The headaches of a football coach.

Oh yes.

There are many times when those are good headaches and there are as many or even more when they are pretty painful ones.

In the case of Barak Itzhaki and his Beitar Jerusalem, he’s got some good headaches to deal with. Multiple quality players at the same positions, especially now defensive backs, the lack of a contract for the next season as well as the fact that the yellow-and-black are winless in their past five matches and need to get back onto the winning track. However, that is easier said than done with Maccabi Netanya also needing a win as they are in the hunt for a championship playoff spot.

There are a multitude of defensive backs that can all provide Itzhaki with a quality solution any given game when they are all available. Last week, that was not the case as both Yarden Cohen and Grigori Morozov were out due to yellow card accumulation, but they are now back and will join a cadre that includes, Roie Elimelech, Gil Cohen who can also play as a central defender as well as Nana Antwi who just joined the squad.

Cohen has been one of the top left backs in the league so far this season while Morozov and Elimelech play on the right but neither had been able to earn Itzhaki’s 110% confidence in their abilities. Antwi usually plays on the right but ended up starting on the left side in his stellar debut just last week (Gil Cohen started on the right) which pleased the bench boss.

“Honestly, he surprised me a lot in the match he played,” an upbeat Itzhaki said. “He hadn’t played consistently and had a minor injury, but in his debut he came into a very intense match with an incredible atmosphere. I’m sure he’s already understood where he arrived after just one game. I was very pleased with how he played and his physical condition. But this is just one game and we have a long way ahead of us and he along with the rest of the guys must continue playing with intensity and the goals will come.”

While Antwi will certainly be an upgrade on Arial Mendy when it comes to defensive backs, Morozov, who has had his ups and downs and has looked shaky at times defensively scored a pair of goals in as many games before he had to sit out the Maccabi Tel Aviv matchup.

“I want to give big compliments to our assistant coach,” Morozov exclaimed. “I just followed his instructions and he told me to go into the box which worked out in these cases, but if we are scoring at any time then we are getting the job done.”

With the addition of another quality back, Itzhaki knows that this now gives him another solid option at his fingertips and that does create a headache for any coach, “It’s a positive headache because you always need to choose the best players. When you have two players for every position, it’s a positive problem. Competition is always good for every player, even for the starters. When someone is pushing you from behind and waiting for his opportunity, it raises your level. It’s important for a team to have at least two players in every position.”

Morozov shared his thoughts on having more competition for playing time, “If we are talking about a big team, I think every team should have large squad and the coach can decide who are ready to give best results. I was never afraid of competition. I think every player would choose a team that is at the top of the table and perhaps play a little bit less but play for a club that has a good atmosphere than a lesser side but have the opportunity to play 90 minutes. I believe every player would choose to play less but have the chance to fight for the titles.”

Another headache for Itzhaki, or at least one that many believe is a headache is the fact that he has yet to sign a contract extension for the next season and beyond. It should be noted Itzhaki isn’t the only head coach that is in the same predicament as the same is true for a number of bench bosses around the league including Maccabi Haifa’s Barak Bachar and Ronny Deila at Maccabi Tel Aviv to name a couple.

However, Itzhaki explained that he is not concerned in the least, “Every situation is different and every club operates in its own way. I think it’s coincidental that many coaches currently don’t have signed contracts. For us, there’s no option right now, but that doesn’t matter. I feel good, the club feels good, and I’m very happy to be here. My relationship with the management is excellent and we’ll find the right solution at the right time. For now, both the club and I have decided to continue this way and everything will be fine.”

Right now, contract extension or no contract extension, Itzhaki has got to find a way to pick up a win and that’s the goal right now, win and end the five game winless slump. Beitar has played better the past couple of matches which gives a positive vibe, but they’ve got to put the ball into the back of the goal and get back onto the winning track should they even want to entertain taking home the championship.

Itzhaki’s squad find themselves 6 points back of table leaders Hapoel Beer Sheva and are currently two points ahead of Maccabi Tel Aviv who leapfrogged Hapoel Tel Aviv who are 3-points behind Beitar. It’s tight and very close, too close for comfort.

“As we prepare, we’re not looking at previous games against Netanya, but more at how we performed in recent matches,” Itzhaki explained. “I think even in the game in Hapoel Beer Sheva, which we lost, I saw many good things. Certainly after the game against Maccabi Tel Aviv, which unfortunately ended in a disappointing draw, the performance there was excellent. We need to continue the level of football we’ve shown in recent weeks, because we’re doing things the right way. I’m sure the goals will come, because they already have come. It’s not that the players don’t know how to score, they know how. We have many quality attacking players here and it’s just a matter of a bit more confidence and it will go in.”

“We are creating chances,” the bench boss continued. “Of course, I always ask how we can create more, but if we weren’t reaching opportunities or if our play was passive, then there would be reason for concern. I’m confident these players will score more goals before the end of the season. If we continue this way, the results will come too.”