2024-03-20T14:58:55+00:00
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/ The Iraqi national football team’s coach, Jesus Casas, confirmed on Wednesday that the team’s next match against the Philippines is considered a gateway to qualifying for the next rounds in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
This came during the press conference for the match between the Iraqi national team and its Philippine counterpart, which was held in the conference hall of the Minawi Pasha Hotel in the city of Basra.
At the beginning of the conference, Casas spoke about the Mesopotamia Lions’ latest preparations before tomorrow’s confrontation, noting the importance of the match, and that it will be an opportunity and an important step towards qualifying for the next stage of the World Cup qualifiers.
He continued: “The opponent (the Philippines) is mysterious to us, and their coach is new, in addition to calling up a large number of new professional players, so we do not know much about them, and here lies the difficulty of the match,” stressing his keenness to work hard in order to have a team in which the audience will be present. The Iraqi is proud of him.
Regarding the absence of striker Ayman Hussein from the match and Ali Al Hammadi, and the extent to which the offensive line was affected by this, Casas ruled out any problem on the offensive side, adding: “We have a sufficient number of players with the presence of Ahmed Yassin, who plays as a striker with his team, as well as the ability of Ali Jassim, in addition to the presence of Muhannad Ali, and most important of all is for the team to be consistent.”
Casas confirmed the absence of Slovakia’s Czech professional, Mirjas Duski, due to a minor injury, but most important of all is for the players to confirm their desire to be present and express their responsibilities with the national team, and perhaps he may be ready and we will need him in the return match.
Regarding the national team’s defensive system, Casas explained that it does not concern the defenders alone, but rather the entire team is responsible, and the blame is not only on the defenders, but that defense begins from the front lines, and sometimes failure to adhere to duties affects the entire system, and the team that has With his offensive style and desire to score, there are often mistakes committed in the defensive third.
Casas concluded by saying that “the doors of the national team always remain open to the presence of any player,” adding: “We are following the Iraqi league, and our work team is making exceptional efforts in analysis, and our goal is for the task of selecting the final list to be difficult and not easy through the presence of… Many options in menu selection.