TEAM PREVIEW: IRAN

Iran - "Shirane Parsi – the Persian Lyons"

Overview: Iran’s existence behind an iron media curtain reinforced by the 40 year-old political rift does not help make the team less unpredictable. Enigmatic, Iran is undoubtedly always one of the most important and capable teams in Asia.

Former Real Madrid and Manchester United boss Carlos Queiroz has done much with mostly home grown talent, and bring them back to a World Cup where everyone on this side of the curtain will be expecting them to fail.

The objective: To surpass their memorable and brilliant World Cup campaign of 1998.

Population: 77 million

Ethnic Groups: 9 significant ones, of which Persians make up 61 per cent.

Registered Football Players: 478,337 (really high up there in the top at 20^th in the World with a big domestic league system)

 

Registered Football Clubs: 120

Most Successful Clubs: Sepahan, Esteghlal, Persepolis, Foolad

All Time Top Scorer: Ali Daei of Bayern fame with 109 goals in 149 games.

World Cup Performance: This is their 4^th participation (great 78, memorable 98, and disastrous 2006), out of 9 games they won 1, drew 2, and lost 6 with 6 goals for and 18 against.

Continental Performance:  3 time Asian champions and 4 third place, nothing of quality since 2004.

How they get their calories: Iranian cuisine is quite simply one of the most magnificent, and healthy in the world.

I would make a blog devoted to it so for purposes obvious here think succulent yoghurt marinated lamb, flavourful aubergine paste, pomegranates in everything, fresh herbs for aroma, and a fantastic rice culture. Mhost Khiar yoghurt with mint and cucumber is my favourite version of the Tsatsiki family. Saffron, thyme, coriander, sumac….

The national beer: 

Aromatic Cardamom tea, often served with saffron sugar on a stick.

Alcoholic beer used to be brewed and consumed in Iran until the 70s, but is illegal at the moment.

From the anthem:

As you would expect really, martyrs, clamour and imams:

Upwards on the horizon rises the Eastern Sun

The light in the eyes of the believers in justice

The Month of Bahman is the brilliance of our faith.

Your message, O Imam, of independence, and freedom, is imprinted on our souls

O Martyrs! Your clamours echo in the ears of time:

Enduring, continuing, and eternal,

The Islamic Republic of Iran

How to blend in with the fans:

This should be an interesting one, the large diaspora and the nationals are very different. In Iran the women were vales, outside if Iran there are stunning scantily clad brunettes in the stands which give the cameramen alternatives if the footy is not to 1998 standards.

Paint your face in the flag, and sunglasses are very popular. Whigs seems to be in fashion.

Basically the unique thing with Iran is the difference between the exiled multi-religious, often very secular Iranians and the ones at home under authoritarian rule. 

Its a striking difference, the ones abroad tend to really express their love for the country and remind us of the country's recent tragic history, the ones at home are passionate but a sharp contrast to that in terms of expression.

The stereotype:

Burkhas, conservative gruff men, evil DNA, and whatever else George Bush will tell you. Iran was a jewel of the world until the 1970s when excessive colonialism brought about a tragic revolution that brought in a religious dictatorship.

The football is always stereotyped as worse-than-is because the league is cut off and many Iranians never play abroad.

What their neighbours know:

The Iranian competitive and substantial Pro League produces good players, although just in the past 5-10 years this seems to have declined. Big goal scoring musclemen, fierce and disciplined defenders, and small technical and explosive wingers Iran has the capacity to surprise.

On the home front, Iran is known regionally to actually be a very diverse country, with minorities such as Greeks, Armenians and Zoroastrians, and a rather complex gene pool to boot. The fact that it’s a very mountainous country means that Iran is culturally and even politically quite decentralized.

How they qualified:

Quieroz has become very clinical in Asia with long undefeated streaks. Beating South Korea 1-0 away in Ulsan qualified them as top of Group A.

The sad: 

The politics off course. In 2009, 7 top Iranian players (Javad Nekounam, Ali Karimi, Kaebi, Shojaei, Nosrati, Vahid Hashemian, and Captain Mehdi Mahdavikia) wore green armbands in support of the pro-democratic and pro-secular movement. 

They were at first banned for life from the team, but some later returned. The Iranian government seems to have been a lot more cautious with football since then, and the event seems to correlate with a marked drop in quality.

The happy joy joy:

Definitively beating the US in 1998 in what is by many neutrals remembered as one of the most beautiful political-charged World Cup games in history.

An overview:

Queiroz has brought a clinical discipline to Iran, and they hold teams on their boring team defence before hitting their pacey forwards on the counterattack. This is how they play against weaker teams, and the likely tactic in Brazil this summer. Boring in principle, but in practice Iran is an exciting team to watch as their counterattacking prowess is very effective.

The team is currently too weak to get out of this very tough group, and in principle is one of the few “weaker” teams at the WC. But there is quality in the team, there are prospects waiting to burst on the scene, and there is a genuine passion for the game and to remind the world that Iran is a major footballing country… 

Queiroz has taken the team to a 1.5 month training camp in South Africa, this should bring results as it is a World Cup good practice in general. The defence, set pieces and counterattacking should all benefit.

Team Strength: Discipline and craft. A rigid defence with a diverse set of routes to goal make them a real counter-attacking threat.

Team Weakness: The fact that most of the team is home based will make them likely unable to sustain 90 minutes against the top teams like Argentina physically. They are also experiencing a generational change, and the same level of quality is no longer there.

The Goalkeeping Department: 4 – experienced and consistent 33 year old Rahman Ahmadi has the personality to do well, but his lack of athleticism means the defence has to protect him extensively. The backup goalkeepers Makani, Lak and Beiranvand all play well in Iran and all deserve to be there, but can they handle Argentine, Bosnian or Nigerian power?

