Maccabi remain confident in Sfairopoulos despite a shaky period / News - Basketnews.com

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Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv suffered a blow in the derby game yesterday, losing against Hapoel Tel Aviv, 82-83. Their crisis continues, as it was the fourth defeat in the last five games in all competitions.

Free throws this season

80%13,8Points made:13,8Accuracy:80,5%Place in standings:3Record max:22Record min:9Most made FTs:James NunnallyTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

Last week Maccabi's losing stretch reached seven losses in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague after throwing away another nail-biter versus Zenit Saint Petersburg.

Yesterday Ioannis Sfairopoulos showed up for the press conference and apologized: "It was a bad day for our club. We are all disappointed with the setback, and we want to apologize to the fans for losing this game."

"We want to do everything we can to get the team out of this situation," added the Greek specialist. "I do not want to make excuses, but we will try to do our best."

Moreover, the 54-year-old touched on the topic regarding the new additions: "There are not many players on the market right now. It is difficult to find a good player, and we will not bring an athlete just to bring him."

According to ONE, the Maccabi board meeting took place a day ago.

Via the report, the club does not see Sfairopoulos as the main culprit in this situation. So far, there has been a disappointment by the local players' contribution and some foreigners.

As Roi Cohen of SPORT 5 reports, there are a couple of reasons to keep trusting Ioannis Sfairopoulos. First of all, he is the man who managed to stabilize the system from the day he arrived, at the beginning of the 2018-19 season.

The second thing is the lack of a suitable alternative. Per Roi Cohen, Maccabi do not currently see a vacant coach in the market who fits the system and can make a difference this season. Even if one is found, the economic aspect would step in. It would involve full compensation for Sfairopoulos and his assistant, salary for the new coach as well.

Another issue is a period without a coach at all. Assistant coach Vasilis Iragotlis will also leave the squad if the current bench boss goes. In such a situation, Maccabi may enter a period when there is no person at the team's helm. The new head coach should isolate for at least a week.

However, the losses to AS Monaco and/or Hapoel Jerusalem could shake the ship once again.

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