Nashat Akram outlines reasons for draw with Oman in Gulf Cup 27

Former Iraqi national team star Nashat Akram has raised a significant question regarding one of Australian coach Graham Arnold's selections in the match between the Lions of Mesopotamia and Oman, which ended in a 1-1 draw in the first round of the Gulf Cup 'Gulf 27' in Saudi Arabia.

This match was Arnold's first appearance in the Gulf Championships, as he had never played in this tournament before, despite his previous experiences with the national teams of Australia and Iraq in the Asian qualifiers, the Asian Cup, and the World Cup.

Nashat Akram stated: "The Iraq national team had complete control in the first 20 minutes against Oman, and all indicators suggested that the team was capable of achieving a big result of three or four goals, in terms of possession, positioning, and available attacking solutions."

He added: "The players Mohamed Qassem, Hassan Abdulkarim, and Ayman Hussein, in addition to the midfielders and full-backs, were very impressive in the first half. The team's shape was wonderful, and the way they built the attack and finished it was very beautiful, which is what we are used to with Arnold."

Akram continued: "After the 20th minute, there was a clear collapse in the performance of the Iraq national team. I felt as if the players were saturated and assured of the result, as if they were certain of victory and that the score would increase further. However, the Oman national team gradually came back, and if we look at the last five minutes of the first half, we will see that Oman began to improve and impose their style."

He added: "In the second half, possession was completely Omani, both in terms of spread and danger. The introduction of Ali Jassim created some movement and gave the team something offensively, but overall I think the point is good considering the mistakes made by some players."

The former Iraq star pointed out that the national team has good players and outstanding youth, but there are questions regarding some tactical choices, stating: "The presence of Hassan Abdulkarim represents a very big question mark. The player was not included in the squad selected for the Gulf Championship, then a player is excluded and he comes back to participate as a starter, this raises a big question."

"I want to ask coach Arnold how he thinks? I see Hassan Abdulkarim as a very special player and he was one of the stars of the national team, but I want to know the reasons that made the coach not call him up initially and then call him up later and start him."

Akram concluded his remarks by saying: "Mohammed Qassem was outstanding and I would have preferred him to continue in the match. We have good players on the bench like Youssef Al-Nasrawi and Ahmed Qassem, both of whom are exceptional players. I don't want to rush to judge the coach, but there are mistakes I hope will be addressed, because the Gulf Championship is different, and the Iraqi fans want to win and compete strongly."

It is noted that the starting lineup that Arnold relied on against Oman completely lacked any professional players from Europe, as he depended on players from the Iraqi Premier League alongside the duo from Pakhtakor, Ayman Hussein and Zaid Tahsin. This has ignited widespread debate in Iraqi sports circles regarding the coach's policy in dealing with professionals.