After it already seemed that the championship fight between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Maccabi Haifa would reach the last moment of the 2023/24 season, the last two results of the greens allowed the yellows to increase the gap at the top to a significant seven points just before the opening of the top playoffs.
Now, with only ten rounds remaining until the end of the season, we decided to conduct a test to understand whether a gap of this magnitude has already been erased during the top playoffs, or whether Maccabi Haifa does not have many reasons for optimism ahead of the last and decisive alignment of the season.
*The test started from the 2012/13 season, when the size of the league was changed to 14 teams and the playoff system was carried out as we know it today.
2023/24 –
End of regular season:
Maccabi Tel Aviv – 62 points
Maccabi Haifa – 55 points
2022/23 –
End of regular season:
Maccabi Haifa – 62 points
Hapoel Beer Sheva – 58 points
season finale:
Maccabi Haifa – 81 points
Hapoel Beer Sheva – 74 points
The champion’s success rate in the playoffs: 73.3%
2021/22 –
End of regular season:
Maccabi Haifa – 59 points
Hapoel Beer Sheva – 55 points
season finale:
Maccabi Haifa – 78 points
Hapoel Beer Sheva – 70 points
The champion’s success rate in the playoffs: 63.3%
2020/21 –
End of regular season:
Maccabi Haifa – 59 points
Maccabi Tel Aviv – 58 points
season finale:
Maccabi Haifa – 79 points
Maccabi Tel Aviv – 75 points
The champion’s success rate in the playoffs: 66.7%
2019/20 –
End of regular season:
Maccabi Tel Aviv – 64 points
Maccabi Haifa – 58 points
season finale:
Maccabi Tel Aviv – 87 points
Maccabi Haifa – 73 points
The champion’s success rate in the playoffs: 76.7%
2018/19 –
End of regular season:
Maccabi Tel Aviv – 66 points
Maccabi Haifa – 44 points
season finale:
Maccabi Tel Aviv – 89 points
Maccabi Haifa – 58 points
The champion’s success rate in the playoffs: 76.7%
A gap that will be difficult to close (Maor Alxalsi)
2017/18 –
End of regular season:
Hapoel Beer Sheva – 57 points
Beitar Jerusalem – 56 points
season finale:
Hapoel Beer Sheva – 80 points
Maccabi Tel Aviv – 71 points
The champion’s success rate in the playoffs: 76.7%
2016/17 –
End of regular season:
Hapoel Beer Sheva – 59 points
Maccabi Tel Aviv – 56 points
season finale:
Hapoel Beer Sheva – 85 points
Maccabi Tel Aviv – 72 points
The champion’s success rate in the playoffs: 86.7%
2015/16 –
End of regular season:
Hapoel Beer Sheva – 64 points
Maccabi Tel Aviv – 61 points
season finale:
Hapoel Beer Sheva – 83 points
Maccabi Tel Aviv – 81 points
The champion’s success rate in the playoffs: 63.3%
2014/15 –
End of regular season:
Maccabi Tel Aviv – 54 points
Hapoel Beer Sheva – 49 points
season finale:
Maccabi Tel Aviv – 70 points
Kiryat Shmona – 64 points
The champion’s success rate in the playoffs: 53.3%
2013/14 –
End of regular season:
Maccabi Tel Aviv – 66 points
Hapoel Beer Sheva – 59 points
season finale:
Maccabi Tel Aviv – 84 points
Hapoel Beer Sheva – 68 points
The champion’s success rate in the playoffs: 60%
2012/13 –
End of regular season:
Maccabi Tel Aviv – 59 points
Maccabi Haifa – 49 points
season finale:
Maccabi Tel Aviv – 80 points
Maccabi Haifa – 67 points
The champion’s success rate in the playoffs: 70%
They were close to overtaking B.S., but did not succeed
As you saw in the data above, no team that reached the top playoffs as the leader of the table since the change of the system in the 2012/13 season, has not lost the first place and the championship title.
In fact, the last time a team lost first place during the playoffs (by a different method) was in the memorable offset season of 2009/10, when Maccabi Haifa reached the playoffs with a six-point advantage over Hapoel Tel Aviv (the difference was offset to three), which managed to overtake them in the final round The dramatic one with the memorable hair of none other than Ma’ran Zahavi.
Despite the fact that this season she already managed to erase a gap of 10 points from the yellow rival, last night’s loss of Maccabi Haifa kept her away from a fourth championship in a row, when in order to do the unbelievable, she will have to do what no one before her has done yet.