After a tumultuous summer, the Israeli Premier League makes its long-awaited return this weekend.
Reigning-champion Maccabi Haifa, the new-look Hapoel Tel Aviv and the rejuvenated Maccabi Tel Aviv are once more the favorites to claim the title, while the likes of Betar Jerusalem and Hapoel Petah Tikva are just happy to still be in existence and part of the top-flight.
After two seasons, normality returns to the Premier League, with the Israel Football Association dropping the controversial point-halving format and eliminating the mid-table playoff.
The IFA also decided to cut the league from 16 to 14 teams for the 2012/13 campaign, with three teams to be relegated this season and only one to gain promotion from the National League.
Deputy Sports Editor Allon Sinai takes a look at the 16 teams which will be battling it out for glory over the next nine months.
(Teams listed in order of last season’s finish)
MACCABI HAIFA
Despite losing four key players last summer, Haifa consolidated its
position as the benchmark in Israeli soccer, claiming its fifth
championship in eight seasons and laying to rest the ghosts of dropping
the title to Hapoel Tel Aviv in the final seconds of the previous
campaign.
The Greens will have to replace significant starters once more this
season, with Lior Rafaelov (Club Brugge) and striker Tomer Hemed (RCD
Mallorca) leaving for the continent and defender Arik Benado retiring.
After reaching the Champions League playoffs and ensuring itself a long
continental campaign – as it will play in the Europa League group stage
even if it goes out to KRC Genk – Haifa went on a buying spree, signing
midfielder Tamir Cohen, defender Itzik Cohen and striker Alon Turgeman
within 48 hours.
The Greens added nine players in total to their squad and no one will be
able to discount underrated coach Elisha Levy again if Haifa manages to
become the first Israeli side to win the championship while playing in
European competition deep into the winter.
Player to watch out for: Dela Yampolsky.
After making his overdue breakthrough at Maccabi Netanya last season,
the 23-yearold midfielder will be looking to establish his place as one
of the league’s top players in the coming campaign.
Titles: Championships – 12 (1983/84, 1984/85, 1988/89, 1990/91, 1993/94,
2000/01, 2001/02, 2003/04, 2004/05, 2005/06, 2008/09, 2010/11). State
Cups – 5 (1962, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1998).
Best case: After guiding Haifa to its third title in four seasons, Levy
is finally given more than a one-year contract extension by owner Jacob
Shahar.
Worst case: Levy’s time at Kiryat Eliezer comes to an end after the Greens come up short in the title race.
HAPOEL TEL AVIV
Not much is left of the Hapoel team which in the past two seasons took a
league title, two State Cups and also reached the Champions League
group stage for the first time in club history.
New coach Dror Kashtan will have to mold a new team after Eran Zahavi
(Palermo), Danny Bondarv (Volga Nizhny Novgorod), Gili Vermut
(Kaiserslautern), Itai Shechter (Kaiserslautern), Ben Sahar (AJ Auxerre)
and Vincent Enyeama (Lille) all left for the continent this summer.
Kashtan may be the most decorated coach in Israeli soccer history, but
he has still got his work cut out for him if he’s to fill the big shoes
left by Eli Gutman.
After winning the ownership battle with Moni Harel, Eli Tabib opened his
pockets to sign talented striker Omer Damari from Maccabi Petah Tikva,
Nigerian midfielder Nosa Igiebor and goalkeeper Apoula Edel.
However, a disappointing preseason and an embarrassing 2-1 defeat to
Liechtenstein’s FC Vaduz in the Europa League mean there are plenty of
question marks hanging over Hapoel as it embarks on a new era.
Player to watch out for: Mahmoud Abbas.
The 23-year-old namesake of the Palestinian Authority President showed
plenty of promise at Hapoel Ashkelon last season, scoring seven league
goals, and he will get a chance to really make a name for himself this
season.
Titles: Championships – 8 (1956/57, 1965/66, 1968/69, 1980/81, 1985/86,
1987/88, 1999/00, 2009/10). State Cups – 9 (1960, 1972, 1983, 1999,
2000, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2011).
Best case: Twelve years after leading Hapoel to a league title and 30
years after claiming his first championship as a coach, Kashtan adds a
seventh Premier League triumph to his resume.
Worst case: Not only does Hapoel lose a derby match to Maccabi Tel Aviv
for the first time since March 2008, but it even finishes one place
below its arch-rival.
MACCABI TEL AVIV
After so many years of underachievement, the yellow-and-blue once more looks ready to challenge for the league title.
