The international coach and lecturer, Omar Al-Hammadi, confirmed that the Iraqi national team coach, the Spanish Jesus Casas, bears responsibility for the loss of the “Mesopotamian Lions” of the title they won in the “Gulf 25”, which was held in 2023 in Basra, indicating that the modest technical leadership and the lack of stability in a fixed formation On the part of Coach Casas, they contributed to the Iraqi team’s farewell to the “Gulf 26” competitions currently being held in Kuwait in the first round.
The Iraqi national team had suffered two losses against Bahrain (0-2) and against Saudi Arabia (1-3), while it achieved a single victory over Yemen with a clean goal, bidding farewell to “Gulf 26” from the first round, and losing the title it held.
Al-Hammadi told Emirates Al-Youm: “The technical performance of the Iraqi team in (Gulf 26) surprised the sports community, and was not equivalent to the performance that the team presented in the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, and in (Gulf 25). I believe that the coach’s lack of stability on one squad during the three matches, as well as his lack of stability on a specific playing style, directly affected the technical stability of the team, and led it to unexpected results and an uninteresting technical performance that angered its fans.”
Al-Hammadi added: “The other teams that faced (the Mesopotamian Lions) benefited from the lack of psychological preparation of the players before the tournament to overcome them in this aspect, and this was clearly demonstrated in the match with Bahrain, which demonstrated the superiority of (the Bahraini Red) in terms of digital statistics, including shots towards goal. While most of the Iraqi players’ shots were far from the goal.”
He pointed out that “the failure to include some influential players who play in European leagues due to their association with their clubs, including the professional in the English Ipswich Town team, Ali Al-Hammadi, along with other players in the Iraqi league, had a negative impact on the overall performance, as well as the failure of coach Casas in finding methods.” The lifting of the close supervision imposed on the team’s top scorer, Ayman Hussein, greatly influenced the Iraqi team’s early farewell to the Gulf Cup.”
Al-Hammadi concluded: “The team’s players were affected by psychological pressure, which resulted from the desire of the Iraqi football fans to maintain the title, in addition to the harsh criticism of the team in some Iraqi media.”
It is noteworthy that coach Casas mentioned in media statements that his goal in participating in (Gulf 26) was to try out some players, but in return he included players who had not participated with the national team for many years, such as the player Ali Adnan.
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