Maccabi Haifa has had quite a tumultuous season thus far as there have been plenty ups and downs with the club’s play on the pitch and issues off if it that finally saw Head Coach Diego Flores relieved of his duties after just a few months on the job. The Argentine had trouble from the get go as results were disappointing and the squad wasn’t able to reach the expectations set from them during the off season.

With that being the case, the Green decided to make the move and send Flores packing while bringing back a veery familiar face in Barak Bachar who will begin his third term with the club after having not being able to finish out last season which saw his departure after an embarrassing Derby defeat at the hands of Hapoel Tel Aviv to the tune of 5-1.

Bachar, who led Maccabi Haifa to three straight Israeli league titles between 2021-2023 headed to Red Star Belgrade for a short spell that saw his return to the Holy Land much quicker than expected as he took over the Greens at the start of the 2024-25 campaign.

Now that the 46-year old is back at Sammy Ofer Stadium, Bachar spoke about the decision to return and his thoughts about the balance of the current campaign.


“We’ve experienced so many emotional moments at this club, but the number of messages I’ve received in recent days from fans is unprecedented. I’ll do everything, together with the entire organization, to give this amazing crowd some moments of joy and pride, something that’s been missing.

“This is the first time I’m speaking since I left [in May 2025 after the Derby]. Obviously, it wasn’t pleasant as no one wants to leave in the middle. There were difficult moments, but that’s football. I had time to sit with myself, understand where I made mistakes and where I can correct and improve myself as a coach. During this period, there was no bad blood between me and the club, there were phone calls with owner Yaakov Yankele Shahar, there’s mutual respect and nothing will change that.”

Bachar added, “There are a few reasons why I came back, the amazing fans who are embracing me, the fact that I got bored at home and also the opportunity that arose to come back to Maccabi Haifa. I don’t think any coach could say no to that. There wasn’t even a question about whether to come, regardless of what happened before. There have been many changes in the squad; there’s something strong here. No one is saying it’s perfect, but there’s a good foundation.

The bench boss feels that there is a real difference between the squad that he left than the one he is returning to, “There’s a difference from last year in terms of energy. When I arrived last season, there was a sense that some players didn’t want to be at the club for various reasons and later they left. This year, I feel that everyone who’s here at Maccabi Haifa wants to be here. Now it’s up to me and the staff to lift the team, and we’ll do everything to make that happen.”


“There’s no need to compare this season to the previous one as every season stands on its own. From the outside, I saw good changes, ones that I would have made as well. There’s new blood, hungry players who want to be here and succeed which is a good base. If I didn’t believe in what’s here, I wouldn’t have come. The goal is to be a better team.”

Together with Bachar will be Lior Refaelov who retired at the end of the season but who is now in charge of the scouting and personnel issues at the club taking over from Gal Alberman who was previously in that role.

“I sat down with Lior two days ago, after all, he’s the professional authority at Haifa and he’s very important. It was important for us to sit down and align expectations. We talked a lot about football, and from our conversations, we see things pretty similarly. Our philosophy and way of thinking are alike and that’s very important that we, together with Itzik Ovadia [CEO] and the rest of the staff, are united. The squad is good, we can get more out of it and we need to improve here and now.

“I also told Lior that there’s been good building here and there’s always room to do more, but that never ends. That’s how I believe. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here. I have my own style and I’ll try to bring it already on Saturday. I have no doubt it will be reflected on the pitch, hopefully also in the result, because that’s how we’re judged. I adapt myself to the system as I’m optimistic by nature.”

Bachar also spoke about beginning his third stint with the club, “I’m not coming from abroad, I know the system, the players. It’s much easier; I don’t need time to adjust. It’s true there are many new players and the team is under a lot of pressure, but I’m here to try to change that. Every new coach brings his own beliefs and naturally there will be changes, even for the upcoming match. We hope to start off on the right foot. It’s important to take advantage of the good energy that exists right now.”

On his previous dismissal, Bachar added, “Of course I had time to reflect. The club also made mistakes in fact, we all paid the price. Mistakes were made, things didn’t work out in all aspects last season, and clearly, it was a disappointing year. I learned a lot about myself, where I went wrong and what I need to change. I believe I now know what needs to be done to make things better, for the club and for me personally.”

Regarding the squad, the 46-year old spoke about what he will try to do, “There are versatile players who can play in several positions. With this squad, we can use the systems I want. First, we need to give the players confidence and not confuse them. We’ll give them simple tools to succeed. Football is a simple game and there is no need to overcomplicate it. I agree that last season there were quite a few games where we were too exposed, but there are good enough players here to produce good football.”


One player who has not fit into the team has been Guy Melamed who came over from city rivals Hapoel Haifa during the middle of last season. Bachar will take a good hard look at the striker and as to how he can help the team going forward.

“Guy Melamed is part of the squad and when a new coach comes in, everyone starts with a clean slate. Each player will have to prove himself. As for young players, quite a few were integrated last season. At the end of the day, if they’re good enough and prove themselves, they’ll play. I had no hesitations or conditions before returning.”

Another player who has struggled mightily is Matías Nahuel, but Bachar didn’t want to single out any one player, “I don’t want to talk about one specific player, but it’s a different team now. It’s a more physical and intense squad and we’ll need to use that to our advantage. There are still a lot of good things and we hope to see them already on Saturday. There’s no need to look too far ahead as football is dynamic. You can set goals and suddenly they change. We’ll see where things go and then set the goals.”

During his time away from the sidelines, Bachar went to visit a number of other coaches, two of which who previously were in charge of Maccabi Tel Aviv, “I used the time to attend coaching courses with Peter Bosz and Paulo Sousa, they exposed me to their philosophy and I took things I’ll use. It was the first year I didn’t start as a player or a coach, but sometimes you need that. It was a good time to clear my head and maybe, in the end, things happen for the best. I’ve learned and I’m coming back with full energy.”