All we have to do is invite Chad, Vietnam and Papua New Guinea, and crown ourselves world champions of friendly encounters. Not that Chile played badly, or that Israel were not OK during the team's 1-0 victory on Wednesday, but saying Israel played well is an overstatement.
Israel coach Dror Kashtan opened with the usual 4-4-2 formation. It creates a problem because Yossi Benayoun gravitates toward the middle, creating too much pressure, alongside Elyaniv Barda and Barak Itzhaki, in the center. But tactical issues were put aside when youngster Gai Assulin won his first cap. When Shura Ubarov told Assulin to warm up, the kid didn't believe it. But when in the 75th minute he was sent on and received rapturous applause, he realized it was really happening. After an embrace with Benayoun, he slalomed between the players in a way reminiscent of his clips on YouTube, and the crowd was ecstatic.
Assulin's decision to play for Israel, though he could also have played for Spain where he is a resident, was a fantastic achievement for the Israeli Football Association. It causes one to wonder how they didn't manage to screw it up. How did they do it? Did they tell him that if he plays for the national team he might one day end up at Barcelona (his current club)? Either way, it seems like something fundamental has changed in the team; whether it truly has only time will tell.
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During the break, as the VIPs were brushing shoulders in the lounge, the legendary Emanuel Shefer, who coached Israel when it took part in the 1970 World Cup, remained sitting in the stands. He sat alone, his bald head glinting, staring at the patch of grass upon which he spent most of his life. Shefer worked tirelessly to prepare the national team in various training camps in Israel and abroad.
Nowadays, players still want to hold training camps abroad, but they have been told to stay in Israel. Kashtan, who was once considered Shefer's heir, has told his players they will not hold practices until August 20, two weeks before the start of the World Cup qualifying campaign. Again, the association has erred.
Hopefully, no one will tell Shefer, who has been nominated for the Israel Prize and passed 80 a long time ago. It will be hazardous to his health. During his day, a player who asked for a vacation would be given the boot. But Kashtan cares more about players' leisure and their commitments to their clubs abroad.
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