Eli Machpod delivered a dose of realism to Hapoel Petah Tikva's fanbase this week, telling ONE's studio show that he does not expect the newly promoted club to match last season's remarkable run to the top-six playoff.
"I don't think Hapoel Petah Tikva will have a season like last year," Machpod, one of the club's most decorated former players, said in the aftermath of the derby against Maccabi Petah Tikva.
Hapoel won that match 1-0 at HaMoshava Stadium in the opening round of the Toto Cup, with Noam Cohen settling a scrappy occasion with a goal in the 89th minute. Machpod was unimpressed by the overall quality, dismissing it as a below-average contest.
His skepticism about the season ahead stems largely from the scale of turnover in the squad that Omer Peretz guided from the second tier to a top-six finish - the club's first appearance in the upper playoff in more than two decades.
Several contributors from that campaign have already left, and Machpod pointed to the club's financial reality as the reason further departures are likely. "There's no money, so there's nothing to do," he said. "If a suitable offer comes for players, they'll be sold."
That comment lands against a backdrop of reports that Hapoel Petah Tikva are pushing for a higher transfer offer for Zambian winger Chapyuka Songa, one of the more coveted names to emerge from last season's promotion push.
In their place, the club have brought in fresh faces at the back. Left-back Yazan Nassar, a summer signing from Hapoel Tel Aviv, and defender Avishai Cohen were both handed derby debuts, alongside winger Guy Badash.
Machpod's forecast for the coming campaign has Hapoel Petah Tikva locked in a battle for sixth place with Maccabi Netanya, rather than another surprise push toward the top of the table. He was harsher still on the cross-town rivals, predicting Maccabi Petah Tikva will instead be fighting to avoid relegation.
None of this reflects any lack of faith in Peretz himself. The 40-year-old, who has overseen the club's rise since arriving before last season, signed a contract extension through 2027/28 in the close season, with his salary reported to have risen by roughly a third.
For a club still adjusting to life back in the Israeli top flight, the message from one of its own icons is clear: last season's overachievement was the exception, not the new baseline.
