Tag: Alireza Jahanbaksh

“Training preparations not ideal” says Jahanbakhsh

Alireza Jahanbakhsh, currently in training camp with the rest of his Team Melli teammates in Doha, Qatar, “was critical of the chaotic preparations for the Training camp and the uncertainties which have upset the players and staff of the team.  “After some confusion about the camp, the location of the camp, and the friendly games, the decision to hold the camp in Doha was quite good,” Jahanbakhsh said

“Of course, due to the weather conditions and humid climate, practice and training are held in the evenings when the temperature is much lower and the weather is bearable.”

Team Melli Captain added:” The physical conditions of the players are not bad. After canceling a few friendly matches, at least the game with Algeria is on. We are training well to face this good team and hope we can make a match out of it. I, the other players, and the coaching staff wanted to play more preparation games, but unfortunately, that did not happen.”

He stressed that “these are the difficult conditions in preparing the national team. The groundwork, programming, and arrangement of Training Camps must be ideal and should leave no one in doubt about what is happening, where, and when. Instead, we were living in suspense as the plans for the camp kept changing every day from one place to another and one match to another. Such uncertainty does not help the players or the coaching staff.”

“We should not let the events of this training camp happen ever again, We should plan from now on so that we can go through a good preparation for the World Cup. Wales became another team that has made the tough group even tougher now. I do not see the situation as positive.”

Jahanbakhsh was upset with the situation in the national team and also said: “Let’s go to the World Cup without preparation and preparation games! Honestly, we do not see any positive conditions, but we must also look at the positive part of the story. The players are determined to make fans happy with good games.”

In what sounded like a tongue-in-cheek remark, the Feyenoord winger said “Fans and people of the country, should pray for us to have proper training schedule and camps ahead so that we play well against the tough opponents and make them happy and proud in the World Cup.”

Stunning bicycle kick from Alireza Jahanbakhsh.

For the second successive game, Alireza Jahanbakhsh was left in almost stunned disbelief, this time after scoring the goal of the decade.

For Frank Lampard and Chelsea, it was an all too familiar feeling of frustration as their attempts to build momentum were checked once more.

Their failure to grab a second goal proved costly, though, and left the door open for Jahanbakhsh’s jaw-dropping late heroics, a sensational overhead kick to cancel out Cesar Azpilicueta’s landmark opener.

Their failure to put Brighton away when they had the chance to do so was punished in stunning style by Team Melli winger Jahanbakhsh.

The Iranian winger arrived in the summer of 2018 under Chris Hughton as a £17m club record signing having just won the golden boot in Holland with AZ Alkmaar.

To say he had failed to live up to his price tag would be an understatement. His first 26 appearances produced a grand total of zero goals and sparked talk he would be loaned out this month to kickstart his career. His agent claimed that many clubs were seeking Alireza’s service, but the player insisted on remaining with Brighton and proving his worth to the coach who has not been too keen to play him in Brighton colors.

But Jahanbakhsh broke his duck against Bournemouth on Saturday, a moment that reduced him to tears, then topped that against Chelsea.

The highly talented Iranian was a substitute for the Chelsea match. He replaced Aaron Mooy in the 68th minute. On the 84th minute, he scored the stunning goal. He was also instrumental in a near goal right at the end when he passed to Maupy but for a spectacular save by Chelsea keeper Kepa Arrizbalaga.

Mutual respect between coaches, but Queiroz is promising nothing!

Abu Dhabi

teammelli.com report

The pre-match press conference of Iran vs Yemen match was conducted in Mohammed Bin Zayed stadium earlier today.

Iran Conference.

Masoud Shojaei, who accompanied Carlos Queiroz started the press conference responding to teammelli.com question of “What is the level of the team performance in the match ahead that will satisfy him? Will the team be inspired and go forward with a narrow straight forward win , or a big score margin?”

 The Captain of Team Melli simply said “We want to be ourselves and play like we always play”

Questions then were asked of Queiroz, Answering about his statement that Yemen game is a final in itself; Queiroz said that there was a misunderstanding of what he has said.

“I didn’t say the game against Yemen was the most important game, I simply said that we will take each game as it comes and take it seriously. We are focusing on Yemen game, one game at the time.”