Maccabi has won just one championship in the past 15 years, and last
season was especially depressing for its fans, after the team failed to
put up a fight against Haifa and Hapoel despite having a budget of more
than NIS 100 million.
Moti Ivanir replaced Avi Nimni and Yossi Mizrahi at the helm in January,
and even though there was little improvement in results, owner Mitch
Goldhar’s decision to hand the authoritarian a contract extension looks
set to pay off in the long run.
Maccabi has impressed in the off-season, with Ivanir finally finding the
right combination between big earning stars and the products of the
youth department. If the early signs are anything to go by, not only
will Maccabi fight for the championship until the very end, but it will
also play very entertaining soccer this season.
Player to watch out for: Dor Micha. The 19-year-old midfielder impressed
after making his debut for Maccabi in February and there should still
be plenty to come from him when you consider that Israel under-19 coach
Eli Ohana has labeled him as the most talented player of his generation.
Titles: Championships – 14 (1949/50, 1951/52, 1953/54, 1955/56, 1957/58,
1967/68, 1969/70, 1971/72, 1976/77, 1978/79, 1991/92, 1994/95, 1995/96,
2002/03). State Cups – 16 (1954, 1955, 1958, 1959, 1964, 1965, 1967,
1970, 1977, 1987, 1988, 1994, 1996, 2001, 2002, 2005).
Best case: Maccabi fans learn that the longer the wait the sweeter the
triumph after their team clinches its first championship since 2003.
Worst case: Maccabi fans begin to believe that their club is simply
cursed as another season passes by with the most decorated club in
Israeli soccer not even coming close to claiming a title.
BNEI YEHUDA
The club from south Tel Aviv’s Hatikva neighborhood has played in Europe
in each of the last three seasons and it will be aiming for a fourth
straight top five finish.
Yossi Abuksis replaced Dror Kashtan as coach after the latter moved to
Hapoel Tel Aviv, and Bnei Yehuda should be the perfect stepping stone
for the first-year manager.
Abuksis inherits a nearly identical squad to the one Kashtan guided last
season, and despite a lack of depth, it will be a major disappointment
if Bnei Yehuda fails to finish in the top half of the standings.
Player to watch out for: Amir Agajev. The 19-year-old striker will have
plenty of opportunities to make his breakthrough this season with
Abuksis having few other options up front.
Titles: Championships – 1 (1989/90). State Cups – 2 (1968, 1981).
Best case: Abuksis shows he learned plenty in his three-and-a-half years
under the stewardship of Eli Gutman at Hapoel Tel Aviv, guiding Bnei
Yehuda to European qualification for a fourth straight season.
Worst case: The financial problems following the departure of former
owner Hezi Magen this summer result in Bnei Yehuda missing out on a
place in the championship playoffs.
IRONI KIRYAT SHMONA
One of the surprises of last season, Kiryat Shmona will be desperate to
avoid the second-season syndrome in 2011/12. After finishing their first
ever campaign in the top flight in third place in 2007/08, the
northerners were disappointingly relegated the following year.
Kiryat Shmona needed just one season to bounce back, and after last
term’s success, and with Ran Ben-Shimon still in charge of team affairs,
the side should be challenging for a place in Europe yet again rather
than battling it out with the league’s strugglers.
Player to watch out for: Adrian Rochet. If the 24-year-old midfield
dynamo builds on last season’s excellent displays he will be playing on a
far bigger stage in the very near future.
Titles: Championships – 0. State Cups – 0.
Best case: Kiryat Shmona makes amends for missing out on a place in
continental competition last season and qualifies for the Europa League.
Worst case: Kiryat Shmona finds its true place in the league and finishes in the middle of the standings.
MACCABI NETANYA
Netanya exceeded all expectations last season, making the
championship playoffs despite being one of the favorites for relegation.
Reuven Atar has held on to most of his young stars, with the likes of
Hen Ezra, Kobi Dajani and Firas Mugrabi all choosing to spend another
year under the coach that helped them make their breakthroughs last
season.
The promising Ben Binyamin has come in from Hapoel Acre and if Atar can
create something out of nothing yet again, Netanya should be one of the
team’s to watch out for this season.
Player to watch out for: Hen Ezra. Maccabi Haifa and Hapoel Tel Aviv may
regret not completing the signing of the 22-yearold midfielder this
summer as his price could well rocket if he continues at his current
rate of progress.
