Yellow-and-blue’s new coach confident of claiming championship • Leader Beersheba hosts Acre
By ALLON SINAIPeter Bosz (center) was unveiled as the new coach of Maccabi Tel Aviv by CEO Peter Bain (left) and sports director Jordi Cruyff (right) yesterday at the club’s Kiryat Shalom training complex in Tel Aviv.(photo credit: MACCABI TEL AVIV WEBSITE)
Peter Bosz said he believes his Maccabi Tel Aviv side can entertain the fans while also achieving success after being unveiled on Thursday as the new coach of the yellow-and-blue.The 52-year-old surprisingly left Dutch top-flight team Vitesse Arnhem last week to join the yellow-and-blue, replacing Slavisa Jokanovic who only joined the team last summer and guided it to the Champions League group stage before leaving for English Championship club Fulham.“My mentality is that I want to be the best,” said Bosz at a press conference at Kiryat Shalom on Thursday after signing an 18-month deal. “I want to win, I want to bring good football and I want to entertain the fans, which is important for me.I believe it is possible to entertain the fans and also bring results. That is the most beautiful aim you can have, but also the most difficult and we are going to work hard for it.”Bosz coached Vitesse since 2013, leading it to a sixth-place finish in 2013/14 and fifth position last term. The former Dutch international began his coaching career in Holland at Apeldoorn in 2000, going on to guide De Graafschap, Heracles before being named as a technical director at Feyenoord. He then returned to Heracles before joining Vitesse.“I played five years abroad and had experiences playing in France, Germany and Japan,” said Bosz. “After that point I wanted to develop myself as a coach and did so in Holland for the past 15 years.When this chance came along it was at just the right moment and the right thing for me to do. I discussed it with Jordi and I am looking forward to advancing outside of Holland as well.”Bosz said he hopes to take Maccabi to the next level.“Since the club has been champions the past few years, won a treble and played in the Champions League, things have been going pretty good,” he noted. “But I have to begin to get to know the players and help them take the next step. The aim is always to become champions and that is our goal now. I want to bring the best out of my players.”Bosz, whose first match at the helm will be against Maccabi Haifa at Bloomfield Stadium on Sunday, also spoke about the style of play he is looking to bring to Maccabi, while insisting that unlike his predecessors, he hopes to remain at the club for more than a single season.“I like to win but I also like to play attractive and dominant football. With Vitesse we pressed forward and built from behind, but I have to see the qualities of the players I have here and we will see what we can build together,” he explained. “I want to be here in Israel for at least 18 months. At Vitesse they had a number of head coaches for very short periods of time but I stayed with them for 2.5 years. This is my track record.”Maccabi could find itself four points behind Hapoel Beersheba by the time it plays in Haifa, with the league leader hosting Hapoel Acre on Saturday. Beersheba returned to the top of the Premier League standings after drawing 1-1 at Maccabi Haifa on Monday, moving one point clear of Tel Aviv by extending its unbeaten run to 12 matches.Beersheba’s last defeat came against Acre over three months ago.“We certainly remember that defeat which was a low-point for us,” said Beersheba coach Barak Bachar.Also Saturday, Hapoel Haifa hosts Maccabi Netanya, Hapoel Tel Aviv visits Bnei Yehuda, Hapoel Ra’anana welcomes Ironi Kiryat Shmona and Bnei Sakhnin faces Maccabi Petah Tikva.Beitar Jerusalem visits Hapoel Kfar Saba on Sunday.
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