapsed, following a 5-2 defeat to Hapoel Be'er Sheva earlier in the season. The team has now conceded 20 goals this season, a low figure in the league.
Brazilian defender Tsunami received the most criticism for his performance, which was described as embarrassing and a major factor in the defeat, including mistakes that led to two goals. Tsunami has struggled since arriving at the club and is expected to lose his starting position after the international break when Maccabi Haifa faces Bnei Sakhnin. He has been deployed as both a left-back and a center-back this season.
Sources within Maccabi Haifa admitted, "We fell for him. We thought we were getting something else. It's far from what we expected. Tsunami will have to improve, and quickly." Pedrazo, Noam Shtayfman, and Sean Goldberg are waiting on the bench and will compete for a starting spot.
The mood at Maccabi Haifa is reportedly grim, with the second half of the game drawing comparisons to their collapse against Hapoel Be'er Sheva. Beyond defensive issues, the club acknowledges a significant mental problem. While outgoing coach Barak Bakhar gave opportunities to Yarin Levy and Navot Ratner, who performed well in the first half, the entire team faltered in the second half, leading to the heavy defeat.
"The first thing the new coach will need to fix is the defense. So far, it's simply embarrassing; there's no calm or security in the back line. We can't find balance," the club stated. Pedrazo also faced criticism for his performance, with his frequent loss of possession and exposing the team to counter-attacks being a concern that the coaching staff intends to address.
Maccabi Haifa will hold a training session on Sunday, and many players will depart for international duty later in the week. Omri Glazer, Eli Dasa, Yarin Levy, and Eitan Azulay will represent Israel's senior national team, meaning the new coach will have to begin preparations without them.
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