Hapoel a joy to watch for Zivlin

Caretaker manager Ron Zivlin was pleased to see Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC "enjoying their football again" as they won 2-1 at Getafe CF to reignite their UEFA Cup Group G hopes.

Miserable season
The Israeli giants are enduring a miserable season in domestic football, lying bottom of the 12-team Ligat Ha'Al following the recent resignation of coach Guy Luzon. Nonetheless, first-half goals from Walid Badir and Barukh Dego earned a shock victory against Getafe in Spain on Thursday, after defeats in their opening two group-stage games.

Makeshift duo
Experienced fitness coach Zivlin, who is working in tandem with former Hapoel captain turned scout Yossi Abuksis, said: "I am proud of the players as they beat a side who had beaten [FC] Barcelona only two weeks ago. You can ask them how many times I have told them just to go out there and enjoy themselves. It was important for me that these players started enjoying their football again."

Inspiring presence
Forced to retire last term, 37-year-old Abuksis was a star of Hapoel's run to the 2001/02 UEFA Cup quarter-finals – and according to Zivlin, the younger man is already displaying potential as a coach. "Yossi watched Getafe against Real Zaragoza and prepared a very detailed report. Within one training session he had managed to transform the side so that we had eleven Abuksises out there. He deserves a lot of credit."

'A bit strange'
Abuksis himself said: "It was a bit strange as it was my first time on the bench. Before the match we had one training session and to make such a debut gives you a good feeling. There was one major change and that was the players showing belief in themselves, you could see that their confidence was back. It's the same set of players that was here two, three weeks ago."

Last match
The question now is whether the new coaching duo will get more of a chance to impress. "I said before that I am proud to do everything the club ask of me, but our main priority is the league and Monday's match against Hapoel Ironi Kiryat [Shmona FC]," Abuksis went on. It remains to be seen whether they will be in charge when Hapoel welcome Aalborg BK for their final Group G match on 19 December.