A huge failure: Maccabi Tel Aviv is not ready for the season
A great sense of failure at Maccabi Tel Aviv following a 3-0 defeat to CSKA Sofia in the first leg of the Europa League third qualifying round. The club admits it was one of their worst European performances in years, and they now face a difficult task in the return leg in Bulgaria.
A great sense of failure prevails at Maccabi Tel Aviv following the 3-0 defeat to CSKA Sofia in Batumi in the first leg of the Europa League third qualifying round. The club admits:
"This was one of the worst games of Maccabi Tel Aviv in Europe in all the years."
A source within the club rejected claims that the absence of Roy Revivo influenced the team so dramatically: "In any lineup, with any player on the team, we should not have looked like this. It was such a bad game, and it was not down to one player."
With a three-goal deficit, the team will travel to Bulgaria next week for the second leg. Coach Kenny Miller and midfielder Itamar Noy, who was one of the few bright spots, believe a comeback is possible, though it is clear that their chances of qualifying for the Europa League playoffs are slim, and they will likely head to the Conference League playoffs.
Maccabi Tel Aviv started the game well, but Dor Peretz was clearly off his game. He missed a certain goal in the first minute and wasted an excellent attack by failing to provide a decisive pass. For Peretz, this was one of his weakest performances in a Maccabi shirt. Ali Mohamed Kamara also had a poor game, failing to organize the defensive line as expected. Shahar Rosen, who received a chance in place of Revivo, did not take it and was replaced at halftime, as was Itai Ben Hamu, who played a central role in conceding the first goal.
Kenny Miller's decisions, including placing Helio Varela and Ido Shahar on the wings, proved ineffective, and his substitutions did not improve the team's performance. Maccabi Tel Aviv did not arrive ready for this stage. Revivo remained in the country, Sagiv Jehezkel reported an injury, and Tyrese Asante is looking to move to Italy. The team lacks a central midfielder capable of building plays and a reliable set-piece taker.
"Everything looks black now," a player said yesterday. "But we are not giving up for the second leg in Bulgaria. We will try to pull off one of the biggest surprises in Europe."
