Who’s the boss
One of the biggest questions coming into the Match of the Season: Take 1 is the question of which team will have the majority of ball possession over the course of the contest. Who will take control of the game and who will try to take advantage of the counter attacks and breaks in a less controlled style of play. Both sides have proved in Europe this season that they can control the pace of a match against rivals who appear superior on paper. Over the course of the domestic league, we have also seen that they are both the ones who handle the ball much more than their opponents.
Head Coach Shota Arveladze has said numerous times that Maccabi’s style of play is attacking football where ball possession is key, but this evening at Turner Stadium the Yellow & Blue will have an interesting battle, one of the most attractive match’s this season.
Location & formations
Barak Bachar very much enjoys sending his players on the attack. Whether it’s the 4-5-1 that he uses in league play where the midfielders will play in the opponents half of the pitch or if it’s 3-5-2 which he has used in Europe, Beer Sheva is always thinking offense. The Hapoel Beer Sheva defensive backs play an integral role in the attack as their average positioning is around the halfway line.
Much of what Hapoel Beer Sheva will do will rely on how Barak Bachar decides to open the match. If the formation will include four defenders then Bachar will be looking to maintain possession and control the pace of the contest. Another point to remember is that Beer Sheva may change formations multiple times throughout the match just as they did against Sparta Prague when they switched it up three times as seen below.
Tony Nwakaeme
Five league goals and four assists is what the Nigerian striker has produced for Hapoel Beer Sheva this season, however he may be out of action for this match and will certainly leave a gaping hole in the Beer Sheva attack.
Nwakaeme’s impact can be seen as follows: 64% of the time he is on the left wing, 17% of the time he features as a central striker and the other 17% Nwakaeme operates in the middle of the pitch managing Beer Sheva’s game.
After Ofir Davidzada left the club for Belgium, Mihaly Korhut took over as the left defensive back and his play with Nwakaeme has been excellent. Against Sparta Prague, the Nwakaeme/Korhut pairing passed the ball 30 times between themselves with 21 of them going from the Hungarian to the Nigerian. With an average of seven dribbles per match good for a 60% success rate, six crosses and 2.6 key passes per contest it will be interesting to see who will step up and fill the void and if they will be as dominating as Nwakaeme.
In Short
- There’s much to say about Maor Melikson’s ball handling skills and agility but another aspect to keep an eye on is the amount of key passes he serves up which is the most on the team with an average of 4.1 passes over the past five matches.
- Pressure on the Beer Sheva defenders could cause some problems, but Bachar will instruct them many times throughout a game to send the ball into enemy territory and pressure the other team.
- Set pieces, set pieces, set pieces. We haven’t mentioned one of the key aspect of Beer Sheva’s offense which is their set pieces, well here it is.
