TFT Issue 3300!

Bnei Sakhnin vs Hapoel Tel-Aviv

KO: 18:00 (UK time)

I know that Hapoel Tel-Aviv’s horrendous run won’t last forever. The law of averages exists for a reason, after all, and Hapoel Tel-Aviv are always corrupt enough to get their own way if things get too bad. Still, I can’t help but want to oppose them whenever I see them play because they’re a truly dreadful team.

All teams have bad runs at some stage. Most of them have been unlucky on one front of another though, you know? Not Hapoel Tel-Aviv, though. They’ve been awful in terms of their preparation this season after quite a promising campaign after being promoted. They’ve abandoned most of their talented kids in favour of more experienced Ligat Ha’al players that don’t give a shit. Hapoel Tel-Aviv is where players go when they’ve nobody else interested in them, basically. The money is good, but the job and club are wholly depressing – and so is the football they play.

Defensively, they’re alright, but what do you expect from a team that is too lazy to send men forward? They’re not scoring goals because they’re not hurting teams, and the only exception to such has been when opponents have invited them to do so. You all saw what Hapoel Be’er Sheva did to them last time out, and that’s a team that Hapoel Tel-Aviv tend to get the best of at home. Every time they concede, they lose. Now, whenever Buzaglo and/or Damari get back from injury (if ever), there’s a chance that they – alongside Altman – will be able to concoct something between them. Until then, though, Hapoel Tel-Aviv have no attack, and no Israeli team should fear them.

On top of the above (I know, right – what could be worse?) it was announced yesterday that they have Covid-19 in the camp. Standard drill though, folks – they’re not saying who has/hasn’t got it, but the general connotations of such are naturally negative, both from a health perspective and a football perspective. It’s hard to be positive about Hapoel Tel-Aviv with this information being fused with the information listed in the previous paragraphs.

The real question here is whether or not Bnei Sakhnin can score. If they do, it should be lights out for Hapoel Tel-Aviv. Personally, I think they’ve done really well in the transfer market pre-season, making great buys like Hasselbaink and Kayal. I will concede that the team as a whole hasn’t played to their best as of yet, but it’ll come in time. I was impressed with what I saw in their away game against Ironi Kiryat Shmona lately, which they won. To be fair, a draw would have been a fairer outcome as both teams created plenty of chances. Bnei Sakhnin held their own well though, in my opinion. If they play like that today – minus the frustrating finishing! – then they should win.

That’s the thing with Israeli football. Some of the build-up play is lovely, and it’s always played at breakneck speed. It’s just that things in the final third can be very frustrating. I was watching MS Ashdod vs Hapoel Haifa yesterday, which was a really good, open game with lots of chances – and just one goal. The goal itself came about because Barsky got so fed up of the folk ahead of him wasting chances that he just hit a shot from slightly outside the eighteen yard box. It was a good hit, but one of the strikers made a move to hit it and missed – and Barsky’s shot went in. However, this striker had no idea where he was, and by rights, he should have been offside. Thankfully for Hapoel Haifa, poor awareness from the defenders kept him onside so, despite getting just about everything possible wrong, his intervention did not cost his team. That’s what you’re dealing with at this level though – the final third play, especially the finishing, can be really poor at times, which is a shame.

Bnei Sakhnin did the above against Ironi Kiryat Shmona. They had lots of chances, and didn’t take one until Jaber blasted one into the roof of the goal with just minutes left on the clock. If they create as many chances as that against Hapoel Tel-Aviv though, they’re surely going to take at least one. They’ve got the quality to manage it, and they’re getting more confident with each passing week. Therefore, I trust them to get ahead, and with Hapoel Tel-Aviv so utterly ineffectual at creating chances and scoring goals nowadays, that should be lights out for the visitors.

Therefore, at odds of 13/10, the home win has to be given serious consideration here.

Verdict: Bnei Sakhnin to win at 13/10.

Hapoel Be’er Sheva vs Maccabi Petah Tikva

KO: 18:15 (UK time)

With Portuguese defender Vitor still out, and Acolatse (Covid-19) a doubt, Hapoel Be’er Sheva keeping a clean sheet tonight against high-flying Maccabi Petah Tikva would be a bit of a surprise. Abukasis is streetwise enough to still get the home team to win the game, especially with frustration having crept into the Maccabi Petah Tikva game a lot of late, but I doubt it’ll be done professionally. I mean, Maccabi Petah Tikva are not Hapoel Tel-Aviv, after all! The visitors here actually arrive with a presentable attack!

Mind you, if their defending versus Maccabi Haifa and especially Maccabi Netanya is anything to go by, they’re going to need that attack to bail them out because they’ve been way too sloppy. It’s been a bit of a weird occurrence, really. I appreciate that most teams at this level aren’t very good tactically but Maccabi Petah Tikva had produced somewhat intelligent displays, all things considered – until lately. Now they’ve reverted back into standard Ligat Ha’al format, they’re playing very open games with matches ultimately being a bit of a coin toss with regard to the eventual winners.

