Bakhar: "At Maccabi Haifa, every loss is a scandal. I know what the demands are"

Maccabi Haifa recorded its second consecutive victory in the Toto Cup this evening (Saturday), a 0:1 win over Bnei Sakhnin at Doha Stadium, which earned them third place in Group A. At the end of the match, Barak Bakhar addressed his team's performance, the improvement in defensive play, the pressure surrounding the team, and the status of Omri Glazer and Andria Novakovich, who were not included in the squad.

"It was a better game today," said Bakhar, "not a great game, but definitely more aggressive, better pressure, we didn't concede unlike the last few games, and they didn't reach chances easily. Slowly, players are getting into shape, and we are trying to run a core that can play together. We are working many hours to connect this, and we will continue to work. I expect to see more improvement later on."

Regarding the defensive play that looked good, he added: "It's not clever to do it in one game where we excel, but to do it as part of the DNA and the way. I am sure it will come, because there are talented players here and it will happen more. It is more important to have a strong and good team. Today it happened, but more is needed."

On the question of whether the pressure has decreased, Bakhar replied: "At Maccabi Haifa, after every loss, it's a scandal. I know where I am, what the demands are, and what I need to do to improve the team. What is needed? It's not a matter of reinforcement; there are good enough players here to create a better team than what we have seen so far. It's a matter of connecting a new and young team; the players want to progress, and it's a matter of time. It's true that there is no time, because in two weeks there is the first league game that must be won, but we have two long weeks to work and improve."

Bakhar also addressed the situation of Novakovich, who was again not included in the squad, and Omri Glazer: "Novakovich caught a virus in the first week, and now he is fine. I estimate that he will be in the squad next week. Glazer was in a minor accident, and I estimate that he will return to training at the beginning of the week."

Finally, the coach spoke about Manuel Benson, who returned from a long injury and came off the bench: "A very significant player, and I think that even in the minutes today we saw a talented player who will add a lot to us. He looks good in training, and I am happy that he got minutes today. Let him just continue like this, and we will benefit from him, because he has many qualities."

Midfielder Iyad Khalaili added: "I am happy to return to Maccabi Haifa after a season in Reineh where I improved."

Regarding his brother Anan, he said: "He has his way, and I have my way. I will give my all to Maccabi Haifa, and that is what I am focused on. Anan is my brother and the person closest to me; I wish for him to reach the top. He is several levels above me, and I still have a lot to do to reach him. God willing, one day we will play together."

On the other hand, Bnei Sakhnin coach Yossi Abukasis said: "We are playing without a striker, only with midfielders. We are waiting for a foreign striker to arrive, and that is the thing that hurt us because we don't have a natural striker. I am satisfied with the defensive game, but it is hard to play without a natural striker. We tried to improvise with Salman and then with Khalaf."

Regarding the fourth loss in four Toto Cup games, he said: "In the other games, we looked better. You analyze results, and that's fine, but I analyze ability. In most games, we were better than the opponent. I hope that once we have the players we are missing, we will be a good team. By the time the league starts, we will be ready. We are talking about the Toto Cup, right? I am not excited about the Toto Cup; it's not what's important. We are missing three more positions — a striker, a right-back, and another player for the midfield if it's possible to bring one. Sakhnin will be a good team."

Group A

At the end of next week, the Toto Cup ranking games will take place, and in two weeks the Premier League will kick off. Maccabi Haifa will start the season at home against Hapoel Ramat Gan, and Bnei Sakhnin has an away game against Maccabi Netanya.