TFT Issue 3334!

Just the one tip for me today, folks – suffice to say that yesterday has left me feeling very bruised indeed with some really strange shit going down. That’s football, I suppose. If there’s any logic in tonight’s clash between Hapoel Be’er Sheva and Maccabi Tel-Aviv though, we’ll witness an away win, something that the bookies haven’t quite calculated correctly here.

Maccabi Tel-Aviv had a slow start to the season but are warming to their task now. Part of it is their progress as a team under boss van Leeuwen, and part of it is through renewing acquaintances with match officials behind the scenes. You’ll no doubt have noticed how, when in dire need, Maccabi Tel-Aviv always get a penalty at the end of a home game. That’s not a coincidence. They’re still the best team in Israel anyway, but when they need that little push, they get it. That allowed them to overcome league leaders Maccabi Haifa last time out too, although Maccabi Haifa’s weekend win implies that they’re surprisingly in it for the long haul, meaning that Maccabi Tel-Aviv cannot afford any more complacency to creep into their displays.

It was nice to see Ben-Haim get on the scoresheet in the win against Maccabi Haifa because if they’re to win the title, he’ll need to play a substantial role in it. Biton is great, Cohen is in lethal form (although is out tonight), Pesic has done well where required, and their defence now looks very solid. Re-signing Geraldes has ensured that there’s an attacking full-back on either side of the pitch for them (the other being Saborit), and both know their teammates well enough by now. They’ll be incredibly important for the reigning champions going forward because most teams sit back against Maccabi Tel-Aviv for obvious reasons, and it can be very frustrating to break down – but not with two full-backs/wingers like Saborit and Geraldes supporting each attack.

True enough, I think more is needed from proven class acts like Rikan, Blackman, and despite his improvements, Ben-Haim too. They’ve all got so much more to offer, and I’d like to think that a Ligat Ha’al title would whet their appetite more than it has to date. There’s so much quality in experience in this Maccabi Tel-Aviv side that I can’t begin to doubt them though, especially not with that familiar grinding method now seemingly back at their disposal. Even with Cohen out tonight, I still expect Pesic and/or Shechter to do a job at the Turner Stadium because that’s what Maccabi Tel-Aviv do – they find solutions to problems. That’s why they win so many titles.

Now, these two teams have a pretty intense dislike of one another due to both slugging it out for the title over the past six years or so. Hapoel Be’er Sheva have somewhat faded in recent years but there were some tremendous battles prior to that. Nowadays it’s more about Hapoel Be’er Sheva clinging to the notion of being a top team in Israel by trying to beat the best team in the country, but they do find it very hard now. An absence of quality in a number of areas explains that, which I’m genuinely sad to see but I get it. Sadly, Hapoel Be’er Sheva have been dropping like a stone until this season, which is where Abukasis comes in.

The unpopular manager joined and immediately transformed Hapoel Be’er Sheva into a very efficient machine. Considering that they’re not particularly good, and that they always have substantial injury problems, Hapoel Be’er Sheva have been very good this season, and I attribute that to Abukasis and his streetwise methods. Let me put it this way; rather than teams focusing on Hapoel Be’er Sheva’s weaknesses, Abukasis made it so other teams feared their strengths. There’s no doubt in my mind that he got the best out of Portuguese playmaker Josue and striker Varenne either, not to mention Salalich in midfield. To put it bluntly, he was a very good addition to the club – until now.

Yes, a falling out behind the scenes has led to Abukasis leaving Hapoel Be’er Sheva as of yesterday – he’s expected to be unveiled as Bnei Yehuda Tel-Aviv’s new boss today, actually. Ouch. There’s already talk that Hapoel Be’er Sheva star Josue will join him, who has reportedly made public his sadness at being at Hapoel Be’er Sheva on social media. Mere words alone cannot begin to explain the damage that this does to Hapoel Be’er Sheva because this isn’t a top team anymore. They needed someone to shepherd them through this difficult period, someone that knows the division well, and knows how to win small battles all over the pitch. Without him, I fear the Hapoel Be’er Sheva of the past couple of years will swiftly return, and that team will lose most games – it’s that simple.

The above is a hammer-blow for Hapoel Be’er Sheva. With midfielder Salalich still injured, star defender Vitor a major doubt for this match, and their best player lusting after joining another club, I think it’s fair to say that this is not a good time for Hapoel Be’er Sheva to host the best team in Israel. Even with Cohen out, I can see the visitors having a lot of fun against a team that cannot defend. I genuinely believe that, without Abukasis, Hapoel Be’er Sheva will be lucky to finish in the top six – and that’s a very sad notion for Israeli football. 

As far as tonight’s game goes, backing the away win at 83/100 is a must here. The quality gap between the two teams is large nowadays, enough so for the visitors to more accurately be priced at about 8/11 or shorter, and circumstances could not make it more likely to be proven on the pitch than they already are. Away win.