The assistant coach of the Olympic team, Haider Jabbar, confirmed that the limited participation of several players in league matches with their clubs has affected the team's performance during their friendly match against Lebanon, which ended in a draw (1-1) and was held at the Nasiriyah International Stadium.
Jabbar told the Iraqi News Agency (INA): "The current gathering comes within the FIFA international match days, and we are playing friendly matches during it, amid limited training units. We focused on watching the players up close and testing some new elements."
He added that "most players do not get regular playing time with their clubs, and even those who participate do not play as starters, while some are limited to a few minutes, which affects their technical and physical readiness."
He clarified that "the coaching staff took these conditions into account, noting that the team appeared better in the second half after changes were made to the playing style, which positively reflected on the performance."
Jabbar indicated that "the team needs more time for training and to play trial matches and interact with different opponents to raise the level of cohesion and develop the players' performance."
He continued that "the upcoming friendly match against Lebanon represents another opportunity for the coaching staff to observe the players and assess their levels, particularly the new members who have joined the team and have not had the chance to participate with it before."