Titles: Championships – 5 (1970/71, 1973/74, 1977/78, 1979/80, 1982/83).
State Cups – 1 (1978).
Best case: Netanya is nowhere near the bottom and remains one of the more entertaining teams in the league.
Worst case: Even Atar can’t help Netanya from plunging into the relegation playoffs.
MACCABI PETAH TIKVA
After last season’s disappointment, the Luzons brought in coach Marco
Balbul in the hope of making a return to European competition. Petah
Tikva has gone through wholesale changes, with 10 players leaving and
seven joining so far. Balbul has built a solid and balanced squad, but
he too knows that he will be gone before too long if his team doesn’t
begin winning immediately.
Player to watch out for: Tal Ben-Haim. The 22-year-old found the back of
the net on his Israel debut in March and he should score far more than
the 10 league goals he managed last season now that Omer Damari has
left.
Titles: Championships – 0. State Cups – 1 (1952).
Best case: Petah Tikva celebrates its first season in the new stadium by reaching Europe.
Worst case: The new stadium is all but empty as Petah Tikva wallows in mediocrity.
HAPOEL ACRE
Acre was a pleasant surprise last season, but coach Eli Cohen has got his work cut out for him in the coming campaign.
Acre lost four key players in Itzik Cohen (Maccabi Haifa), Maharan Radi
(Bnei Sakhnin), Ben Binyamin (Maccabi Netanya) and Roei Dayan
(Beerschot), although Cohen has tried to make up for that with the
shrewd signings of Moshe Mishaelof, Nisso Kapiloto and Amiya Taga.
The biggest difference this season could well be Acre’s long-overdue
return home, with its new stadium to be completed in the coming weeks.
Player to watch out for: Sintiyahu Salalik.
The 20-year-old winger showed some promising signs at Maccabi Haifa last season and has the platform to succeed on loan at Acre.
Titles: Championships – 0. State Cups – 0.
Best case: Cohen finally gets the credit he deserves after Acre easily avoids the relegation battles once more.
Worst case: After three years in the Premier League, Acre is relegated and returns to soccer wilderness.
HAPOEL BEERSHEBA
Beersheba has finished in ninth position in the last two seasons and
there’s no real reason to expect much more this time around.
Nir Klinger begins his second season as coach, and even though the
addition of Laryea Kingston was one of the better pieces of business in
the Israeli transfer market this summer, it is hard to see Beersheba
fans getting their wish of seeing the team finish in the top five.
Player to watch out for: Ido Eksbard. The 23-year-old has got all the attributes needed to become a top striker.
Titles: Championships – 2 (1974/75, 1975/76). State Cups – 1 (1997).
Best case: Klinger is embraced by the local support after Beersheba claims victories over the big four.
Worst case: Beersheba gets tangled up in the relegation battle and
Klinger is just another name on the ever-growing list of coaches to be
chased out of town.
HAPOEL HAIFA
After a year in exile at Hapoel Ashkelon and Hapoel Beersheba,
fan-favorite Eran Levy returns to Hapoel Haifa and his leftfooted shots
will be the main attraction in the team’s matches once more.
Star-striker Eden Ben-Basat left for French club Brest, but coach Nitzan
Shirazi has otherwise held on to his rising stars and there’s no reason
Haifa shouldn’t manage a midtable finish yet again.
Player to watch out for: Oshri Roash.
Another impressive season by the 23-yearold defender and surely he will be playing at a bigger club next year.
Titles: Championships – 1 (1998\99). State Cups – 3 (1963, 1966, 1974),
Best case: A derby win over the Greens caps an otherwise eventless
season.
Worst case: Shirazi is back commentating on TV after Haifa drops to the National League.
BETAR JERUSALEM
To say that Betar has been through a turbulent summer would be one of
the understatements of the year. The future looked bright just three
weeks ago when Americans Dan Adler and Adam Levin promised to return the
club to its former glory after agreeing to purchase it from Arkadi
Gaydamak.
However, they quickly deserted the club, and with little money to
strengthen the squad, David Amsalem resigned as coach just this past
Monday. Difficult days lie ahead for the Betar faithful and no one
should envy new coach Yuval Naim.
Player to watch out for: Eli Dasa. The 18- year-old right-back broke
into the Betar lineup last season and should play an even bigger role
this term.
Titles: Championships – 6 (1986/87, 1992/93, 1996/97, 1997/98, 2006/07,
2007/08). State Cups – 7 (1976, 1979, 1985, 1986, 1989, 2008, 2009).
