Cascas: All players are ready and I am not intimidated by Qatar
The press conference of the Iraqi coach Cascas was held today’s morning in Al Siyab hall in Manawi Basha Hotel prior to Iraq and Qatar Match in the Arabian Gulf 25 championship semifinals.
Cascas said: “qualifying would be a great honor to us, in the beginning of the championship we were lacking the confidence and we were receiving negative feedbacks but the players showed a high performance.”
He added: “Qatar is a big opponent that has names from the Mondial, but we are on our land and we are aiming to satisfy our audience, it would be a difficult match but we hope that luck would be on our side. “
The Iraqi player Mohammed Nazem said: “This match is different than the group stage matches, it is a difficult match, we thank Cascas for his great confidence. Qatar has experienced elements but our advantage is the audience and we will strive to make it happy.”
Cascas proceeded: “All players are well prepared; I am not intimidated by Qatar although it’s a good team. But we have to be careful from any mistakes that will cost us to leave the championship.”
He added: “I thank everyone, the hospitality was great but football always comes with surprises. When I saw the field full, I was thrilled because I haven’t seen something similar before, which is good and supportive. We face difficult moments in the matches and we need the support of our audience all the time.”
Nazim said: We found Cascas very supportive inside the field and out of it, there is a big mutual trust, he is a great support and the players responds very well. We require time to adapt and make results and I wish that the players will all perform well.”
Cascas also added: “The match relies on the physical aspect, therefore; I’ve worked on players rotation. If we reached to an extra time it’s going to get difficult and both teams will be exhausted.
He continued: “All players are key players, some of the players are better at some points. In the match I will rely on the 11 players suitable for the march and I might use other players in different matches. Each one of them has different personality therefore; all of them are mandatory. The game is very important, we are close to the finals and am taking every match separately. There is no doubt that Qatar is the most important team at this stage.”
Cascas confirmed: “The playing strategy depends on each player potential, in the match against Saudi Arabia we made some changes due to the bad weather conditions and the field floor, and change is an option depending on the opponent along with the condition of the players. Football is similar to life; you have to be open for a change.”
He concluded: “I am happy with the players and the improvement in their performance. There is no player who hasn’t put the effort in the last matches. Our goal is to reach to the finals, everybody here wants to win more than anyone else.”