Yossi Benayoun

Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew is set to convince the club’s prolific player Wilfred Zaha to play for the Three Lions but has asked that the national team step up if they want to persuade the player who is frustrated with lack of international recognition.

“Gareth is someone I know very well and we’ve spoken about Wilf. You’ve got to be really proactive with someone like Wilf if you want to secure him. I keep encouraging Gareth and Dan Ashworth as well,” Pardew said.

Pardew added that whilst he knew there were several players that could play wide in the England national team set-up he advised them to tap into Zaha’s availability, saying the player can do better.

“There are some good wide players in the country; Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Andros Townsend, Jesse Lingard, and I think Wilf is as good as them, if not better.

“I’ve managed 300 Premier League games, I’ve managed Tevez and Mascherano, I’ve managed Teddy Sheringham, Yossi Bernayoun, Jermain Defoe, Michael Carrick – and I put him right up there with all of those,” Pardew declared.

Zaha earned two call-ups to the English camp but he could switch his allegiance to his African dissent – Ivory Coast. Pardew claimed the danger of the player switching was “very dangerous at the moment.”

Pardew said the player has scored a great goal, worked hard every week but wants the country to do better. Premier League giant Manchester United bought the player three years ago for £10 million but returned the player after an underwhelming debut season.

“That’s how I’ve tried to channel his energy. It’s not about showing people at Man United what you can do. Just be a better player. That’s what he’s doing,” Pardew added.

There have been several discussions and debates regarding the current form Liverpool are posting under Coach Jurgen Klopp.

Many are impressed and they are wondering if this could be the season for the Reds.

“I have no idea what to do to win the Premier League,” Klopp said. For a manager that broke a chain twice in Germany, helping Borussia Dortmund to Bundesliga successes, his statements come as tongue-in-cheek. In his first title win, he led the team to the top after 10 games, but he refused to relinquish the top spot and they were crowned champions with two games outstanding. After the same number of games this term, he is joint lead in the Premier League.

The next time, Klopp took much longer to get to the top. When he did in February, he remained there until May. With Liverpool fighting for the top spot, once they get it, would Klopp maintain lead to the end?

The defense has been highlighted as a work in progress if the team is to win the title this campaign. The attack, the confidence and talent are surely not deficient. As the team approach a third of the season, the hopes are bursting out. They can also fall out completely as the race continues. In 2008/09, Liverpool were equally as impressive under Rafa Benitez. They earned 26 points from the first 10 matches but losing to Tottenham triggered a poor run of results. They won just seven games out of the next 17 games. Israeli international Yossi Bernayoun got the winner that sent them to the top in April but United had games at hand. They used that to their advantage to win the title.

In the 2013/14 season, Liverpool were almost sure to win the title. After that memorable game against Chelsea where Steven Gerrard threw the game away, the damage was done. For now the hope of winning remains doubtful but alive.

Coach Jurgen Klopp has helped the Reds dream again after years of below-par performance.

Liverpool is now a team that can defeat any opposition in the Premier League. They have embarrassed the defending Champions Leicester City already; they were too much for Arsenal to handle in the season’s opener, they humbled Chelsea as well. Manchester United and Manchester City look like teams that Liverpool could defeat or get a point like they did against Tottenham Hotspurs. Liverpool have gone close to winning the Premier League on two occasions in the last decade.

Rafa Benitez was close in the 2008/2009 season with the likes of Pepe Reina, Xabi Alonso, Javier Mascherano, Steven Gerrard, and Fernando Torres. Former Liverpool coach – currently with Scottish side Celtic – Brendan Rodgers went close to winning the Premier League, building the core of his team around Luis Suarez, Daniel Sturridge, and Raheem Sterling.

Both teams produced an impressive run to the title win but stumbled somewhere, somehow! Kloop’s team have started well, and it might also end well. However, the fear is if they would eventually lift the Premier League. Manchester City and Spurs are ahead in the current standings after six games but when European competitions start stressing the teams, Liverpool would have an advantage since they have no distractions.

