As southern Israel prepared for conflict this past summer, the Israeli Premier League's southernmost team, Hapoel Beer Sheva, were also bolstering their arsenal
Last season
If you want to understand what changed at Hapoel Beer Sheva last season from the season before, just have a look at two key developments. Firstly, stability in management and secondly, star Israeli players who returned from Europe to bolster their ranks. Like striker Elyaniv Barda, who returned after six years at Belgian top-flight side K.R.C. Genk and midfielder Maor Buzaglo, who spent the 2012/13 season at French Ligue 1 Olympique Lyonnais. These two decisive steps, taken by club chairperson Alona Barkat, lifted the team that finished 8th in 2013 to runners-up last season, passing Israeli Premier League stalwarts Hapoel Tel Aviv and Maccabi Haifa. This past summer the club adopted a similar strategy, extending head coach Elisha Levy's term on the touchline and bringing in yet two more Israeli stars from abroad: midfielder Maor Melikson from French Ligue 1 side Valenciennes FC and striker Shlomi Arbeitman from Belgian second division outfit R.A.E.C. Mons. The objective – a room at the top.
Status quo
Going on summer results alone, Hapoel Beer Sheva's future doesn't look that bright. They were dumped out of European competition in their first attempt, losing on aggregate to Croatian side RNK Split in the second qualifying round of the Europa League. In the group stage of the domestic "Toto" (League) Cup, they fared little better, finishing a disappointing 5th in their group with one loss and three draws. The team were hoping to put all of that behind them when they opened the Premier League season at home against Beitar Jerusalem, but the match finished in an equally disappointing 1-1 draw. In matchweek 2 things were already looking up as they hammered top-flight newcomers Hapoel Petach Tikva away, with summer signing Roei Gordana scoring early on followed by a second-half brace by veteran striker Dovev Gabay. Only a last minute goal by Petach Tikva striker Lior Asulin dampened spirits somewhat.
Head coach: Elisha Levy
No doubt veteran team supporters will struggle to remember a Hapoel Beer Sheva head coach that lasted into his third term with the club. Elisha Levy, the Israeli Premier League's most veteran coach who began his coaching career in 1989 with Hapoel Beit She'an in Israeli's then second-tier "Artzit" league and twenty years later took Maccabi Haifa into the group stages of the Champions League, succeeded in returning Hapoel Beer Sheva to Europe for the first time in 17 years. True, the result was disappointing but a coach like Levy is not so easily deterred and no doubt Europe will be at the top of his 2014/15 wish list. Under his stewardship, Hapoel Beer Sheva's record against Maccabi Tel Aviv stands at four losses and two wins, both on home ground.
Players out
As might be expected after a good season, clubs make few changes and at Hapoel Beer Sheva too the decision was taken to maintain the base of a successful squad and focus on the players at the perimeter. Striker Tomer Swisa scored six league goals last season but only started in four matches and only last week moved on to Beitar Jerusalem. Also second-choice keeper Shlomi Ben Chemo, Ben Turjeman, Lotem Zino, Yoni Ozen and Nicholas Felchuk were shown the door after having failed to impress last season. Midfielder Kobi Dajani also fell outside of Elisha Levy's plans and left during the summer transfer window and Belgian midfielder David Hubert, brought in on loan in the January transfer window, has returned to ply his trade in the motherland. The only player the club hoped to keep and couldn't was Dutch forward Glynor Plet, who scored eleven league goals last season and will spend season 2014/15 at Belgian top-flight side Zulte Waregem.
Players in
When you're still sixteen points off the top, where do you begin? In Europe of course. After four years in Belgium, former Maccabi Haifa wunderkind Shlomi Arbeitman signed on and was followed by midfielder Maor Melikson, who traded in the cold winds of Poland and France for the warm desert breezes of Beer Sheva. Domestic signings included former Maccabi Tel Aviv defender Dor Malul and former Hapoel Tel Aviv midfielder Roei Gordana. Striker Yosef Abu Laben returned from a successful loan spell at Hapoel Nir Ramat Hasharon, Robi Levkovich was signed from Maccabi Netanya to provide backup for first-choice goalkeeper Austin Ejide and Joakim Askling was brought in from second division promotion side Hapoel Kfar Saba to beef up the defence. Hapoel Beer Sheva filled their foreign player quota with two midfielders, Nigerian John Ogu and Romanian Ovidiu Hoban, the latter having already made a cameo appearance against Hapoel Petch Tikva.
Player to look out for: Dovev Gabay
The shadow cast by stars like Elyaniv Barda, Maor Buzaglo and new signings Shlomi Arbeitman and Maor Melikson somewhat obscures the talents of four-year veteran Dovev Gabai, whose brace last week earned his club their first win of the 2014/15 season in all competitions. And this isn't the first time Gabay has come to his team's rescue. It was his goals on the last day of the 2012/13 season that kept Hapoel Beer Sheva out of the relegation zone and his lone effort fifteen minutes from time gave last year's runners-up a home victory against Maccabi Tel Aviv, their only success against the champions in four attempts last season.