Best case: Betar finally enjoys a quiet season while it waits for a new
investor to come in and take it back to the good old days.
Worst case: Betar doesn’t secure its survival until the final minutes of the campaign.
ASHDOD SC
Yossi Mizrahi is once more at the helm in Ashdod, but this time he will
have to manage without Dimitar Makriev, Idan Shirki and Moshe Ohayon,
who led the side for much of the past three seasons. David Revivo
returns home from Hapoel Beersheba, but owner Jacky Ben-Zaken will judge
Mizrahi by the progress made by the products of the youth department in
which he has invested heavily in recent years.
Player to watch out for: Gadi Kinde. The 17-year-old midfielder, who
came through the Ashdod youth department, has been earmarked as one of
Israel’s top talents.
Titles: Championships – 0. State Cups – 0.
Best case: Mizrahi’s youngsters improve with every week and Ashdod makes the championship playoffs.
Worst case: Mizrahi pays the price for his squad’s inexperience as Ashdod slips into the relegation playoffs.
BNEI SAKHNIN
Shlomi Dora seemed to bring some peace to Sakhnin when he joined in
April, settling the club and steering it clear of relegation.
However, he will be hoping to go one better this season and completely avoid the relegation playoffs.
With the core of last season’s squad still around and Maharan Radi, Ohad
Kadusi and Ori Shitrit all joining, Sakhnin has every chance of
maintaining its Premier League status without too much trouble.
Player to watch out for: Mahmud Kannadil.
The 23-year-old has established his place as Sakhnin’s first goalkeeper
and will have plenty of opportunities to prove his worth.
Titles: Championships – 0. State Cups – 1 (2004).
Best case: Dora is still the coach when the season ends after Sakhnin happily settles for a mid-table finish.
Worst case: Sakhnin gets off to a poor start and Dora is gone before the end of the year.
HAPOEL PETAH TIKVA
Petah Tikva fans are still celebrating the fact their club is in the top
flight after the Budget Control Authority had relegated it at one stage
due to its financial struggles.
Petah Tikva eventually posted the mandatory minimum budget, but it still
begins the season with a nine-point deduction after going into
liquidation last month.
As if matters weren’t bad enough, Gili Landau quit as the coach of the
bankrupt club on Tuesday before changing his mind and returning to the
helm the following day.
Player to watch out for: Fabian Stoller. The 23-year-old Swiss
midfielder impressed last season and deserves to play for a more
organized club.
Titles: Championships – 6 (1954\55, 1958\59, 1959\60, 1960\61, 1961\62, 1962\63). State Cups – 2 (1957, 1992).
Best case: Petah Tikva fights relegation until the final seconds of the season.
Worst case: It takes Petah Tikva two months to even erase its nine-point deduction and it never breaks out of the bottom three.
HAPOEL RAMAT HASHARON
Ramat Hasharon will play in the Premier League for the first time in its
history and its coach Momi Zafran has even taken a sabbatical from his
day-time job as an accountant to focus on soccer matters.
There are few familiar faces in Zafran’s squad, but after winning the
National League so impressively last season, he will be confident his
players are good enough for the Premier League as well.
Player to watch out for: Baruch Dego. The 30-year-old was one of the
Israel’s top players when he scored four Champions League goals for
Maccabi Tel Aviv in 2004/05. He slipped off the radar in recent seasons,
playing in Cyprus, and it will be intriguing to see if there is
anything left of the old Dego.
Titles: Championships – 0. State Cups – 0.
Best case: Ramat Hasharon’s first ever season in the top flight is followed by a second.
Worst case: After one year, Ramat Hasharon is back where it belongs – in the National League.
HAPOEL RISHON LEZION
Rishon Lezion was playing in the third division just over two years ago.
But two promotions in three seasons have got its fans dreaming of the
good olds days when it played nine straight seasons in the top flight
until its relegation in 2003.
Nisso Yehezkel will be coaching in the Premier League for the first time
in his career and his ability to get Rishon to play better than the sum
of its parts will decide how the team fares.
Player to watch out for: David Gomez.
After scoring 14 league goals for Rishon last season, the 22-year-old
Brazilian striker will be looking to prove he has what it takes to play
in the top flight.
Titles: Championships – 0. State Cups – 0.
Best case: Rishon surprises everyone and avoids relegation in the last week of the season.
Worst case: Even Hapoel Petah Tikva finishes ahead of Rishon.