Maccabi<\/a> Haifa, and we will do our best to create the right system and procedures. We put all of our failures on the table after last season, and we knew what we needed to do together to begin making the necessary changes.\u201d<\/p>\nRefaelov also shared his thoughts on the new season.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re happy and excited to begin a new season, and we were able to take a lot from last season and learn from it, as it was also my first year in the position. It was not a simple season, and we really tried to get out of what was a crisis while working with a lot of young players. Personally, I feel more prepared this season as a sports director. The beginning of my journey in this role was not easy, but I learned a great deal, and we started making the changes that we needed to.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/images.jpost.com\/image\/upload\/f_auto,fl_lossy\/c_fill,g_faces:center,h_537,w_822\/732194\"\/)
The Toto Cup match between Maccabi Haifa and Hapoel Ironi Kiryat Shmona at Miriam Stadium in Netanya, central Israel, July 28, 2026. (credit: Danny Maron\/Flash90)<\/p>\n
Of course, the supporters will be key to the club\u2019s success.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe connection with our fans is crucial, and we can\u2019t win any title without them. They are an enormous support for the club, and we have to work together as one. I want us to stand side by side with our supporters.\u201d<\/p>\n
Assembling the group of players who could help the team win<\/p>\n
On the topic of rebuilding the squad from the ground up, Refaelov and the head coach worked hard to assemble the right group of players who could help the club succeed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe took the time to figure out how we could reshape the team in a way that complements Barak Bachar\u2019s strengths, and we did that with our selection of foreign players. It\u2019s a mix of youngsters and veterans, and it\u2019s not something we can take for granted in a country where we are unfortunately dealing with one war after another.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had a deadline to put together this squad, and that was the start of the Toto Cup, so we could prepare as well as possible for the season ahead. There will be a lot of hard work both on and off the pitch. We want to raise the bar for our success this coming campaign. We will need to be very strong inside and out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bachar reflected once again on last season and acknowledged that both he and Refaelov will ultimately be judged by the results.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat occurred last season can\u2019t happen again. We are aware of that. We weren\u2019t a balanced team, and that was something I noticed immediately when I came in. We need to defend in a certain way, and that didn\u2019t happen last season. That\u2019s one of my core principles.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m never one to run away from responsibility,\u201d Refaelov stated. \u201cThe start of last season wasn\u2019t ideal. We didn\u2019t play the soccer that we wanted to play. We took the time to really examine our priorities, and we analyzed where players grew up and which youth departments they came through. We also looked at which players can play multiple positions and even the body types of certain players to determine where they fit best.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bachar began training camp fairly early because the Greens usually compete in European qualifying, and the overseas location had already been booked well in advance. However, many of the new players had not yet signed. Despite not having a full squad, the bench boss felt the camp was a success and even suggested the club could hold another one later in the season.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe training camp dates were set well in advance because we thought we\u2019d be playing in Europe. It may not have been ideal that we didn\u2019t have our entire roster finalized at that point, but we still have plenty of time before the league season begins. The Toto Cup will be excellent preparation for us, and that should ensure we\u2019re ready by the end of August. We have a good month now to work on everything we need before the season.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Maccabi](\"https:\/\/images.jpost.com\/image\/upload\/f_auto,fl_lossy\/c_fill,g_faces:center,h_537,w_822\/732195\"\/)
Maccabi Haifa Manager Barak Bakhar at the Toto Cup match between Maccabi Haifa and Hapoel Ironi Kiryat Shmona at Miriam Stadium in Netanya, central Israel, July 28, 2026. (credit: Danny Maron\/Flash90)New crop of players give a new look to the Greens<\/p>\n
With a new group of players arriving, including foreigners Wenderson Tsunami, Nigel Lonwijk, Bruninho and Andrija Novakovich, along with Israelis Omri Glazer, Yair Mordechai and Yarin Levy, Bachar and Refaelov are determined to make this a new-look Maccabi Haifa.<\/p>\n
One player the pair believes will make an immediate impact is Yarin Levy, who spent last season on loan at Beitar Jerusalem and flourished under then-head coach Barak Itzhaki, emerging as one of the country\u2019s top midfielders.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m so happy to see him back here,\u201d Refaelov said with a smile. \u201cIn every conversation I had with him, he said how happy he was to return and how much he wants to succeed with us. I remember that when I came back from Belgium to play for Haifa, he came up from the youth team to train with us.\u201d<\/p>\n
The sports director added, \u201cI consider him a new signing, along with the players who have joined us and the loanees who have returned. Almost all of them will be on the pitch together, and we\u2019re building something new here. The rebuilding process is based on young players who have already proven they can perform at this level, and that doesn\u2019t conflict with the competitiveness we want to create. As long as Yarin is with us, I\u2019d be delighted for him to stay here for many years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bachar also discussed Levy\u2019s development<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve only been working together for a month, but he\u2019s one of the players who receives the most individual attention. I regularly sit down with him for video sessions after every training session. He\u2019s made tremendous progress over the past two years. He played for a club like Beitar, with a lot of pressure and high expectations, which is similar to what he\u2019ll experience here. There\u2019s still work to do with him, but he\u2019s a wonderful kid who is very eager to learn. He knows he\u2019s not perfect and wants to improve and correct his mistakes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Refaelov also announced that Kenji Gorre, who recently returned from the World Cup, will be one of the team\u2019s captains.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe just informed him that he will be one of the captains for the upcoming season, together with Omri Glazer and Ali Mohamed. I think he went through a difficult season, but he integrated very quickly into the dressing room. He\u2019s intelligent, very positive, and knows how to separate his personal interests from what\u2019s best for the team.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe established a number of criteria for what we wanted in a captain, and we came to the conclusion that Kenji is the right person. He returned from the World Cup highly motivated and determined to channel all the energy and experience he gained there into leading the team to a better season together with our supporters while trying to achieve good results and play enjoyable soccer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ultimately, Bachar knows that the proof will be in the results, and the Greens will have to show they are once again capable of competing for the league championship, returning to Europe and challenging for every available trophy.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Maccabi Haifa emblem on our shirts speaks for itself when it comes to our goals for the upcoming season. I don\u2019t need to say anything more.\u201d<\/p>\n
See more Israeli sports coverage at www.sportsrabbi.com\/en<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Maccabi Haifa had a rough season last year as they finished in fifth place in league play and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":567639,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[24741,85,46,133222,19711,105,28724],"class_list":["post-567638","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-haifa","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-kiryat-shmona","tag-soccer","tag-sports","tag-uefa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/567638","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=567638"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/567638\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/567639"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=567638"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=567638"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=567638"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}