Milutinovic is priming his new side at a training camp in Qatar [AFP]

That ability will be tested again when the team play in next month's Confederations Cup in South Africa, and Iraqis back home are pulling no punches in their assessment of the Lions barely two years after their shock Asian Cup win.

"We are very mad at them," Hareth Hassan, who has been a refugee in his own country since the United States-led invasion of 2003, told Al Jazeera from Baghdad.

"The mood on the streets of Iraq is very pessimistic towards our football team."

Iraq will be competing in the tournament – which brings together the six continental champions, World Cup holders and hosts – for the first time in their history.

The Iraqis, dubbed the Lions of the Two Rivers by their obsessive fans, have been drawn into a group with South Africa, European champions Spain, and New Zealand.

Miracles

"Despite our recent losses, all Iraqis dream of more miracles from our players during these difficult times," says Hassan, who still makes his way to Iraqi stadiums to support his favourite club, Air Force FC.

The Serb is the only manager to have led five different teams in the World Cup, but for him, his position with the Iraqis marks a special time in his career.

"This is the biggest challenge in my career, and I'm sure that with Iraqi players, we can accomplish something special," Milutinovic told Al Jazeera in Qatar, where the Iraqi team is holding a one-month training camp before travelling to Johannesburg.

He said he was driven to the job by the sight of "many children in the streets that train and play football in the face of amazing conditions."

World pedigree

The 64-year-old Milutinovic, dubbed "the Miracle Worker," has managed several modest teams into second round showings at the World Cup with teams like Mexico, Costa Rica, the United States, and Nigeria.

A British soldier plays football with a boy outside Basra in April [GALLO/GETTY]

"It's very easy – all you have to do is score one more goal than the other team," said Milutinovic.

"You need to play intelligently, and realise who you are playing against."

More than one team in the history of football has forgotten these basic principles, and Milutinovic feels that, with his experience and the high calibre of Iraqi players, he will be able to deliver another Iraqi shock to the footballing world following their 2007 Asian triumph.

"The most important thing in any game is your attitude. If it's positive, and there is good communication, then anything is possible," he said.

Milutinovic does acknowledge that after six years of war, Iraq faces more difficult obstacles than most other footballing nations.

"I have tremendous admiration for Iraqis when they play or watch football in the face of very difficult conditions," he said.

"We need to remain positive and move forward, we don't have the time and luxury to be negative, we have to prepare a good team and make sure everyone is on the same page, so we can do something good for the people of Iraq."

Domestic troubles

As a result of the lack of security and the absence of many basic services throughout the country, the Iraqi domestic league struggles with securing the minimum requirements for a professional competition.

This season the Asian Football Confederation, demoted Iraqi clubs from the Asian Champions League to the less prestigious Asian Cup.

Alaa Abdul Zahra, a prolific young striker with the Iraqi squad, started his professional career with Iraqi giants Al Zawraa, but currently plies his trade with Al Khor in the Qatar Stars League (QSL).

"We just can't play in the Iraqi league anymore," the 21-year-old told Al Jazeera.

"It was one of the strongest throughout the continents, and has produced several great footballing legends."

But for players like Abdul Zahra, playing outside Iraq is more a matter of necessity than a personal choice.

Exiles under fire

"I strive to eventually play in top flight European football, but for now, I am happy with my club and enjoy playing in the world class venues of the Qatari league," he said.

The presence of so many prominent Iraqi players in the QSL, including team captain Younis Mahmoud, has been a source of great controversy throughout Iraq.

Many media pundits and fans squarely put the blame on the Qatari-based players for the team's exit from World Cup qualifications against Qatar, hinting they intentionally played below their abilities out of fear for losing their lucrative contracts in the QSL.

The Al Iraqia Sport channel was inundated with angry callers and was flooded with expletive-ridden messages after Iraq's 1-0 loss to Qatar in Dubai that ultimately sealed their elimination.

Many of the participants demanded the removal of all players based outside the country and replacing them with domestic players despite their lack of experience.

Bassim Abbas, Iraq's flamboyant left back, admits that there was a lack of unity within the squad, which he also blames for the team's disappointing showing in January's Gulf Cup in Oman.

For Iraq 

However, he wholeheartedly rejects the notion that any players intentionally gave up, saying: "There is no place for that within the team."

"When we play, we put Iraq in front of our eyes, and play solely for the purpose of bringing joy to the Iraqi people," he said.

"With the right preparation, and through the perseverance of the players, we can meet and challenge any team."

Abbas was part of the Asian Cup winning side, beating continental giants like Australia, South Korea, and Saudi Arabia along the way.

Regardless of several external and internal factors, the Iraqi squad remains positive and seems buoyant ahead of the Confederations Cup kick-off on June 14.

Millions of Iraqi fans will once again convene in coffee shops throughout the country, or huddle around television sets in their own homes to follow the exploits of their national team in South Africa.

Since 2003, hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have died and millions more have been forced to leave the country out of fear for their life.

Football hope

For most, football provides a respite from the violence and provides a glimmer of hope for the future of Iraq.

Younis Mahmoud and Abbas celebrate against Portugal in 2004 [GALLO/GETTY]

Mohammed Ghazi, an Iraqi living and working in the United Arab Emirates, is part of a group of supporters heading to the tournament to support their team.

"I made a promise to myself during the 2007 Asian Cup that if Iraq wins the tournament, they surely deserve to be supported in the Confederations Cup," he told Al Jazeera.

Ghazi, who plans on taking the journey with his wife, said: "Football is what keeps people going in Iraq.

"Never has a sport or any other event united Iraqis the way football has.

"Football means a lot to Iraqis, it puts smiles on faces in times where a smile is really hard to find."