What lies behind the surprising success of Israeli clubs in Europe?
Four representatives, 100% success rate, and a jump in the European ranking: Israeli football recorded an excellent week in the qualifiers for European competitions. This success is largely due to the security situation, which makes it difficult to bring in new foreign players and forces clubs to maintain the squads from last season.
Last Thursday was one of the most successful days in the history of Israeli football: for the first time in nine years, four teams advanced to the third qualifying round of various European Cups. Beitar Jerusalem, a club with a history of struggling in Europe, managed to break through. Be’er Sheva, under the guidance of Ran Kuz’uk, also continues its campaign. Maccabi Tel Aviv, which has been one of the most successful Israeli representatives for 12 years, continues to demonstrate high performance. Tomorrow, the four clubs will learn their opponents for the play-off stage in the three European competitions.
Israeli football dropped to 25th place in the UEFA ranking, with leagues such as Slovenia, Ukraine, and Croatia ahead of it, despite previous ambitions to reach 15th place, which would guarantee two representatives in the Champions League qualifiers. The success of last Thursday could propel Israel to 23rd place, potentially shortening qualifying rounds in the future. The goal, if the current points-accumulation pace continues, is to reach around 21st place, where Romania is currently ranked.
The successes of the Israeli teams were achieved against clubs with a rich European tradition. The most impressive progression was that of Maccabi Tel Aviv, which defeated Bulgaria’s Ludogorets, a club with a budget of 50 million euros — three times that of the “Reds.” Beitar overcame AEK Larnaca, which reached the Conference League round of 16 last season. Be’er Sheva and Maccabi Tel Aviv will face tougher opponents this week, such as Red Star Belgrade and CSKA Sofia.
Is this success a one-off flare-up or a sign of a new trend? We will find out in the coming days during the matches between Be’er Sheva and Red Star, Maccabi Tel Aviv and CSKA Sofia, Beitar Jerusalem and Austria Vienna, and Maccabi Tel Aviv against Katowice. It seems that the security situation in the country has forced a continuity in squads that has benefited the Israeli representatives. In a climate where bringing in high-quality foreign players is difficult, teams are forced to rely on players who have already adapted to their coaches' systems.
