Maccabi Tel Aviv’s new Head Coach Peter Bosz will arrive at Kiryat Shalom in the coming days and is looking forward to the challenges that lieahead. The Dutchman discussed what his expectations are from his new club, his previous trips to Israel, how he plans on implementing the style of play so prevalent in Holland and much, much more in this exclusive one-on-one interview:
Photo: www.vitesse.nl ()
How did you get to know about Maccabi Tel Aviv:
“Jordi Cruyff had been in touch with me a number of times and explained to me the type of club Maccabi Tel Aviv is and how it works as well as the ambition of the club. He was responsible for getting me interested in Maccabi.”
Are you excited about leaving Holland for the first time as a coach:
“It’s true that this is the first time I will be going abroad as a coach, however I played in other countries as a player. Many people may say that Israel is not the first country they expected me to go to but I see this as a big challenge with Maccabi both in the Israeli championship but also in Europe. I’m looking forward to it.”
Who have you spoken to about coming to Israel:
“As you know Sheran Yeini has played with me this season and he told me about Israel and Tel Aviv. He misses it very much. I visited Israel twice in the 1990’s as
Photo: www.vitesse.nl (Photo: www.vitesse.nl)
a player with Toulon and Feyenoord and played against Hapoel Petach Tikva. It was a long time ago so that’s why I came with my wife this past weekend to meet with Jordi and Martin. They spoke about the club and the ambitions and I became very enthusiastic about the team and also Tel Aviv.”
What do you know about Maccabi Tel Aviv:
“It’s the biggest club in Israel and they are also fighting for the championship along with playing in Europe. This past season they also played in the Champions League Group Stages. They have some very good players and I spoke to Jordi about the way we play and the special way that is played in the Netherlands. We would also like to see how this style will play out in the Israeli league.”
What aspects of Dutch football will you bring to Maccabi Tel Aviv:
“The most important thing for me to do when I arrive is to look and see how they play at the moment. I will not come and make changes right away. We are currently fighting with Beer Sheva for the title and I’m sure they are doing some things very well. I will watch how they play, what they do on and off of the pitch and as soon as possible know the quality of the players. After that, along with the assistant coaches who already are familiar with the players and the club, we will si
פטר בוס ( Paul Meima| Vitesse)
t down together and see what we can do.”
You played with some legends with the 1992 Euro Dutch side, how did that influence you:
“In the 1990’s van Basten, Rijkaard and Koeman were some of the biggest players in Europe. If you play and train with them everyday you’ll see exactly why they are so good. But maybe more importantly was the coach Rinus Michels and how he looked at football. For me, if you look at that period of time, the most inspiring man was Johan Cruyff. He became the coach of Ajax after his playing career and he completely changed the way of thinking about football, how to build up and to press and how to play the position game. This was very important for me as a young coach.”
The bar is set high after winning championships, the Treble and going to the Champions League:
“I believe that it’s fantastic to work for a big club and right now that’s exactly what Maccabi is, a big club in Israel. For me it will be a great challenge to see what kind of quality there is here, to play better individually but to also see the
פטר בוס ( Paul Meima, Vitesse)
team become better. I believe that if you want to play at the top you can never be satisfied and you must always try to become better as a player. That is my challenge, to take the players and the team to a higher level.”
What do you know about the fans and the great atmosphere that is waiting for you at Bloomfield:
“I was told that even at the away games there are more fans than the home team. It will be fantastic to experience the Maccabi supporters. I played for Feyenoord in Holland and it’s more or less the same situation. I’m excited to experience this with Maccabi.”
What do you expect when you meet the players for the first time:
“I must get to know the players as soon as possible and watch them in training to see their qualities. I’m looking forward to working with them.”