On his opinion on which team is the black horse of the championship.

 Queiroz said “As far as I am concerned , Japan and South Korea are the two top contenders as they have invested heavily in football, have expansive youth program, quality infrastructure and they have the resources.”

“Next comes  Australia  with and couple of dreamers!  20 or 21 other dreamers” as Queiroz put it.

Asked about his aspiration in the championship , Queiroz said that he does not consider his team as title contender. “All I can say is that we will try to be better and if we win we win deservedly. “

On the conditions of the players, The head coach of Team Melli said  “2 major players were not able to recover for the game on time, fortunately we have other options to replace them. It is not a major concern for us and I am happy with the situation, Injuries can happen to any team. UAE lost Omar Abdulrahman for the tournament and it already has a big impact on them”

Question ” Is there any lessons to be learned from the two games already played, UAE drew with Bahrain and title holder Australia lost to Jordan?

“It is always a warning for big teams. No team has a credit card that tells it that it is the favorite.  We have to display our abilities. Yemen has a good coach, I praise him for working under difficult conditions, and they have beautiful players.”

“We are looking to play a good match that entertains the fans and makes them happy; we do have the ability to display such standard.”

A question was asked by a reporter saying that Team Melli fans and indeed Iranian all across the world  followed you for many years now, what do you have to present to them in this championship?

“ We can’t control the outcome of the game!. We can control our commitment and attitude. I always challenge my players to play so that the fans are proud of them. Display positive attitude inside the pitch. Personally I feel proud if that is achieved”

Non-Committal.

Queiroz refrained from giving any promises apart from playing to entertain, as he put it. Short of entertainment, he has not declared or publicaly announced any championship aspiration as he puts Iran in the dreamers group with another 21 teams that plays second fiddle to Japan and Korea.

It is indeed a confusing and perhaps shattering statements for some fans who expect nothing less than lifting the trophy after 43 years of absence. It shows how Queiroz is detached from the public sentiments but if he really has such aspirations, then he is holding his cards close to his heart.

It needs no reminder that Queiroz is following his old and trusted style. By constantly reminding the world about the lack of resources in Iran and glorifying the opposition, even Yemen, he is limiting expectations. A win is a bonus but a loss is expected as he would easily respond by saying “I told you so”

Querioz has successfully navigated rough terrains of Iranian football by following such policy. Today he downplayed any championship expectation but it is not clear if the crowds like such lack of ambition.

Team Melli Training

The media was allowed to attend the first 15 minutes of the practice which was entirely dedicated to stretching exercise and light training with and without the ball. The goalkeepers then formed their own mini group and  headed to far side for shooting training.

Player formed several circles passing the ball between themselves.

While a group was passing the ball, Biranvand got whacked in the face. The players of the group surrounded him to console him. It looked painful, but he emerged out of it laughing.

Stretching exercises while the press was allowed to watch was carried out in a jolly spirit. Some players displayed exceptional control of the ball.

Jahanbakhsh individually trained with Montazerri. He looked quite sharp despite his chances of playing against Yemen is slim.

YEMEN Press Conference

Yemen’s Czech trainer expressed his views in the formal diplomatic style that coaches deploy nowadays. Calling Iran as one of the best Asian teams that has played very well in Russia’s World Cup, he said he has no delusions about that he expects and what he can be achieved. He has studied Iran and knows that his team has a difficult task ahead, however, he has asked his team to play to their best ability. On the troubles and war in Yemen, Jan Kocian said that most of the selection was carried out by his assistant and the Coaching team, though the training camp that was carried out in Saudi Arabia was quite valuable as they have played several games too.

Alaa Al Sasi , the star player of Yemen team  was asked if he has thought of any opposition player that the team need to control or limit his threats , he said that the coach has reviewed Iran thoroughly and we accept all their players are quite good but there is no plan to focus on any single player of Iran.

Kocian was asked what he thinks of Queiroz, the Czech coach said as a coach he has a lot respect for his colleagues, Carlos Queiroz is no exception but saying that he is a good coach who is well known outside of Iran. He knows that Queiroz has faced some pressures from the media and there were some uncertainties, but he remains an excellent coach.

