Beitar Jerusalem Faces Foreign Player Selection Dilemma After Second Straight Win

Beitar Jerusalem secured their second consecutive victory on Tuesday, defeating Maccabi Petah Tikva 3-1 at Bloomfield Stadium. Despite initial criticism following two opening losses, the team appears to be regaining momentum. The offense, led by Omer Atzili, performed strongly, with Giovane Kalo and Sean Weissman adding firepower, and Tomer Yosefi contributing two assists in what was described as his best game since joining the club.

Defensively, however, the team still shows weaknesses. Beitar played without their regular full-backs, Yarden Cohen and Nana Owusu, and while they managed to secure three points, the coach acknowledged that the defense needs improvement. Owusu is expected to return for the upcoming match against Hapoel Haifa on Saturday, while Cohen will be sidelined until after the international break.

The potential return of Owusu, along with the inclusion of new foreign signings Alexis Serrano and Ori Azu, presents a significant challenge for the coach. For the first time this season, he must decide which foreign players will not be included in the matchday squad. Unlike last season, when it was clear who would be left out, this year the coach has many players he values, making the decision more difficult.

Beitar Jerusalem has decided to dress only seven foreign players to qualify for a league grant for teams that field seven foreigners. This means that three players who did not dress for the recent match will be included in the squad for the game against Hapoel Haifa, with one foreign player and two other bench players being excluded.

"The competition is not just for the starting eleven, but now also for who dresses, and that's how it should be in a big club," the coach stated. While it might be easiest to exclude Liel Darai and Nevo Shadu, the coach anticipates that even players who have seen significant playing time this season may soon find themselves unable to dress for matches.