It’s not just Nwakaeme
Beer Sheva makes on average 34 attacks down the left wing while taking 4.2 attempts on goal as a result of those plays which is the highest in the league. Everyone is well aware of Tony Nwakaeme’s qualities while the left flank also features youngster Oren Bitton who adds plenty to the team’s attack. In fact, Bitton is the left defensive back who leads the Israel Premier League in putting the most balls into the box. Every 90 minutes, he sends an average of 9 balls into the area with 4 being accurate (he leads in the league in both categories). Mihai Korhut was Beer Sheva’s left back at the beginning of the season, but Bitton took over the role and has recorded 4 assists since.
Strong defense despite some missing players
Miguel Vitor has been out of action for Beer Sheva over an extended period of time but Barak Bachar’s defense is still very organized. First off, the Southern Reds have given up the least league goals as they enter Matchday 21 with only 16 and are tied with Hapoel Haifa in the category. At the center of their defense we can find a number of players including Loai Taha and Matan Ohayon who have done an admirable job in Vitor’s stead. The number that reflects their defensive prowess is the fact that Beer Sheva has given up only 2 goals over their last 6 league contests with 4 clean sheets and two matches where they gave up a goal a piece.
Beer Sheva has also given up the least goals from set pieces with only 3. One of the markers came from a direct free kick and two that resulted in set pieces. Hapoel Haifa and Bachar’s squad are the only clubs who haven’t given up a goal from a corner kick. How about on the offensive side? In the last match the two side’s played against each other, Beer Sheva had plenty of quality set pieces but they aren’t at the top of the league. Two goals have come from penalties, a pair from corners and one from a direct free kick for a total of 5 putting them in 10th place in the league.
Beer Sheva’s finishing
If an Israel Premier League Ligat Ha’Al match ends after 45 minutes, Beer Sheva would find themselves in only 6th place with 26 points compared to Maccabi Netanya who would have collected 38 points and lead the league. However, football is played for 90 minutes and sometimes it takes a bit of time for Beer Sheva to get going. Over the course of minutes 75-90, the Southern Reds are a plus 8 while from the 60th minute until the end of the match they would be a plus 12, the best in the league.