Benitez had Ryan Babel as his favourite sub, but there were players like Nabil El Zhar, Lucas Leiva, David N’Gog and Israeli star Yossi Bernayoun. Rodgers has Victor Moses, Joe Allen and Luis Alberto. Klopp has Divock Origi, Kevin Stewart, Emre Can and Moreno. Liverpool’s failure to go the full length cost them the title as Manchester City won. City still pose a serious threat this term with Pep Guardiola focused on making a statement in his year in charge.

Scottish champions Celtic are going to face a huge competition for a spot in the UEFA Champions League when they take on Hapoel Be’er Sheva.

The desert of Negev has waited four decades to win the champsionship in May, with their last try back in 1976. The city is barely 100 kilometres south of the country’s capital, living in the shadows of the capital. They won the cup in 1997 under the guidance of Eli Guttman but they are known for their 12-0 humiliating loss in Europe to Barcelona in 1994. After that win in 1997, they played in the Cup Winners’ Cup against Roda but lost 10-0. That season the outfit ended up being relegated from the top flight football.

Be’er Sheva has struggled to recover from the blow since their poor showing in Europe. The relegation left 18 year old graduate of their academy Yossi Benayoun hanging. Bernayoun started at career with Dutch giant Ajax before returning home to play for Be’er Sheva. Eventually, he moved to Maccabi Haifa, then to Racing before moving to England. He remains Israel best ever player still. Be’er Sheva returning to Europe would want to prove their worth so Celtic won’t have it easy.

The club has a female, Alona Barkat as its owner. She didn’t have the knowledge required initially and almost sold it but has grown to be a strong leader aiming very high. Also, while Bernayoun didn’t rejoin his boyhood club, Elyaniv Barda returned after six good years in Belgium. The club’s home ground is a fortress and they remain unbeaten. The coach at the helms isn’t one Celtic can take lightly as they are not in the league of Astana who even posed a little problem in the previous round. They defeated Olympiakos in the previous round and are keen on playing in Europe, so Celtic better prepare hard.

The 36-year-old is expected to sign a one-year contract with the Israeli club. The move has been talked about a lot in recent weeks. Despite having agreed personal terms and undergone a medical with Maccabi Tel Aviv,Benayoun’s move was put on hold due to various reasons. The Israeli club were hoping to appoint a new manager before the arrival of the former Chelsea and Liverpool midfielder.Benayoun has been at Maccabi Haifa for the last two seasons, but he left the club in difficult circumstances.

Even though he was a key figure in helping the club win their first title after a gap of five years while also being successful in the State Cup after five years, he was told to leave the club back in September.Benayoun reportedly fell out with owner Jacob Shachar. Unhappy with his treatment, the midfielder announced that he would be leaving the club at the end of the season. He has followed up by talking with Maccabi Tel Aviv to make them as his new home. Talks have progressed as expected and the move is expected to be concluded before the end of this week.

“I came to Haifa with the intention of ending my career here, but things change in soccer. There is no other player in Israel who would have coped with what I coped with this season,” said the midfielder after helping Maccabi Haifa win the cup final. Benayoun was a major fan favourite at the club as he represented them from 1998 to 2002 before moving onto European football with the likes of Racing Santander. His big break came with West Ham and subsequent spells at the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea were also successful.

Yossi Benayoun completes his move to Maccabi Tel Aviv after his performance for Haifa in the last campaign.

The 36-year-old midfielder to sign a one-year deal with the yellow-and-blue, after passing the medical with the Israeli club.

The Liverpool legend spent the last two seasons at Maccabi Haifa and has helped the club to their first title in five years and first State Cup in 18 years. However, Benayoun left the club in a bitter way after revealing that Haifa had asked him to leave last September following the side’s poor start to the season and the subsequent unrest in the dressing room.

The player claimed it was the club owner Jacob Shachar who asked him to go, but after speaking with coach Roni Levy the two came to an agreement that if either one were forced to leave the club the other would follow suit. Benayoun said the club treated him poorly and that informed his decision to leave. He said he already told the club since February that he was going to leave during the summer. He even told them the likely choice. After the cup final, he said:

“I came to Haifa with the intention of ending my career here, but things change in soccer. There is no other player in Israel who would have coped with what I coped with this season.”

Benayoun returned to his country after spending over a decade in Europe where he played for several clubs including West Ham United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal and others. Benayoun will likely replace outgoing striker Eran Zahavi, who has received a massive offer from Guangzhou of the Chinese league. Zahavi led the Premier League in scoring in each of the past three seasons and is likely going to agree to the big money move to China.

