Baghdad / Nina/ National football team coach Jesus Casas confirmed that he is keen to work hard in order to have a team that the Iraqi public will be proud of.
Casas spoke in the press conference for the match between our national team and the Philippines in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers at the Minawi Pasha Hotel in Basra, about the Mesopotamia Lions’ latest preparations before tomorrow’s confrontation, pointing out the importance of the match, and that it will be an opportunity and an important step towards qualifying for the next stage of the qualifiers. For the World Cup.
He said: “The opponent is vague 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.”
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 said: I do not think there is a problem on the offensive side. We have a sufficient number of players with the presence of Ahmed Yassin, who plays as a striker, as well as the ability of Ali Jassim, in addition to Muhannad Ali. Most important of all is that the team be consistent.
He pointed out the absence of Slovakia’s Czech professional Mirjas Doski due to a minor injury, noting: “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: “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 “A team that has an attacking style and a desire to score, there are often mistakes made in the defensive third.”
He stressed: “The doors of the national team always remain open to the presence of any player, and we follow the Iraqi league, and our work team makes exceptional efforts in analysis, and our goal is for the task of selecting the final list to be difficult and not easy, given the presence of many options in selecting the list.” ./I finish
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