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Soccer / Nice defenders don't finish in Europe By Moshe Harush Tags: israel news, sports As Maccabi Haifa draws near to a league championship, coach Elisha Levy and owner Ya'akov Shahar are beginning to grapple with preparations for European competition next year. After Levy returned from a winter break in London, the two reviewed the team and identified Leonard Krupnik as its weakest link. "He's a nice defender, good enough for the league, but I'm not sure about beyond that," said Shahar, according to a team source. "Better bring in a defender now who'll be ready for next season." Levy nodded in agreement. Levy was already pondering whether to land a foreign defender or striker to shore up the team for the rest of this season; the decision to replace Krupnik sealed his decision. Advertisement The signing last summer of the American-Israeli to a three-year deal raised some eyebrows. By bringing him in from Bnei Sakhnin, Levy signaled to others that Haifa was setting modest goals, lowering expectations and reducing expenses. He was described in the team as "a friendly defender, a good guy." Krupnik, who moved to the United States from Ukraine in the 1990s and went to the University of California, Berkeley, was put in the lineup alongside Dekel Keinan and filled his position for the first 15 league games so far. The defense performed fairly well, conceding only 13 goals. The midseason break forced the team to reset its targets. Holding first place while the opposition was stumbling inspired everyone. Suddenly, winning a championship no longer seemed detached from reality. What seemed right in the summer was no longer relevant in the winter. Krupnik, so it seems, belongs to Haifa's past. Two factors changed Levy's view. The first came when an injury sidelined Keinan for four weeks. The second came when Krupnik was unable to keep up with quick strikers. Shai Maimon was brought in to fill in for Keinan, and his success made officials think about awarding him a permanent spot. "Krupnik is no better than Maimon in any parameter," said one official. "He lacks a little of everything. He's not fast enough, not strong enough, and he's lacking in technical skills." Krupnik's shortcomings are well known to Levy. Understanding the problem with the speed issue, the coach designed a special defense for Krupnik. A zone defense, believed Levy, would only amplify the problem. In a game against Hapoel Tel Aviv, for example, the coach ordered Krupnik "to stay close to Samuel Yeboah." The mission was crowned a success. Yeboah didn't score, but the way was open for Maharan Lala to put one in the net. "Krupnik is good when given specific, pointed tasks," said one of his teammates. "He's not a defender with a special ability, which makes him stand out from others." In the early weeks of the season, Levy dedicated hours of practice to coordinating Krupnik and Keinan. Now, say team officials, their level of coordination is adequate at best. "Against quick strikers our defense has a problem," admits one of them. So Levy is looking for a new defender, preferably one who can run. It's too early to tell if it will be Anderson West, the Nigerian currently being tried out, or someone else. Whatever the decision, the team wants to do it quickly. "If we want to win the championship," added the official, "it's unsure whether Krupnik will be enough." Bookmark to del.icio.us   From the bunker Hamas says Gaza won't break, victory over Israel is near. Banned Israel bans Arab parties from running in upcoming elections.

Read & React Legal expert: Rising Gaza death toll doesn't mean IDF acts are disproportionate Responses: 102 Sources: Hamas leaders hiding in basement of Israel-built hospital in Gaza Responses: 72 IDF: Hamas rocket fire down 50% since start of Gaza op Responses: 28 Gideon Levy: Israel's leaders will pay for the bloodshed in Gaza Responses: 55 Aluf Benn: Israel has a double standard when it comes to UN resolutions Responses: 42 More Headlines 23:21 IDF soldier seriously hurt in Gaza, possibly by friendly fire 01:03 Haniyeh: Hamas is willing to negotiate on Gaza cease-fire 00:54 Israel bans Arab parties from running in upcoming elections 19:35 Bush: Hamas must stop rocket fire if it wants Gaza truce 17:40 UN Human Rights Council condemns Israel over Gaza op 23:01 IDF reservist refuses to fight in Gaza over civilian deaths 16:55 Gaza War Diary IV - Can people die of ambivalence? 11:28 Amira Hass / Gazans doing their best to avoid becoming death statistics 18:20 Peres: The IDF has never been better trained, as sophisticated 18:20 Get up to the minute coverage of the warfare in Gaza directly to your email 22:59 Gaza rocket strikes Ashkelon home, residents flee to shelter 21:42 Israel voices concern over anti-Semitic attacks in Europe 18:43 Olmert: Gaza war won't end until rockets and smuggling stop 14:05 Immigration officials: Gaza op hasn`t deterred infiltration of migrants from Egypt 13:12 France vows to punish assailants who hurled firebombs at Paris synagogue 13:50 ANALYSIS / Israel's victories in Gaza make up for its failures in Lebanon Previous Editions Select Day 12 jan 11 jan 09 jan 08 jan 07 jan 06 jan 05 jan 04 jan 02 jan 01 jan 31 dec 30 dec

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