Netanya prepares: Will Ben Shabat leave, and will Ouattara and Cyprien be released?
The Diamonds are planning further changes to the squad after the loss to Hapoel Ramat Gan. The defender was left out of the squad again, and the two foreign players may be replaced. The club was disappointed with the defense, but complimented Dolev Haziza.
Maccabi Netanya lost yesterday, Sunday, at home 3:2 to Hapoel Ramat Gan, complicating its battle for first place in the Toto Cup group stage. The team received the loss with great disappointment, mainly due to the three easy goals the "Diamonds" conceded.
"A team that wants to be in the high parts of the table cannot concede like this," said a source in the club at the end. "We controlled the game for large parts, but we failed in defensive work and we will need to address this."
The club continues its search for a foreign defender. Several players who received offers to arrive set particularly high financial demands due to the fear of coming to Israel for security reasons.
Although the Premier League will open in about three weeks, the team's squad is expected to undergo quite a few more changes. Defender Itay Ben Shabat was again left out of the squad, for the third time in a row, and it is clear that the club is showing him the way out.
Two others whose status in the team is very shaky are the pair of midfielders Wylan Cyprien and Aziz Ouattara, who may be replaced if other foreign players are found for their positions. Cyprien was not included in the squad yesterday, and regarding Ouattara, who came on as a substitute and showed flashes of ability, the opinion in the club is that he is not good enough and does not show enough commitment.
Someone who received many compliments yesterday is Dolev Haziza, who came on in the 60th minute and added a lot of enthusiasm and quality that reminded of his good days at Maccabi Haifa. Haziza assisted Netanya's second goal, and although he is still not in full fitness, it is possible to understand why coach Roni Levy insisted on his signing.
"Dolev Haziza brings us first of all a lot of quality," said Levy at the end of the game. "He played at the highest levels and everyone knows what he did. Beyond quality, he adds a lot of team spirit, energy and investment to us. This is a player who carries others with him."
The coach added: "We expected this, and it may be that we even brought him in a bit too early. It was a bit dangerous, because he was planned to play for a quarter of an hour only, but we took a small risk. He helped us a lot, and I am sure that during the year he will help us a lot more."
