Lebanon coach Theo Bucker says "pressing and playing" is the secret to his side's success after an under-strength line-up defeated Iraq 1-0 in a friendly in Sidon on Sunday.'
The Cedars were without overseas-based stars Roda Antar, Hassan Maatouk and Youssef Mohammad but produced a cohesive display which won the praises of the German boss who has all but guided the team to the final round of World Cup qualifying for the first time ever.
"I have always told the players when they step onto the field every single player should know what their role is and that of their team-mate," Becker told The Daily Star after Sunday's win.
“This expression was our aim in training ever since our first training session [in August].
“What we have to do is to get away from thinking 4-4-2 and 4-3-3; this is all [nonsense], my system is ‘P and P’, pressing and playing. This is the secret to our success.”
Bucker continued on describing the brand of football which has worked so well for Lebanon in their stunning 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign.
“This [giving away possession] is forbidden in football. Based on our performance I’m not completely happy because we are able to play better," he said.
"In the future we want to transfer the play with more speed. If there is no safe pass we don’t play a pass.”
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