{"id":168786,"date":"2026-01-25T08:36:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-25T08:36:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/?p=168786"},"modified":"2026-01-25T08:42:38","modified_gmt":"2026-01-25T08:42:38","slug":"of-course-its-fun-but-that-kind-of-fun-can-sometimes-be-dangerous-barak-itzhakis-beitar-jerusalem-cautiously-approach-tough-away-match-at-ashdod","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/en\/of-course-its-fun-but-that-kind-of-fun-can-sometimes-be-dangerous-barak-itzhakis-beitar-jerusalem-cautiously-approach-tough-away-match-at-ashdod\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;Of course it\u2019s fun, but that kind of fun can sometimes be dangerous&#8221; Barak Itzhaki&#8217;s Beitar Jerusalem cautiously approach tough away match at Ashdod"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cOf course it\u2019s fun [to be in the position that we are in], but that kind of fun can sometimes be dangerous. You can\u2019t get carried away. You have to stay grounded and at the same time push ourselves even harder and raise the level because in moments like these, you can\u2019t afford to blink.\u201d \u2013 Beitar Jerusalem Barak Itzhaki, ahead of his club\u2019s match at Ashdod.<\/p>\n<p>Beitar Jerusalem heads to Ashdod for clash at the port city on Sunday (20:15 Israel time) as the yellow-and-black will look to remain in first place after Hapoel Beer Sheva defeated Kiryat Shemona 3-2 and moved back to the top of the table. Ashdod has always been a tough team to play especially when the match is being held at the Yud Alef Stadium, one of the old time facilities in the country and features one of the most difficult pitches to play on. <\/p>\n<p>Earlier this season in a game that was held at Teddy Stadium in the capital city, the port city side held Beitar to a goalless draw as the teams split the points. While that team was managed by Haim Silvas who was let go a few weeks ago Ashdod will no doubt still be a threat to steal a point or perhaps even three should the yellow-and-black not be 110% focused on the task at hand.<br \/>\n<div id=\"attachment_168790\" style=\"width: 2570px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-168790\" src=\"https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_1113-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" class=\"size-full wp-image-168790\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_1113-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_1113-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_1113-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_1113-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_1113-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w, https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_1113-610x458.jpeg 610w, https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_1113-1080x810.jpeg 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-168790\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Barak Itzhaki &#8211; Photo credit: The Sports Rabbi<\/p><\/div><br \/>\nJust as Itzhaki said, this kind of fun can be dangerous and that\u2019s what he has been really working on as his team will look to record another positive result. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere are matches that can be very tricky for us,\u201d Itzhaki began. \u201cSo we need to arrive focused, especially against a team coming off a run of results and after a coaching change. We need to be very concentrated, especially in Ashdod\u2019s stadium, where it\u2019s never easy to play. Ashdod are known as a strong home team, and we don\u2019t want this to be a game where they show their best football. We saw that in the first round, so we have to come at peak readiness.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Itzhaki has been to the Ashdod Stadium many a times as a player and most recently as a head coach, so he is well aware as to what kind of challenging matchup this is going to be. Even with a victory, which would put them back in first place by 3-points over Beer Sheva, he also knows that the season is only halfway done and there\u2019s plenty of football left to be played in order to walk away with the coveted championship.<br \/>\n<div id=\"attachment_168796\" style=\"width: 2570px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-168796\" src=\"https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_9074-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" class=\"size-full wp-image-168796\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_9074-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_9074-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_9074-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_9074-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_9074-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w, https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_9074-610x458.jpeg 610w, https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_9074-1080x810.jpeg 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-168796\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo credit: The Sports Rabbi<\/p><\/div><br \/>\n\u201cOf course, there\u2019s a long way to go. We\u2019re at the midpoint of the league, there\u2019s still a lot ahead of us. That\u2019s why we\u2019re not looking far ahead, only at the next match, Sunday in Ashdod. To keep progressing, we need to focus on the upcoming game and nothing beyond that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This Matchday saw Beer Sheva already in action as they took out Kiryat Shemona and moved back into first place, at least for the time being. Some weeks it\u2019s Beitar playing before Beer Sheva and some are exact opposite which in theory creates a very different dynamic but regardless at the end of the day each team has got to play on each Matchday and the schedule maker will always look tout the more attractive game on at the best time. <\/p>\n<p>To Itzhaki, it really doesn\u2019t make a difference, \u201cSome times they play first and sometimes we play first but we have to do things as best as possible in order to bring the right results.