Hapoel Tel Aviv is in trouble. There’s no way around the fact that the reds are going through a crisis after falling to Bayern Munich 79-64 at home which dropped Dimitrios Itoudis’s team out of first place down to third in the standings. Add to the fact that Hapoel are now just one game out of falling into the Play In zone and the bench boss has one big problem on his hands.

Without a long-term contract with the Euroleague, the Reds, who are in the competition due to having won last season’s EuroCup, need to finish in a playoff spot in order to be guaranteed to continue in the continent’s top league. But right now, with a 16-8 record and 14 games to go, their Euroleague dreams are in jeopardy and there’s no way around it other than winning.

Hapoel have to find a way back onto that track very quickly or else this season will continue to snowball down a slippery slope, one that the Reds definitely want to halt as fast as possible.

Itoudis’s squad has not played their best basketball over the last few weeks and that came to a head in a brutal overtime loss at Partizan Belgrade in a game that the reds had been winning by 27-points in the third quarter. Hapoel saw that lead evaporate right in front of their eyes as there as nothing that could be done to stop it as everything that could go wrong, did.

Then in Israeli league play, they blew another lead and allowed Hapoel Beer Sheva too chance to rip off a 15-0 run to send their game into overtime, a contest that saw Tomer Ginat find the winning points to escape with a victory in front of a very small crowd of 2,158 at Yad Eliyahu.

Those two contests should have set off the alarms all over Hapoel Tel Aviv’s camp but apparently it didn’t because they absolutely fell apart in the second half against Bayern Munich in a game that it looked as if they had all given up on.

As Itoudis said after the game, “We have no right to give up.”

But the bench boss also agreed that it certainly looked like his players had and that’s not going to be good any which way you slice it.

It’s not as if Hapoel has forgotten how to play the game of basketball. There are some of the highest caliber players on this squad both in terms of Israelis and imports but there looks to be somewhat of a divide between them. Part of the reason is that Itoudis trusts his import players more than the Sabras and they have also had more experience playing European ball.

That is a fact.

Whether it’s been Euroleague games or Israeli league matches, Itoudis goes as much a possible with the players that he feels can get the best result for Hapoel and rightfully so. To play Israelis just to play them would not be responsible for the head coach. His job is to win games and keep the reds competitive in order to continue competing in the Euroleague while winning the available titles in the local competition which includes the league and the Israel State Cup, both of which Hapoel is still in very good shape to capture.

Itoudis is going to go with the players he can win with not those who he wants to make feel good including the fans. He is charged with a job to do, however, it doesn’t take much to see that due to the fact that the Israelis are not getting playing time, there is frustration that is beginning to boil over. This is despite management having made it crystal clear prior to the season what role each and veery player had on this team in order to succeed and fit into Itoudis’s plans.

Now, those plans may have changed as well which could also have upset the apple cart, but if everyone doesn’t get back on the same page, this season is going to go right down the tubes and fast.

Itoudis spoke about having the team being united and with that they would be able to overcome these tough and difficult moments. The Greek tactician knows full well that if his team is going to be divided and that division is no doubt a genuine possibility, they will not hit the targets that had been set prior to the season.

Sure, from a basketball standpoint, Hapoel missed one shot after the next in this game and that can be mentally trying. There as a 23-2 run (!) by Bayern which occurred when Hapoel was in the drivers seat, up 39-32, but from that point on late in the second quarter, the Germans put the pedal to the metal and took a 43-39 lead at halftime and then saw their advantage increase as the game moved into the second half.

Hapoel went an abysmal 5/30, yes, you read correctly, 5/30 from beyond the arc. That is a number that is hard to believe could come from a team with such a collection of talent, but there it is, in black and white.

Elijah Bryant was unavailable due to an injury which may keep him out for a bit more while during the game itself Yam Madar seemed to have gotten hurt and he went for an MRI to see the extent of the damage.

Add to the fact that fans were very vocal, the 7,200 of them that want to see the Israelis play and can’t quite understand why they do not get the chance to step onto the court for a significant amount of time. Madar did have some playing time but has not performed up to par while Tomer Ginat has not had much of a chance in Euroleague play of late, did get some minutes for the Reds against Bayern, as Itoudis hoped he would be able to turn the game around.

However, captain Bar Timor and Guy Palatin who were both dressed didn’t get a chance, while the rest of the Israeli contingent, Oz Blayzer, Itay Segev and Iftach Ziv weren’t in the squad for the clash and even in Israel league game get very few minutes. The fans were not content to say the least, but then again, catcalling at the head coach. But Itoudis has a job to do and he has to go with the players that he believes can take his Hapoel to the promised land.

Vasilije Micic, who was brought in to be the star of the show has not played up par with what the expectations have been for the former Euroleague MVP who returned to play in the continent after having tried his luck in the NBA. The boo birds were out for him as well during the game as nothing seemed to go right for the reds.

Booing the team is more than legitimate as much as some around the franchise may disagree and not like it. That’s the right of the fan. They can express their feelings whether they are positive or negative as long as it is done is a respectable manner which in this case it was.

Itoudis and his staff along with the players stayed into the wee hours of the night meeting at Yad Eliyahu. This way after the game had ended as well as way after the post game press conference conference. There was portably plenty of soul searching that needed to be done along with everybody pledging to get back onto the same page in order not to see this campaign just fritter away.

On top of a Euroleague double week going up with a road game at Red Star Belgrade which will be followed up by a home contest against Valencia (who just beat Maccabi Tel Aviv in Spain) who are in 4th place just behind of the reds, Itoudis’s squad will have the meat sandwiched by games against Hapoel Jerusalem, first in State Cup quarterfinal action at Yad Eliyahu on Saturday night which will be followed up by a league clash at the Jerusalem Arena the following Sunday night.

That’s not an easy four game stretch coming up to say the least.

While owner Ofer Yannay is supportive of his staff for now, who knows what may be in a little over than a week’s time. As we have al seen, in the world of sports things can change and evolve by the second and as we have all learnt, anything and everything can happen.