Beitar Jerusalem Faces Early Season Crisis After Second Straight Loss

Beitar Jerusalem is in a state of disappointment following their second defeat in just five days, losing 3-0 to Hapoel Tel Aviv on Thursday after a 4-0 thrashing by Maccabi Netanya last Saturday. With zero points and a 7-1 goal difference after two league matches, the pressure is mounting on the club, last season's runners-up.

Almog Cohen, who transitioned from professional director to coach, acknowledged the team's poor start. "We wanted to open the season much better, we need to be strong," Cohen stated, admitting that when things go wrong, "everything becomes much harder." He conceded that Hapoel Tel Aviv deserved their victory, calling them a "very strong team."

Cohen also addressed his move to coaching, saying he would eventually coach and thrives under pressure. He contrasted the team's "catastrophic" performance against Netanya with "excellent games" in Europe, but admitted their results and play have been lacking. He noted that the pressure intensified after the Netanya loss, and despite his attempts to calm the team, they "weren't good enough."

Owner Barak Abramov defended the coaching staff and players, stating that it's too early to make judgments after only two games. He expressed confidence in Cohen, emphasizing that the club has provided the professional team with the resources they requested, including players like Weissman, Yousefi, and Mucha, and has a player salary budget of 33 million shekels. Abramov confirmed Cohen's position is not in question.

On the opposing side, Hapoel Tel Aviv celebrated their first league win of the season after an opening draw. Coach Eliniiv Barda urged caution, stating, "We don't want to declare anything, we just want to improve from game to game." He acknowledged the team is listening to the market for potential reinforcements.