New Mac TA boss Bosz off to winning start

Yellow-and-blue beats Mac Haifa 2-1 at Bloomfield to close in on Beersheba at the top.

By ALLON SINAI
Updated: JANUARY 11, 2016 02:34
Peter 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 (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 got life as the coach of Maccabi Tel Aviv off to a winning start on Sunday, with the yellow-and-blue beating Maccabi Haifa 2-1 at Bloomfield Stadium to move back within a single point of Premier League leader Hapoel Beersheba.
Bosz was named as Slavisa Jokanovic’s replacement last week and registered a first victory thanks to goals from Eran Zahavi (32) and Tal Ben-Haim (36). Zahavi, who took his tally for the season to 20 goals in 18 league matches, missed a penalty in the 50th minute and the hosts had to survive a nervy finish after Yossi Benayoun found the back of the net in the 70th minute.
Haifa remained in sixth place despite seeing its seven-match unbeaten streak come to an end.
Elsewhere Sunday, Beitar Jerusalem suffered a surprise 1-0 defeat at Hapoel Kfar Saba. Beitar lost for just the second time in its past 11 matches, with Ran Yitzhak scoring the winner in the 39th minute.
Kfar Saba’s Yiannis Papadopoulos was sent off in the 50th minute, but the hosts held on for their first win in seven matches in what was coach Sharon Mimer’s first game at the helm after leaving his role as an assistant coach at Hapoel Beersheba to replace Felix Naim.
Kfar Saba climbed out of the relegation zone with the win, while Beitar remained in third place.
Gutman officially announced as new Hap TA manager Eli Gutman will be unveiled as the new manager of Hapoel Tel Aviv on Monday after signing a three-and-a-half year deal on Sunday.
Gutman returns to the club he lead to the Premier League and State Cup double six years ago, as well as a place in the Champions League group stage.
Gutman’s four-year tenure as Israel coach came to an end in October, a day after the national team’s Euro 2016 qualifying campaign finished in bitter disappointment.
The 57-year-old will be in charge of all professional matters, but will have a fulltime head coach working under him, with Guy Levy to remain at the club.
After scoring only three goals in its previous nine games combined, Hapoel found the back of the net three times in the first half of Saturday’s 3-1 win over Bnei Yehuda at Bloomfield Stadium.
Gutman guided Hapoel between 2007 and 2011, winning the championship and cup in the 2009/10 campaign before leading it to the Champions League group stage for the first time in club history in 2010/11. He left the team the following summer and was named as the Israel coach in December 2011.
“I’m delighted and very excited to return to a place I love and in which I experienced great moments,” said Gutman. “I’m here to work hard and that is what I demand from anyone working at the club. You can only progress and achieve success via hard work and determination.
My first tenure at the club also started with the team in a similar situation and with time it got better and I’m certain that we can accomplish nice things this time as well.”
Also Sunday, Maccabi Netanya sacked coach Reuven Atar. Atar guided the team in just eight league matches after replacing Shlomi Dora, registering three draws and five defeats.