Still, Maccabi Petah Tikva are playing with confidence, and they’re scoring lots of goals. Baribo and Abada, the two youngsters, have been responsible for the majority up front, which is surprising when you consider that the club brought in powerful Panamanian forward Arroyo pre-season. He’s not the most consistent of finishers, but he’s an excellent target man and I am sure he will prove to be a very good addition in the months to come. There’s so much life and energy in this Maccabi Petah Tikva side that they threaten more than most at this level, and against one hell of a patched-up defence, that’s got to produce at least one away goal here.

I refuse to doubt Hapoel Be’er Sheva under Abukasis though. Like I said in my preview of their trip to Hapoel Tel-Aviv, he’s restored the pride of this team, and he’s made them more streetwise too. There’s a lot of work to be done with their defence, even if Vitor does get fully fit, but he’s made their midfield and attack so much more dangerous that it’s mattering less and less as the weeks go by. I mean, pre-season I looked at this attack and genuinely thought that there’s simply not enough there. You know, this team once had Nwakaeme, Barda, Buzaglo, Hasselbaink etc. albeit at different times – and now we’re supposed to believe that Varenne and Josue can carry the team? I couldn’t believe that that was the plan – but it’s working!

Varenne has been inspired, honestly. Six goals in eleven appearances? He’s only one goal away from his best ever goal-scoring record at this level! Young forward Shviro has contributed too, albeit more in the early stages of the season. Josue is the heartbeat of their attack, though. This man is a magician when he wants to be, capable of playing that perfect pass or striking the perfect shot in typical Portuguese fashion. Props to Salalich too – he’s really worked his balls off this season, and got himself on the scoresheet twice for his troubles. There’s simply a lot more effort and belief in this squad than there has been over the past few years, and it’s made such a positive difference.

I don’t honestly think that Hapoel Be’er Sheva have enough to launch a legitimate title challenge because Maccabi Tel-Aviv are still the best team in Israel. However, if this malaise of Maccabi Tel-Aviv’s sticks around, I would not bet against it because nobody else stands out, and Hapoel Be’er Sheva now have a manager that can help them grind out results; to win ugly, if required. It’ll be fun to find out. As far as tonight goes, I refuse to believe that Josue and co. won’t find a way past a leaky Maccabi Petah Tika defence, whether they get something from the game or not.

Therefore, I’m on both teams to score at 9/10.

Verdict: Both teams to score at 9/10.

FC Zurich vs FC Sion 

KO: 19:30 (UK time)

FC Zurich have got most of their best players back now, and being able to back that team to beat lazy FC Sion at home, even in a complicated Super League campaign, is something I simply cannot overlook.

I don’t think FC Zurich are especially good, but they are organised, and they’re annoying to deal with because of it. They’ve still not solved the striker crisis that has plagued them for, what – two years now? There’s being caught with your pants down (i.e. losing Frey and Dwamena at the end of the same transfer window!), and then there’s never bothering to pull them up. I felt sorry for them to begin with; I don’t now. Nigerian forward Tosin is a handful, but not a real goal-getter. Ceesay is the same. Kramer did very well at scoring goals from midfield during his time in Zurich, enough so for them to have now ‘officially’ having made him into a forward, which hasn’t gone terribly well. 

Luckily, FC Zurich have a lot of goal-scoring midfielders on their books. Kololli and Kryeziu are both very good at it, particularly the former with his wild free-kicks. Marchesano is another gem whose career was somewhat uncertain after his major injury, but he’s come back marvellously. There’s a really good understanding in this squad, which helps. They’re not lazy, FC Zurich. Again, my only real crib with them is their lack of a natural poacher. With one, I really do think that they could push for the Super League title, especially with the bigger/better Swiss teams doing nothing but regress in recent years.

FC Zurich are smart enough to dictate the tempo tonight though, and that’s all I really want from them. It shouldn’t take much more than that to find a way past an FC Sion side that are listing close to scuppers right now. Few teams score against FC Zurich at the moment anyway, so the goals FC Zurich do score tend to be rather telling. Ultimately, I view them as a superior team, and based on what I’ve seen lately, they should not struggle to prove it on the pitch.

Part of the above stems from FC Zurich themselves, but the other part stems from FC Sion’s disastrous state, which is far from unusual. To give you an idea as to how insane this club is, consider this statistic, which I poached from Twitter recently; FC Sion have had fifty managers since 2000, and at least five of them have been in charge for more than one spell. That’s how crazy the club’s owner, Constantin, really is. He’s entertaining as hell, but not somebody you want running your football club, especially not after his on-the-pitch altercation with the television pundit a year or two back

FC Sion just like to make a mess of things; that’s the only conclusion I can realistically draw from everything that they do. They sell their best players, almost never replacing them, taking punts on random youngsters. To be fair to FC Sion, they actually do tend to identify talented future prospects – it’s just that they seldom actually develop them, a classic case in point being ex-Grasshopper Zurich centre-back Bamert. Their Brazilian forwards, Ipaitinga and Luan, looked great to begin with but have never really developed either. How can you develop at this club? Everybody leaves; nobody stays. There’s no long-term plan, so why would anyone stay?