Iran and Yemen will meet in the opener of Group D of AFC Asian Cup 2019 in Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on the 7th January.

Sweet start, looking ahead for Spain.

Millions of Iranian men and women, boys and girls danced in the streets of major Iranian cities to celebrate Team Melli’s victory against Morocco to register its first win in the FGIFA 2018 World Cup and only the 2nd victory in the history of the competition. The first win being the historic match vs USA in Lyon in World Cup 1998.

To the displeasure of the religious factions and extremist, Girls danced, men sang and the  whole crowd forgot their daily hardship to enjoy this unique moment of joy in a remarkable display of patriotism

After The dust has settled, and after all the so-called experts got it all wrong by favoring the Moroccans, Queiroz and his coaching staff need a long thought about what has emerged from the match against Morocco

Team Melli impressed in qualifying rounds, the defense was impeccable conceding only in the last game against Syria when Iran has already qualified, Iran remained unbeaten throughout and only let in five goals in their 18 qualifying matches.

Queiroz and the boys were both left rueing the draw that saw them placed in the same group as 2010 winners Spain and European champions Portugal, with only the top two sides advancing to the last 16.

Spain and Portugal, 10th and fourth in the world rankings respectively, have won four major tournaments between them in the past 10 years. Before the match, Queiroz said his side had been “drawn in the hardest group in the World Cup”.

Going into injury time in St Petersburg, it looked like being a result neither Morocco nor Iran wanted, before Morocco’s Sofyan Amrabat conceded a needless free-kick by fouling Saman Ghoddos near the corner flag.

But that gave Ehsan Haji Safi the opportunity to whip in the free-kick, and Bouhaddouz could only steer the ball into his own net for an Iranain victory.

Morocco and its suitor can bemoan their luck . the experts can have their excuses for getting it wrong , but that is already water under the bridge. Team Melli needs a vast improvement comes the 20th June when they play the Matadors.

Biranvand was solid and any fears of flouting seemed like just a scare. The defense was well below the experience of the other group teams with Rouzbeh Chesmi who played all the 90 minutes having only 11 caps and substitute Majid Hosseini only 1 cap! However, they stood the pressure well and the Moroccans only 2 real chances, both yielding no results.

It was the midfield where the Most Valuable man for Team Melli was playing. Omid Ebrahimi was exceptional, his hustling, penetrations, that golden pass to Azmoun and his forcefulness was a delight to watch. In contrast, Ansarifard was far from effective in his unfamiliar role. Shojaei did manage to be effective but the service to the forward line was found wanting. Amiri and Jahanbaksh operated as wingers but none of them supplied quality balls to Azmoun who was not in his best form admittedly.

Queiroz will have a different strategy and game plan for Spain. He is the master of defensive strategy and not much of a believer in pressing opponents. Such tactics that Moroccans used did not yield results. Queiroz is wary of the individual skills of the Spaniards and will refrain from engaging them deep.

For Spain, Jahanbakhsh needs to raise his game. Amiri might not suit Queiroz tactics and on the half back, Milad Mohammadi could be a potent weapon to supply crosses to Azmoun. Depending on the readiness of Dejagah , he will surely be needed if he is fit.

Spain, is far from formidable. It suits Team Melli for all their opponents to be the favorites. Queiroz will have his master plan ready for the novice Fernando Hierro despite the high class of the Spanish players and the immense experience and championship pedigree they possess.

Qatar vs. Iran : Preview

The last time the two teams met in Azadi , it took Team Melli two late goals to defeat Qatar which excelled in defending their goal before a calamitous goal keeping error allowed Gucci to score the first then Jahanbaksh to seal the win in injury time.

Carlos Queiroz’s side are the only unbeaten team in Group A but, after Sardar Azmoun’s goal secured a 1-0 victory over the Taeguk Warriors on Matchday Four, Iran saw their lead at the top of the standings cut four days later when they played out a goalless draw with Syria. Two main players are missing from squad. Ashkan Dejagah injury put him out of match practice , while Ando Teymourian dip in form rendered the duo unfit for duty.

