Graham Arnold raises ambition ahead of Gulf Cup 27

Australia's Graham Arnold, the coach of the Iraq national team, has raised the ambitions of the players and Iraqi fans ahead of the departure of the Black Falcons to Saudi Arabia to participate in the Gulf Cup "Gulf 27", which kicks off on September 23.

Our national team is in a strong Group A alongside hosts Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Kuwait. They will begin their campaign against the Oman national team on the 23rd of this month at 5:30 PM at the Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium in Jeddah.

Arnold said at the press conference announcing the Iraq squad: "I want the players' passion for representing the Iraqi national team to be 100%, and if that percentage is lower, I refuse to have the player in the team."

He added: "I met with the Iraqi Football Association and their enthusiasm for the tournament was truly remarkable. We are going to the Gulf Cup to win the title, not just to participate or prepare for the Asian Cup. When you represent the national team, you must give your best, whether the tournament is friendly or official."

The Australian coach added: "In my coaching career, I have never entered a tournament without competing for it, and if I say that Iraq will not compete for the Gulf Cup title, that would be a disgrace to me and a disgrace to Iraq, because I must respect the country I represent."

He stated: "Unfortunately, the regulations of the Gulf tournament made our task difficult, and we faced challenges due to the injury of a large number of players just days before announcing the squad. We made one change by replacing right-back Hussein Ali with Mohammad Dlawar."

Arnold explained: "We notice that 50% of the players who were present at the World Cup are not in the current squad, and I made sure to include a young player and an experienced one in each position. I chose the players based on their readiness, and the domestic competitions made me realize that there are many faces that deserve to be included. I have also seen significant development in the Iraqi Premier League, and the players are performing excellently despite playing in high temperatures."

He continued: "There was no media pressure or from anyone regarding my selections; I chose the entire squad myself without any interference. The preliminary list included 35 players, allowing for the replacement of 5 players in addition to the injured player. I made 6 changes, the last of which was substituting Hussein Ali for Mohammad Dalawer based on the medical report that confirmed he needed surgery."

He added: "The goalkeepers are chosen by the goalkeeping coach, we have the experienced Ahmad Basel and the rest of the goalkeepers are new faces. All players will get a chance to participate, and the group that has been selected carries a clear message: you must play with your club to have a chance with the national team. I informed the federation that we have a problem in some positions, specifically at centre-back and the striker position number 9."

He concluded his remarks: "I have excluded Marco Faraj and Imar Sher because I want to see other players and give them the opportunity. For example, in midfield, I want to see Haidar Abdul Karim, and the Gulf 27 is a good opportunity for that. My message to the fans is to be positive; I enjoyed my experience with Iraq in the World Cup and we learned from what happened there, and now we are building the future of Iraq through the national team, local competitions, and age groups."