\u201d<br \/>\n<div id=\"attachment_168792\" style=\"width: 2570px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-168792\" src=\"https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_9062-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" class=\"size-full wp-image-168792\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_9062-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_9062-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_9062-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_9062-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_9062-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w, https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_9062-610x458.jpeg 610w, https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_9062-1080x810.jpeg 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-168792\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo credit: The Sports Rabbi<\/p><\/div><br \/>\nBeitar is still playing in the both the Israeli league and the State Cup and has added depth to their squad with the signing of Boris Enow and Gonzales which will for sure come in handy as the season heads into the title race in full force. The more quality players, the merrier as that will allow Itzhaki more options which will no question come in handy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t look at it as 7\u20138 players who will always be on the pitch or playing rotations. Every match has its own circumstances and my perspective is what\u2019s right to do in order to win that game. Whether it\u2019s league, cup, or fixture congestion, ultimately, I want to set up the lineup and make substitutions that are best for that specific match. Whoever is in good form plays.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When Hapoel Tel Aviv scored late in their game against Hapoel Beer Sheva to take a dramtic win that gave Beitar sole possession of first place, there were plenty of yellow-and-black faithful who were thrilled and overjoyed with the result and that included the bench boss. Itzhaki was actually taking part in a family event but that still didn\u2019t mean he wasn\u2019t tuned in to the action at Bloomfield Stadium.<br \/>\n<div id=\"attachment_168798\" style=\"width: 2570px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-168798\" src=\"https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_9078-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" class=\"size-full wp-image-168798\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_9078-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_9078-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_9078-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_9078-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_9078-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w, https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_9078-610x458.jpeg 610w, https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_9078-1080x810.jpeg 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-168798\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo credit: The Sports Rabbi<\/p><\/div><br \/>\n\u201cHonestly, I didn\u2019t watch the full game live because I was at my father\u2019s birthday, which is a bit more important, but I stayed updated and watched parts of it. I like watching Israeli football, all of the games here interest me and I\u2019ll also be heading to the Hapoel Jerusalem and Hapoel Petach Tikva match after the practice.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps most importantly, Itzhaki is taking it one match at a time, just like when he was winning championships as a player with Maccabi Tel Aviv. That attitude is something that he has continued to convey from  day one of this current season as he wants to see his players just focus on what is at hand and nothing more than that. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m only looking at Sunday\u2019s match in Ashdod. The players know that too. Our biggest focus is the next match, a super significant, super tough and very important game. I\u2019m sure the support from our fans will be tremendous.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cOf course it\u2019s fun [to be in the position that we are in], but that kind of fun can sometimes be dangerous. You can\u2019t get carried away. You have to stay grounded and at the same time push ourselves even harder and raise the level because in moments like these, you can\u2019t afford to blink.\u201d [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":168788,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[55],"class_list":["post-168786","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-football-israel-2","tag-beitar-jerusalem","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>&quot;Of course it\u2019s fun, but that kind of fun can sometimes be dangerous&quot; Barak Itzhaki&#039;s Beitar Jerusalem cautiously approach tough away match at Ashdod - Sports Rabbi<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/en\/of-course-its-fun-but-that-kind-of-fun-can-sometimes-be-dangerous-barak-itzhakis-beitar-jerusalem-cautiously-approach-tough-away-match-at-ashdod\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"&quot;Of course it\u2019s fun, but that kind of fun can sometimes be dangerous&quot; Barak Itzhaki&#039;s Beitar Jerusalem cautiously approach tough away match at Ashdod - Sports Rabbi\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u201cOf course it\u2019s fun [to be in the position that we are in], but that kind of fun can sometimes be dangerous. 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You have to stay grounded and at the same time push ourselves even harder and raise the level because in moments like these, you can\u2019t afford to blink.\u201d [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/en\/of-course-its-fun-but-that-kind-of-fun-can-sometimes-be-dangerous-barak-itzhakis-beitar-jerusalem-cautiously-approach-tough-away-match-at-ashdod\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sports Rabbi\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-01-25T08:36:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-25T08:42:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/s.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"633\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Joshua Halickman\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Joshua Halickman\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sportsrabbi.com\\\/en\\\/of-course-its-fun-but-that-kind-of-fun-can-sometimes-be-dangerous-barak-itzhakis-beitar-jerusalem-cautiously-approach-tough-away-match-at-ashdod\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sportsrabbi.com\\\/en\\\/of-course-its-fun-but-that-kind-of-fun-can-sometimes-be-dangerous-barak-itzhakis-beitar-jerusalem-cautiously-approach-tough-away-match-at-ashdod\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Joshua Halickman\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sportsrabbi.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/10150053309b5bf124d40c3812a32bf0\"},\"headline\":\"&#8220;Of course it\u2019s fun, but that kind of fun can sometimes be dangerous&#8221; 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