Opponents Qatar got off to the worst possible start on the Road to Russia by suffering three defeats on the bounce, but responded well by defeating Syria 1-0 and claiming a point in China on Matchdays Four and Five respectively.

The home side, though, will be without four players through suspension with Khalid Muftah, Ahmed Yasser, Abdelkarim Hassan and Meshaal Abdulla all unavailable for selection.

Photos: Lagardère Sports

 TABLE

GROUP A
TEAMS MP W D L GF GA +/- Pts
Iran
IRAN
 5 3 2 0 4 0 4 11  DWWDW
Korea Republic
KOREA REPUBLIC
 5 3 1 1 8 6 2 10  WLWDW
Uzbekistan
UZBEKISTAN
 5 3 0 2 5 3 2 9  LWLWW
Syria
SYRIA
 5 1 2 2 1 2 -1 5  DLWDL
Qatar
QATAR
 5 1 1 3 3 6 -3 4  DWLLL
China PR
CHINA PR
 5 0 2 3 2 6 -4 2  DLLDL

 

 

MATCHES

23 MAR 2017 – 19:35 Local time
GROUP A
Helong Stadium
Changsha , Hunan
China PR     CHINA PR vs   KOREA REPUBLIC Korea Republic
11:35 (GMT)
23 MAR 2017 – 20:00 Local time
GROUP A
Hang Jebat Stadium
Krubong
 Syria     SYRIA    vs.   UZBEKISTAN    Uzbekistan
12:00 (GMT)
23 MAR 2017 – 19:00 Local time
GROUP A
Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium
Doha
 Qatar     QATAR     vs.     IRAN     Iran
 16:00 (GMT)

 

 Head2Head

Home/Away / Neutral Matches Iran Wins Draw  Lost Goals + / –
H 8 6 2 0 19 – 4 +15
A 13 7 3 3 15 – 11 +4
N 0 0 0 0 0 – 0 +0
Total 21 13 5 3 34 – 15 +19

 

Feng Xiaoting confident ahead of China’s World Cup qualifier vs. Iran

espnfc.com

BY MICHAEL CHURCH

China captain Feng Xiaoting is confident he and his teammates can put their World Cup qualifying campaign on track when they take on Iran in Shenyang as they aim to bounce back from Thursday’s defeat against South Korea.

China almost rescued a point from their meeting with the Red Devils, fighting back from three goals down to lose 3-2, but the performance has given Feng and his colleagues confidence ahead of their next qualifier for Russia 2018.

“We lost the game but we haven’t lost our faith,” said the Guangzhou Evergrande central defender. “On the contrary, we gained experience and the ability to play in a difficult situation.

“I’m very proud of my teammates. Next Tuesday we will win the game against Iran in Shenyang.”

A win will be vital for the Chinese after their opening loss and Gao Hongbo’s team take on an Iran side that picked up a 2-0 victory over Qatar in Tehran in their first qualifying match, with Reza Ghoochannejhad and Alireza Jahanbaksh both scoring in added time to give Carlos Queiroz’s side a winning start to their campaign.

However, veteran midfielder Zheng Zhi, who scored an own goal on Thursday to give the Koreans the lead, echoed Feng’s thoughts on the feeling within the China squad after the defeat.

“It’s a pity for us that we lost 3-2,” said the former Asian Player of the Year. “It should have been a draw. We didn’t give up when we went three goals behind because we prepared well in advance and this is how football should be. Good preparation gives you confidence.

“The qualifying campaign is long. There are 10 rounds so it is like a league season and we have to prepare different strategies for different opponents.

“But from this game, what we have gained is confidence and faith, and also experience. It is a good start of our long journey.”

Barazay “Kranjcar is the perfect coach for Omid Team”

The Captain of Team Melli U-23 , known as the Omid Team , has spoken to ISNA about the aspirations and the prospects of the team.

Behnam Barazay , the current Rah Ahan player and the Captain of the U23 team , believes in strong preparation games ” unless we play against quality teams for our friendly games to get the big experience , I am afraid we will not be able to qualify for the Olympic Games.”

