Israel played its last Nations League match and defeated Scotland 1-0 at home.
Israel’s lineup before the match (Israel Football Association / Eitan Dotan)
The last few months were a complete rollercoaster for Israel’s national team. Israel began this campaign after Andreas Herzog resigned, and Willi Ruttensteiner took his position as the caretaker manager. The idea behind this appointment was to let a manager that was part of the team to guide Israel in the Euro playoffs instead of signing a new one. After the defeat against Scotland in the last month, the whole campaign became a missed opportunity.
Israel didn't take the chance to use the Nations League as a preparation for the World Cup qualifiers. As it was known that Ruttensteiner is not going to continue as the team's manager, Israel didn't look for new tactics or to make a broader change in the squad. Ruttensteiner keeps using the same lineup and formation, which may be completely different in March.
One of the players that should have a more important role in the World Cup qualifiers would be Manor Solomon. The 21-year-old player had a few chances to find the net in the previous matches but made a narrow misses. In the 44th minute, he got an assist from Eran Zahavi and scored his debut international goal. The hot prospect from Shakhtar Donetsk is in great shape, especially after his recent Champions League performances, and now he brings his skills also for the national team.
The match ended with a narrow 1-0 win, which made Israel finish in third place and confirm their spot in League B at the next Nations League edition. It is an optimistic finishing for this campaign, which ended better than expected. They also confirmed their place in pot 4 at the World Cup qualifiers draw, which will be made on December 7.
Now, Israel needs to plan its future, and it's not going to be easy. Willi Ruttensteiner would probably be replaced as the team's manager. The national team will have no time to prepare before its first match in the World Cup qualifiers, as they will need to play with a new manager and maybe a new tactical approach.
Another issue to deal with is the new squad that will be called up. Some experienced players already decided to retire from the national team, such as Sheran Yeini. There is always the question about other players' future, such as the team's captain, Bibars Natkho, who was criticized more than once. One player that the age doesn't matter for him is Eran Zahavi, the leading top scorer. Zahavi is 33 years old, but we already saw this week that you are never too old to make a decent international performance.
The younger generation will need to get more chances in this transition period. It's not only Solomon but also more players that were part of the squad in the recent matches. Ilay Elmkies that scored the equalizer against Slovakia two months ago is one of them. More U-23 players worth mentioning are Eden Karzev and Eylon Almog from Maccabi Tel Aviv and Mohammad Abu Fani from Maccabi Haifa.
Qualifying for the World Cup will be a difficult task, but what would Israel do before this campaign? All we have to do is to wait and see.
Thumbnail photo by UEFA Nations League official Twitter.
