In a professional column, club psychologist Noam Eyal talks about the pressures of being a Maccabi player
"A lot has been written about the 'infamous' pressures of being a player at Maccabi Tel Aviv Football Club. No-one of course is denying it nor attempting to conceal that fact from the players themselves. In fact it could be said that the ability to withstand pressure is one of the character traits the club look out for in their players, but the pressure itself is greeted by the players themselves with mixed feelings. There can be no question about the fact that this pressure is a source of consternation for players in many of their matches. During the course of tense play on the pitch, decreases in performance, at times extreme, are quite noticeable. What is also noticeable is that however they may wish to do so, at such times players are simply unable to perform. On the other hand, at Maccabi Tel Aviv a football match without pressure is regarded as an anomaly, which is as much as to say that everyone associated with Maccabi regards pressure as a positive force and it is therefore only appropriate that it should form an important aspect of all of the club's matches. Many of Maccabi's rivals have as much as conceded matches in advance in the anticipation of confronting those pressures once the match gets started. Paradoxically then, not only are the Maccabi players in danger of suffering from this pressure, but their rivals too, perhaps even more so. That on condition that our players are taught to direct that pressure outward and not inward.
For those youngsters unfamiliar with the history of the club, it should be pointed out that that's the way it's always been at Maccabi Tel Aviv. As I have heard from the ever decreasing number of Maccabi veterans, even before the establishment of the State of Israel, Maccabi Tel Aviv matches inflamed local passions that were palpably felt by the clubs they played against. So why is it that pressure and passion have become part and parcel of life at Maccabi and in fact have become a "cross to bear" on the road to every league, Cup and international achievement? This is a phenomenon recognised throughout the world. In almost every country there is a renowned club whose matches generate that special kind of intense fervour both inside and outside the stadium, fervour that can be heard in the question on everyone's lips following every weekend of football: "How did they do?"
The answer to the question why there is always pressure, and why always at Maccabi, can be broken down into several essential parts.
First of all, Maccabi Tel Aviv are Israel's first competitive football club, the football club from the country's most influential city, the most successful football club in the country. The football club that always remained outside the influence of the socialist tradition that governed the country for so long in its formative years and handed out all the "goodies". The football club that never had the comfort and identity that come with the ownership of a home stadium of their own. The football club that have survived every disaster and, unlike every other club in Israel, have never ever been relegated. All that and more, much more. Maccabi Tel Aviv are the first born of the Israeli football family, the older brother all the other younger brothers look up to. Whenever the going gets rough, everybody wants to know "What will Maccabi do?". Maccabi always showed the others the way, always fought against powers stronger and more numerous than themselves, and they did it all on their own. Their defeats never got them down on their knees, their embarrassments never brought down expectations, it was always taken for granted that Maccabi would be back for the whole nine yards.
But in recent years an increasing number of concerns have been expressed regarding the damage caused by the "infamous" Maccabi Tel Aviv pressure, as if now the club should somehow rid themselves of it altogether. But the club shouldn't be looking for ways to escape that pressure, in fact it would be a disaster if they did. By doing so they would be negating their very essence, an essence that has been existence for close to a century. What Maccabi should be doing is showing the rest how to succeed in the face of that pressure, in fact owing to that pressure, because it is the test of performing under that pressure that determines who the great athletes are. Achievements made in the absence of great pressure go unappreciated. To bear that pressure a whole season long, to suffer from the expectations and criticisms starting way back in August, to calmly dispatch all the "little brothers" who are out to replace you but also fear you, that is Maccabi's mission and contribution to the love of the sporting spirit. A title snatched on the final day of the season without having experienced the pressure of the entire season is less likely to impassion fans who take pride in the road getting there. And when at Maccabi Tel Aviv they speak about the "road", it's not the same road they're talking about at Maccabi Haifa or at Beitar Jerusalem or at Hapoel Tel Aviv.
Maccabi Tel Aviv know that in order to succeed, they must bear more pressure than at any other club. The biggest fan base in Israel is looking for that special something only to be found with the "first born". And that, in fact, is what the "infamous" Maccabi pressure is. And so my Maccabi friends, players, fans, managers and others, our goal should not be reducing the pressure but looking for those who thrive on that pressure and see it as the key to success. It's hard to like pressure, though from my experience it is possible. But it is possible to withstand that pressure in the terraces when things go wrong, to carry on cheering instead of losing one's cool. Because if we do, than the players too will have no choice but to carry on in the face of setbacks. After all, there are only eleven of them, there are thousands of us. Who better then to safeguard our tradition and show the way forward?"
Noam Eyal, psychologist