The young striker , is also confident that the Croat coach Zlatko Kranjcar is the best candidate for the Omid team ” He has coached at different levels, his record is quite good , he coached in Iran and his approach is professional. I believe he is the perfect coach for Omid Team.”

“Although many players prefer to work with Iranian coaches, and I am one of those players , as communication is easier , however a coach in the class of Kranjcar can make a big difference.” Barazay added.

Regarding the recent failures specifically in the Asian Games in Incheon, Barazay said ” The players were under tremendous stress after the Asian Games. In the Qatar camp , quite a lot of work was done on the psychological aspect but fear of losing still causes a lot of stress.”

About his own future career and whether he will follow his teammates Alireza Jahanbaksh and Sardar Azamoun in to Europe,  Barazay Did not want to think about that for the time being although he received an offer from an Arab team. ” All my concentration right now is on the form of my team Rah Ahan. I have  not succeeded in gaining the full confidence of Hamid Estili yet. My goal is to do that. I need to get it right here in Iran before thinking about abroad and becoming a legionnaires”

The situation with the appointment of Kranjcar took another weird twist when it was decided that a committee within the football federation will have to examine the Croat coach resume and give its seal of approval before the coach can be appointed. This development cam up aright after Ali Kaffashian and Habib Kashani confirmed the appointment of the ex-Sepahan Esfahan coach as the head coach of the Omid Team. Many observers are suspecting some interference by the Ministry of Sport who always claims that they have no role in appointing coaches for National Team , but in reality they exert pressure on the FFIRI and Kaffashian to pass their own candidates.

 

Behnam Barazay

Behnam Barazay

Team Melli needs a major overhaul for Asian Cup 2015,

Regardless to the outcome of the result by Team Melli in the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2014, Team Melli needs new blood, new mentality and a whole new idea to put Iran firmly on the Asian Football map for the AFC Asian Cup 2015 competition. This current generation of players of Team Melli is aging and Iran could very well be the oldest team in the World Cup. Apart from a few number of players in the current squad, Team Melli must look at the new generation.

Iran has never been short of young talents and potentials in football, what is lacking in this area , is management and utilization of these talents. The worst examples of misguiding and poor handling of young talented players are the league clubs. With the pressure to succeed or avoid relegation as the case might be, almost all the Iranian clubs are hesitant and reluctant to give opportunities to talented young players.  It is very obvious if these young players are not given playing times, their chances of progress are limited or slowed down, some never reaching the potential. Subsequently, if there is no playing time at the club level, it will be even more difficult to be selected for Team Melli

It is simply quite difficult for the coaches of Team Melli to select a young talents into the squad without him being able to make the first team in his club.

There are some exceptions though as seen in Foolad Khuzestan club. The club from the south has won the league years back with one of the youngest or least experience squads on records. This season with 3 matches to go , Foolad Khuzestan  might very well repeat that feat and win the title again by a young team. So, the myth that a team requires older and senior players to win league title is ,  not strictly true.

Currently , Iran is blessed with some wonderful talents in the right age brackets. Kaveh Rezaei , Payam Sadeghian, Alireza Jahanbaksh , Mohsen Mosalman , Sardar Azmoun, Bakhtiyar Rahmani , Arash Afshin , Milad Sarlak, Yaghoub Karimi , Ali Karimi (Sepahan), Amir Mohammad Mazloum, Mostafa Hashemi , Mehrdad Jamaati , Jallaledin  Alimohamadi , Omid  Allishah , Omid Ebrahimi , Shoja’a Khalilzadeh, Mehdi Sharifi, Milad Fakhreddini , Shahryar Shirvand  are amongst the best. Many of them have represented Iran at international and continental levels in age group levels , most suffer lack of regular playing time.

With Carlos Queiroz being unlikely to be the head coach of Team Melli in January 2015, it all depends on the future coach’s  vision and whether he will be influenced in using the same old players , or be courageous enough to go for the youth or a right balance of talented and seasoned players.

Nekounam , Shojaei , Khalatbary , Amir Hossein Sadeghi , Hosseini , Ahmadi ,  Jabbari and many others are on the twilight of their careers and have been less prominent in Team Melli outfits recently,  The replacements are already available, it only needs a firm , ambitious and aspiring mind set to make it happen.