Beitar Jerusalem Faces Intense Pressure After Poor Start to Season

Beitar Jerusalem is under significant pressure following a dismal start to the season, culminating in a 3-0 loss to Hapoel Tel Aviv on Sunday. The team has conceded seven goals in their first two matches, leading to boos from the fans during a post-game acknowledgment. This poor performance has intensified scrutiny on coach Almog Cohen, despite owner Barak Abramov's public backing.

Abramov stated that Cohen has a contract for three more years and cautioned against judging the team's season after only two games. He emphasized that the club has provided the coaching staff with all requested players and has a substantial budget of 79 million shekels, with player salaries at 33 million shekels, noting it's the highest since the days of Arcadi Gaydamak. Abramov also defended former coach Barak Itzhaki, stating that success and failure cannot be solely attributed to one person.

Cohen acknowledged the team's catastrophic performance against Maccabi Netanya and the disappointing start to the league. He expressed full motivation to overcome the challenge, stating that increased pressure only fuels his drive. Cohen also indicated the club would sign one more player.

Criticism has also been directed at key players, including Omer Atzili and Yarden Shua, who have struggled to perform. Atzili admitted that the previous loss to Netanya had damaged the team's confidence but expressed belief in their ability to recover. He stressed that the entire team needs to improve and that the best way to exit the crisis is to win their upcoming match against Bnei Sakhnin on Monday.