I am marking down for lack of caps and experience especially (9 only for Ahmadi)

Defenders: 7 – whether they can handle Messi, Aguero, Dzeko, Emenike and co. remains to be seen, but Iran boasts a strong and experienced backline, with quick, sparky wingbacks to launch counterattacks. Hoseini is the indispensable rock around which the backline is anchored. I docked points for lack of experience which should lead to mistakes despite Queiroz getting a two month training camp in South Africa.

The middle: 6 - Javad Nekouman who had a successful number of years at Osasuna is the midfield anchor and deep-lying playmaker who is the heart of the team. There is talent in this formation, but too little international experience.

The attack: 4.5 –Isolated, they are fast but nothing extraordinary. Some talent is there in principle, but the lack of experience and strength should keep it in the can.

The coach:  Carlos Queiroz, the old Portuguese introvert failed at big clubs, failed (relatively) with Portugal but has done very well with Iran. Part of the deal was that he gets extra time with the national team in South Africa, and his counterattacking style is being hone to perfection there.

The Tactics: Sit and counterattack, the lack of top physical abilities in this team means there is little choice otherwise. They do this to great effect however, and the fast break and good team cohesion means I won’t be surprised if this actually works for them in Brazil.

Queiroz’s disciplined 451 even manages to be entertaining from time to time. The single forward works as a False 9, dropping in and playing in the rest of the midfield as it advances.

Everybody knows…. Ashkan Dejagah of Fulham. Well not really, but the explosive attacking midfielder has hit better form (albeit inconsistent) late in Fulham’s relegation-fighting season. Speed and power, with a hellish long shot Dejagah could be more fit for this category next World Cup J

Should be more famous….  Javad Nekouman, adored by Osasuna fans for his freekicks and headed goals, the midfield strongman is the heart of the Iran team. His 24 goals for Osasuna were often stunning, and a number of them came in European competition. Nekouman is a highly underrated player, but not in Iran where the Captain has 136 caps and 37 goals.

No one has heard off…  Sardar Azmoun is the country’s brightest young talent. The young 19-year-old attacker is still fighting to be a starter a Rubin Kazan, but Arsenal, Juventus and Bayern have sent scouts to watch him in Russia on a number of occasions. A wizard with a sizeable bag of tricks Azmoun is an ideal player to hold up the ball on the counterattack and play his teammates in.

Still going…  nobody really, some of Iran’s golden generation still play club football but have mostly made way in the national team.

The heart of the team…. Andranik Teymourian is of Armenian-Iranian origin and the second defensive midfielder alongside Nekouman in the lineup. He is an energetic, passionate worker, good at winning the ball, and an Iranian fan-favourite.

The goalscorer.... Although Nekouman gets most Karim Ansarifard is the fast poacher who is often at the right place at the right time. He is becoming a regular with the team. Charlton’s Reza Ghoochannejhad played well in Belgium but has so far failed in England (he is quite frail to make in England to be honest). He has an impressive 9 goals in 11 games for Iran.

The young star… they are all young, one interesting set of brothers is Omid and Amid Nazari who are born in Sweden of mixed Pilipino-Iranian stock. Although not yet at the level of Bayern’s Alaba, they sometimes show moments of quality in the Swedish league.

Candidate for discovery of the tournament…  of the tournament only Nekouman really. But a number of Iranian could put in memorable performances.

Other names to remember… Mohammad Reza Khalatbari uses his 169cm frame to great effect as a chirpy winger, and assist-monger. Las Palmas fans have a great respect for Masoud Shojaei who is a capable Spanish-style offensive midfielder with one of the better finishing abilities in the Iranian team.

Iran has talented footballers, but most of them have not been tested at a top level so it’s really hard to say, but for me it makes it makes Iran all the more exciting to watch as I followed their Asian qualifying campaign with delight.

The core team: Ahmadi (GK) – Hajsafi, Hosseini, Montazeri, Hejdari (Def) – Nekouman, Khalatbari, Andranik, Masoud, Jabari (Mid) – Ghoochannejhad, Ansarifard, Amzoun, or even on of the other talents, the false 9 spot is still open (Fwd)

A great team moment:  The 1998 World Cup match versus the US, a legendary albeit tense affair. They are in Group F again this time...

A legend:  HSV’s Mehdi Mahdavikia was a true wing wizard, he unfortunately retired last year, but will be remembered for his 30 Bundesliga goals and scintillating wing play.

Group F: 

Nigeria (June 16th) disciplined Iran catching a sleepy Nigeria off-guard? Not impossible, especially I think this is why Queiroz took the physically unimpressive Iranian team to play fast African team in the warm up rounds. Whichever way you look at it this is the key game for Iran, and it should be an unexpected cracker.

Argentina (June 21st) avoiding a pounding by these tournament favourites is an honourable goal, I cannot see this one as being anything but an Argentina dominance, even if the favourites have a bad day.

Bosnia (June 25th) and interesting game, but Iran have the higher mountain, especially that I predict Bosnia playing for second in this last important match. 

Pre-Tournament Friendlies:

A 2 month training camp in South Africa should give Iran a bit of edge, but how much?

Lots of bergs

Mozambique in Joburg on May 7^th

Belarus in Kapfenberg, Austria May 18^th

Montenegro in Hartberg, Austria May 26^th

Angola in Hargberg, Austria May 30^th

(Quieroz wants to tire them out two weeks before to hit match form)

Trinidad and Tobago on June 8^th in Sao Paulo (a confidence booster?)

Prognosis: Iran has to focus on being remembered and putting in a beautiful performance, as going past African champions Nigeria, European dark-horses Bosnia and favourites Argentina is just a bridge or two too far in this case. I predicted at least a point, most likely against Nigeria.