This season, my second in charge of Hapoel Ashkelon FC, I don’t need my assistant, Seb Rozental, to alert me to the rule that permits you to play foreign triallists in the Premier League Toto Cup.
I intend to do just that. I have two lads over from Argentina – the club is known as ‘Little Argentina’ for its tradition of recruiting there. Both are left-sided centre-backs and I intend to let them slug it out for the final berth in our squad.
There’s Juan Jose Barrena:
And there’s Nazareno Palacio:
I’m expecting Barrena to win the duel. I’m worried about Palacio’s weakness on the ball, his reluctance to expend energy, and his lack of composure. But I’m also worried about Barrena’s tendency to switch off, which was evident in the recent friendly against AEK Larnakas.
Gentlemen, let the duel, the Toto Cup, and the 2017-18 season, commence.