Israeli born player, Yossi Benayoun played in the testimonial match of Mark Noble.

The right-wing midfielder played for West Ham in the 2012/2013 season while on loan from Chelsea FC. As West Ham move to the newly built Olympic stadium, they have had a splendid season that serves as a send-off.

They are in sixth position in the top flight league and are in contention for UEFA Champions league spot. The Hammers are also still in the FA Cup with a replay against Manchester United on Wednesday. The club celebrated Mark Noble’s testimonial in a great way recently.

The testimonial saw many past players return to the Boleyn ground. Israeli winger, Yossi Benayoun also returned to pay testament to the club captain at the event.

Yossi joined West Ham in 2005 and impressed in two seasons before his joining The Reds for 5.48 million Pounds. He returned to the squad in 2012 but currently plies his trade with Maccabi Haifa.
He played during the testimonial and commented on how the West Ham fans deserved a move to a bigger stadium.
“I had a good two years with West Ham and I had a good relationship with the supporters. The Boleyn Ground is a special ground and it’s also nice to see the Club having a great season in the last year. They are great fans here so I think they deserve a bigger stadium because they can fill any stadium. I wish them all the best in the future,” Yossi Benayoun said as shown on the club’s website.

Despite his spell at other English teams during the span of his career, Benayoun remains something of a cult hero at West Ham.

In the international scene, the player has been recalled to the Israeli national team where he achieved a record 97th cap for his country.

Former Liverpool midfielder Yossi Benayouncould be one of the names playing in the Australian A-League if reports are to be believed.

The player, along with two other popular European names, have expressed their interest in playing for an Australian league club in the near future. The A-League is an attractive prospect for footballers at the final few years of their careers. It also represents a great option for those who are unable to secure moves to the MLS or the Middle East. The A-League recently expressed the need to sign popular names in order to boost the profile of the league.

Compared with the upcoming leagues like the MLS, the A-League spends significantly less on ageing former players. This means that the likes of Nicolas Anelka, Didier Drogba, and many other popular Premier League stars chose to go for MLS clubs or the Indian Super League. The A-League could have been an attractive proposition for players like Malouda as well.Benayoun, though, remains keen on this aspect according to the player’s agent.Benayoun is a well-known face for Premier League fans after having represented Liverpool from 2007 to 2010. He then moved to Chelsea where he played for a couple of years as a high-profile substitute.

However, his best time in the English league game while playing for West Ham when he helped the club stay up in the division against all odds. “The A League and Australia is a very attractive offer to many coaches and players, the lifestyle is very appealing, we hope to be able to help grow the game in an emerging market as well for the good of all football,” said Spanish agent Gustavo Crnko. Apart from the Israeli star, who currently plays for Maccabi Haifa, he also represents the likes of John Utaka and David Navarro.

The Australian top flight Football is starting to lure some really good players especially the veterans.

The 37-year old Luis Garcia recently joined Central Coast Mariners and a couple of other veterans might also be on the plane to Australia soon.

John Utaka, who is without a club at the moment, and Yossi Benayoun, who is playing in his homeland Israel, both are believed to be interested in the offers from the Australian league.

Gustavo Crnko is the representative of these two players in the market and in one of his latest interviews; he did drop hints that he was busy negotiating deals for his clients in Australia.

According to Crnko, the way of living in Australia is quite appealing and that’s why, a lot of managers as well as the players are showing interest in pursuing their careers over there.

In the words of Crnko, “The no. of professionals getting attracted to A-League is increasing fast, be it players or managers, they want to go there. The reason, I believe, is that Australian lifestyle is quite fascinating.”

“If we manage to contribute in the development of Football in that part of the world, we would be happy and it would be great for the overall sake of the game as well.”

Crnko actually represents many Football professionals and he did not take any particular name in his interview.

So, it was a bit unclear which managers and players he was talking about, but, some of the other reports suggest that it’s Benayoun and Utaka who have been approached by the Australian clubs.

As far as Benayoun is concerned, he was believed to finish his career at Maccabi Haifa only and take up an administrative role at the club thereafter, but, he appears to have changed his mind now.