“White” is more likely to qualify… and enthusiasm alone is not enough for Iraq

The former coach of the Iraqi and Ajman national teams, Abdul Wahab Abdul Qadir, confirmed that the UAE national team is considered the most likely to surpass its Iraqi counterpart in the elimination round of the Asian play-off to the 2026 World Cup finals, indicating that all nominations are in the interest of “Al-Abyad” due to the quality of the elements it includes compared to “Lions of Mesopotamia.”

The team will meet Iraq in the first leg next November 13 at Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, while the return match will be held on the 18 of the same month in Basra, and the winner of the two matches will advance to the global playoff.

He told “Emirates Al-Youm”: “The Iraqi team suffers from several technical problems on the field, especially in rapid defensive rebounds and weak reverse coverage. These errors appear collectively and individually at the same time, which makes the team lose its balance during matches.”

He added, “The enthusiasm and zeal that characterize Iraqi players does not necessarily represent an element of strength. If enthusiasm alone were enough, the Iraqi team would have qualified early in the last qualifiers, but it often retreats 10 minutes after the start of the match, and the team loses one of its most important strengths, which some of them see as a permanent weapon.”

The Iraqi coach considered that holding the return match in Basra would not be a real advantage for the “Lions of Mesopotamia,” saying: “This matter is exaggerated, because the location of the fans is outside the green rectangle and does not give a real advantage. The strong player is the one who can perform under any crowd influences and in any place.”

He pointed out that “the UAE national team has the technical capabilities that make it capable of reaching the World Cup,” explaining that “on paper, (the White) was supposed to qualify from the previous qualifiers without waiting for an additional stage, due to the presence of two or three players in each position, which gives it great technical depth compared to other teams, but the small details prevented it from achieving the expected results.”

He added: “Al-Abyad needs technical skill capable of employing this group of players and investing in them in the correct manner,” noting that “the performance it presented against Oman in the final stage qualifiers was very good thanks to organization and tactical discipline, while the Qatar match witnessed strange technical decisions represented by the exclusion of four players from the starting lineup without them participating for any minute, which caused a clear defect in the playing system.”

Abdul Qader continued that one of the most prominent things that was criticized against the UAE national team in its World Cup qualifiers was the lack of technical stability, saying: “Every match the Whites played with a different lineup without a permanent lineup, and this is an unhealthy phenomenon in football, because it weakens harmony and affects overall performance, even though the UAE national team, from my point of view, has become one of the best Asian teams at the individual level.”

Abdul Wahab Abdul Qader ruled out that there would be psychological effects on the national team players during the two Iraq matches, explaining that “the players are required to adhere to their dream and the dream of their country of being in the World Cup, regardless of any confusion surrounding the location of the last stage’s World Cup qualifiers.”

He explained that “the greatest responsibility lies with coach Olario Cosmin in terms of psychological preparation of the players through the training sessions that precede the matches,” considering that this aspect is no less important than the physical and technical preparation.

He concluded: “The smart coach is the one who prepares his players for all possible scenarios during the matches. The coach is like the student’s guardian who prepares his son to memorize the entire curriculum so that he can answer all the questions at the time of the exam, unlike the one who prepares his son for only part of the lessons, and he stumbles when unexpected questions are asked of him. This is also the case in football. The successful coach is the one who prepares his players for each. The situations they may face on the field.”

Former Iraq national team coach:

• The UAE national team has the technical capabilities that make it capable of reaching the 2026 World Cup.

• White needs technical skill capable of employing this constellation of players and investing in them properly.

• The greatest responsibility falls on Kuzmin in terms of psychologically preparing the players through the training sessions that precede the matches.