VIDEO INTERVIEW: One-on-one with Michael Valkanis
Australian Michael Valkanis is the new coach of Hapoel Tel Aviv FC.
MICHAEL Valkanis could never have imagined picking up a top coaching position in Israel – but the Australian has been tasked with rebuilding Israeli Premier League giants Hapoel Tel Aviv.
Valkanis is the first Australian to coach at the top level in Israel, and he caught up with The AJN for an exclusive interview.
Chatting with Marina Yuksel, Valkanis reflects on the challenges that lay ahead – and how he is settling into the Holy Land.
Watch highlights from The AJN’s exclusive interview with Michael Valkanis here:
Valkanis tasked with rebuilding Hapoel Tel Aviv
Michael Valkanis could never have imagined picking up a top coaching position in Israel, but the Australian has been tasked with rebuilding Israeli Premier League giants Hapoel Tel Aviv.
Valkanis is the first Australian to coach at the top level in Israel. Reflecting on his arrival in Tel Aviv, he told The AJN how he quickly realised the magnitude of the club and its fans.
Hapoel have won 13 Israeli Premier League titles – only Maccabi Tel Aviv and Maccabi Haifa have won more – and have previously competed in the UEFA Champions League, where they beat football powerhouses Chelsea, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain.
But the club have slumped in more recent years, with Valkanis now brought in to restore their former glory days.
“I instantly saw the supporter base is absolutely huge and the club was so successful in the past,” Valkanis told The AJN.
“We’ve seen that in the last decade it hasn’t been what people expect; it has dropped off quite a bit and it hasn’t been as successful as it had been. Now it’s time to rebuild and restart, and with the new ownership and investors, that’s what they’re looking at doing in the next three to five years – to put strong foundations in. I know in football sometimes there is no patience to do that, but when you build a house you don’t start with decorating or redecorating.”
Valkanis said the process includes rebuilding the actual culture of the club by turning it into a high-performance environment, before he begins to implement his attacking style of play.
“We want to create an identity that’s kind of connected to here, so high in energy,” he said.
“I believe in attacking football, I’m attacking by nature, and I’ll be very proactive in whatever I do in life. So I want my team to look like that – to be proactive, to look like they want to attack, to score goals and win games. And I think that’s how you have to tackle life.
“It’s only going to take time because football is not just something you can turn around in a day or two.”
While Valkanis is focused on rebuilding his squad and bringing in the right players, he is also relishing the opportunity to experience life in Tel Aviv.
Having coached in Australia and Europe, Valkanis – who is of Greek descent – said there are definite similarities between Israel and Greece.
“It’s very similar to being in Greece, I think they’re very similar people,” Valkanis said.
“I never would have thought 10 years ago that I’m going to go to Israel, and but here I am now and it offers a great opportunity at a really nice time. It’s a beautiful country that I’m sure I’m going to get to enjoy over the course of this time coaching.”
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