Soon we will go far

The two great advantages of Beitar last season, which brought it a touch away from a championship, were its amazing crowd and a healthy dressing room, devoid of ego, operating like one big family. Anyone who remembers the joint pictures of Shua and Yarin Levi, the praise for Atzili and Ziv Ben Shimol, and the exemplary silence after losses, understood that this goes beyond football. This camaraderie has been preserved. The problem is that two players have been added to the front line, each hungry for statistics. Shon Weissman wants to make a mark in a big team, and Eugene Ansah arrived to be a tail to lions. This creates a pentagon of players hoping to be the address of the last ball: Ansah, Weissman, Kalo, Atzili, and Shua. Almog Cohen will have to be a surgeon, balancing his stars for the benefit of the team. In Larnaca against AEK, Weissman was furious about not receiving passes, Atzili was unhappy with his substitution, and Cohen scolded Shua for lack of movement. Cohen needs a strategy where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Otherwise, Beitar will be in trouble.
For too many years there has not been a defender here at the level of Luka Gadrani. Gadrani is currently injured, but the leadership should worry more about his contract demands. The excellent Georgian, currently on 250,000 euros a year, wants 400,000 euros. This is a huge gap. Beitar could trap him, but he would remain frustrated and leave for free later. The test for Barak Abramov is to show he can keep the anchors Beitar earned with wisdom. Beitar cannot find a suitable replacement for Gadrani and cannot afford a top-level defender who is counting the minutes until the end of the season.
Almog Cohen has not yet decided on the last foreign player. He needs a replacement for Gadrani and Krivalli, as Uri Dahan and Gil Cohen do not meet his needs. On the other hand, Beitar lost a championship last season due to softness in the midfield. Adding a foreign midfielder would hurt the minutes of Vorku, Yona, Yosefi, and Ben Shimol. Cohen might look for a player who can play both as a defensive midfielder and a defender. Beitar cannot rely solely on Boris Ino as a number 6, as he alone will not withstand the burden of an entire season.
The Toto Cup game against Hapoel Tel Aviv and the away game in Larnaca proved that Beitar has an impressive arsenal and room for maneuver. The problem is that a squad with so much talent will have to fight for every minute on the grass. This competition can bring out the best in players, but it could also lead to some seeking an escape path from Beit VeGan in January.

Champions: The Hapoel women's team achieved a first European victory. In a third-place match in Greece, Hapoel Jerusalem women's team defeated Buducnost (Montenegro) 1-0, thanks to a goal by the Brazilian Jaili.

The revolution in Hapoel's squad is justified, but without "tie-breakers," Lior Zada will have difficulty upgrading the red-blacks. Selling John Otumao to Reims for 1.6 million euros was an offer that could not be refused, and signing Vitalie Damascan is a power addition. But Hapoel must realize that Israeli football is moving forward; they cannot fill the squad with players who are only potential. They need proven league players. Lior Zada said after the loss to Netanya: "I want to see a united Hapoel Jerusalem that attacks. We still need players in midfield and attack. We are patient, we will strengthen with another three or four players." Blessed is the believer.

On a thin rope. The Israel Festival recreated the tightrope walk of Philippe Petit from 1987. On the evening of Tu B'Av, four aerial artists walked over the Hinnom Valley in a breathtaking display of synchronization and danger, held in cooperation with the Jerusalem Municipality and the Jerusalem Foundation.