FC Sion seem to have cottoned onto that so, after losing two of their best players (both midfielders, Toma and Kasami) from their only strong area of their squad, they actually reacted intelligently, bringing in winger Tosetti and midfield warrior Serey Die. Both new signings are proven players at this level, not that Tosetti showed it during his last year at FC Thun. They also signed Young Boys Bern’s legendary striker Hoarau, a very good goal-scorer at this level; probably the best penalty taker there has been at Super League level. Those players, along with Grgic, their only good attacking player to have remained at the club pre-season, should have made FC Sion more competitive than they were last season – but no.

Instead, Hoarau suffered a bad injury without even scoring for his new club, leaving FC Sion without a good reference point in attack. Tosetti has done very little. Serey Die is as good as ever, of course but there’s bugger all ahead of him. Subsequently, what’s left is a semi-decent defensive outfit that spends too much time on the back foot. Yes, they can counter with speed but they’ve got nothing else to offer, and when they’re hemmed in like they have been, they’ll always concede in the end. In a proper setup where they can actually control games properly, I believe their defence would show more of what it can do. There’s no chance whilst things are as they are, though. They’re under constant pressure, and they buckle. There’s no easy way out of this ravine for FC Sion, to be honest.

Therefore, I’m left feeling like backing FC Zurich to win at 4/5 is a bit of a steal here. They’re not likely to give as much away on the break as most at this level, and they’re a lot smarter than their injury-ravaged opponents. So, yeah – for me, it’s a home win.

Verdict: FC Zurich to win at 4/5.

Real Betis Balompie vs Cadiz

KO: 21:00 (UK time)

Things just never seem to work out well for Real Betis Balompie, do they? Even when they seem to get everything right, you just know that a disaster is only around the corner. I thought they had it cracked when Setien was there. He had proven himself at Las Palmas; appointing him was a great thing to do at that point as they’d acquired a very talented young team that needed a bit of shaping. They didn’t pay over the odds, either. It was a very tidy setup – and then Setien left, going on to manage Barcelona CF. 

Now it’s Pellegrini in charge, and he knows Spanish football inside out. This team doesn’t seem to suit him though; they never seem to be on the same page, if that makes sense? When he was at Villarreal CF, the players and the manager were always on the same page – but it’s not the same in Andalusia. The players seem a bit rasher/temperamental, and it’s ultimately led to some very disjointed Real Betis Balompie displays this season.

On paper, they’ve got a really well-balanced team. There are good midfield controllers, experienced defenders, a lot of speed in wide positions, and some very natural creators too. The only real crib they can have is that Sanabria has not been as ruthless in front of goal as he’s capable of being. Other than that, I think Real Betis Balompie have the right amount of everything, really. Nothing has panned out for them this season, though. They’re far too easy to get past at the back, and not good enough at the other end to punish teams for trying it.

The problems mount for the home team tonight too. A scrappy derby defeat against Granada CF has led to suspensions for both Emerson and Rodriguez, two of their more promising and consistent players, both playing important defensive roles. Those absentees, fused with the injuries to midfield all-rounder Carvalho, playmaker Canales, veteran goalkeeper Bravo, centre-back Sideni, and long-term absentee Camarasa, has left Real Betis Balompie with very little to offer tonight. Other than a bit of Joaquin magic, or rapid Tello running onto a long ball, I’m struggling to not only see Real Betis Balompie’s route to goal, but to even consider how they’d even begin considering how to keep Cadiz out. 

In general, Cadiz have performed better away from home than at home this season, largely because they’re compact defensively and quick on the break. They’re not a particularly good team, and certain Primera Liga outfits can dust them down at will. Fortunately for Cadiz though, this is not a good Primera Liga any longer, and the number of top teams still in it are few. They’ve already beaten Real Madrid and Barcelona CF this season, and didn’t seem to have to do anything special in order to manage it, truth be told. 

Cadiz’s biggest weakness is winning games that they’re favourites to win. Opponents can pull the same shit on them that they pull on the bigger/better teams because Cadiz, much like Leganes CF of last season, lack the capacity to consistently penetrate defences. Still, this team uses the ball really well in midfield; teams find it hard to break them down for a reason. They’re very streetwise at the back, and clinical on the break too. They’re worthy of respect, in other words, and travelling to the Benito Villamarin as underdogs should appeal to them.

They’ve picked a fine time to face Real Betis Balompie too, with their hosts missing so many important players. Everything favours Cadiz here, really. All they need to do is stay focused and execute their usual game-plan; if they do that, Real Betis Balompie will walk into their traps. All of the above makes me think that Real Betis Balompie are simply priced too short here, and therefore my tip is to lay the home team at evens.

Verdict: Cadiz to win with a +0.5 Asian Handicap at evens.