Tag: Ramin Rezaeian

Iran v Hong Kong updates

Team Melli will play its second match in Group C of the AFC Asian Cup 2023 against Hong Kong at 20:30 local time today. Following Iran’s 4-1 win against Palestine, this match will be the confirmation of qualification to the next round in case of a win.

Shoja’a Khalilzadeh has been added to the injury list of Team Melli after the central defender received a knock in the match against Palestine. He is not available for tonight’s match and his replacement will be Seyed Majid Hosseini.

Mehdi Torabi who was not included in the Palestine match due to an injury, is also available for selection by the coaches.

Khalilzadeh is not the only change in the expected lineup as two key players are available and will most probably start the game. After fully recovering from his slight injury, Ramin Rezaiean will be one of the starters. The right winger played a few minutes in the previous game and showed no sign of any problems.

Also, Sardar Azmoun will be starting the game along with Mehdi Taremi. Karim Ansarifard will return to the bench. Azmoun was the last player to join the squad, hence Ghalenoei opted to use him in the second half against Palestine.

Against Hong Kong, there is also a possibility of a change in the middle of the field, where Team Melli lacks dynamism and energy with Saman Ghoddos taking the full burden. The defensive midfield needs to be better equipped, hence the chances of dropping the ineffective Ezatollahi are quite high.

First win for Team Melli and Ghalenoei

Team Melli defeated Kenya 2-1 in an international friendly in Azadi on Tuesday evening in front of approximately 25,000 fans with a large contingent of females in a special section of the aging stadium. The first goal of the match was scored by Michael Olunga in ( 51’), Iran equalized through Mohammad Mohebbi (76′), and the winner was scored by Ramin Rezaeian (84′)

This was the second match under the leadership of recently appointed coach Amir Ghalenoei who opted for a few changes from that match against Russia. In came Mohammad Karimi as a defensive midfielder and Armin Sohrabian in the defense line for their debut match for Team Melli. Alireza Jahanbakhsh made the starting line up too.

Rozbeh Cheshmi replaced Shojaa KhalilZadeh to partner Kananizadegan in the heart of the defense.

 

GOALS

51st minute: Kenya started the scoring when Captain Michael Olunga cleverly disposed of Armin Sohrabian on the right flank and ran towards the goal with Kanaizadegan the only player between him and the Hosseini in goal. Olunga who plays his football with Al Duhail of Qatar cleverly shot past his marker and into the far corner of Hosseini to register a beautiful goal in the 51st minute.

76th minute: Iran’s equalizer came through an immaculate assist by Ramin Rezaeian, whose perfect free kick was met by Mohammad Mohebbi to head into the empty net with the Kenyan keeper stranded in the other corner.

84th minute: Iran’s winner came late in the match when Rezaeian worked himself nicely into the box and shot at an acute angle with Masani in Kenya’s goal helping the ball cross the line.

 

PERFORMANCE:

In the first half, Team Melli was far from the high standard of the last match against a much stronger team in Russia. The overconfidence, evidence in some showboating, the poor discipline, and alarming wastefulness in which the team played showed that Amir Ghalenoei has a lot on his hand to build a formidable team.

There were quite a few bad performances from the like of Taremi, Jahanbakhsh, and particularly Moghanlou. In the contrast, the debutant Mohammad Karimi was a breath of fresh air with his passing, tackling, and self-confidence.

In the second half, the goal scored by Kenya shocked Iran to the spine. Ghalenoei had to embark with a few substitutions which slowly but surely ensured that Team Melli comes out from this difficult match as the winner although it was a cesarean win.

MAN OF THE MATCH MVP

 

Despite playing in the second half, Rezaeian made a lot of difference as he defended and attacked at well from the left flank. He assisted the first goal while scoring the second. He remains one of the few reliable and dependable players of the old team who will undoubtedly be an asset to Ghalenoei.

THE DUISSPAONTMENTS.

Mehdi Taremi is going through a rough time both at the club and country levels. It is probably the curse of the World Cup. His performance against Kenya was rusty, profligate, and uncertain. Jahabnbakjsh is also another player that is finding it hard to repeat his fine standards of a few years back. Although some excuse may be given for the fact that he is recovering from an illness. Every player selected for a national team is scrutinized analyzed and given thorough tests before selection. That is a forgone conclusion, however, the selection is Shahriyar Moghanlou is an enigma! Although his record with Sepahan is not that bad, in the two matches he played so far and was given a lot of minutes by Ghalenoei, this forward has shown nothing to suggest that he is even an average bench player for Team Melli let alone a starter. Could it be a psychological hurdle or something else? Whatever the case, his case needs to be seriously reconsidered with so many promising young players waiting in the wings for their chances.

ATTITUDES, AGAIN

Once again Team Melli players showed a certain lack of discipline and discipline that cost them a gaol and perhaps could have cost them the match. The constant falling to the ground for the slightest of contacts has become a trend in Iranian football. Sohrabian was guilty of losing his balance and then waving for a foul in the event that led to the Kenya goal. However, the culprit of the match was Mohammad Mohebbi who fell to the ground in at least 5 tackles, of which the referee only whistled for him once only. Although Taremi, is so famous for simulation in Portugal, in fairness did not resort to this in today’s match, this trend championed by Mehdi Taremi is highly criticized in Portuguese media. Unfortunately, it is quietly glorified by Iranian media labeling such antics as smart and wins penalties for his team.

Iran vs Wales: Player Ratings

The players rating against Wales in which Team Melli achieved a convincing win 2-0 scored by the two unlikeliest players.

  • Rouzbeh Cheshmi : Substituted in with 12 minutes remaining of the match. His major contribution was the goal he scored from about 30 meters in added time. Not only it gave Iran a deserved lead but boosted the morale so effectively that the second came soon after his goal. 8.0
  • Mehdi Taremi: He was overshadowed by Sardar Azmoun, yet his moves disturbed the Welsh defense. Slow in transition and missed a few good opportunities to create possession for his teammates. Provided the assist for the second goal to Rezaeian 7.60
  • Sardar Azmoun : His presense was immensly felt in the team. Always willing to run and tackle while doing defensive. duties Provided the pass to Gholozadeh to score the disallowed goal after VAR review. Hit the post too. His contribution was helpful to the team but the injury was worrying. 8.10
  • Ali Karimi: Came in as a late sub without contributing much in the few minutes.6.20
  • Mehdi Torabi : As a sub, he had limited time on the field but a good attempt to open the scoring deserves a good rating. 7.3
  •  Karim Ansarifard: A sub for Azmoun with limited time and contribution to the game 6.6

  • Ali Gholizadeh : Was one o the better player on the field. He was slightly offside when he received Azmoun’s ball to score. His dribbling and ball control was a breath of fresh air. 7.95
  • Ramin Rezaeian: Started the match badly with some wayward crossing that irritated the forwards. Slowly he came on well and started gelling with the rest. Defensive work. His delightful dink to score the second was all class. Got himself booked unnecessarily for useless protesting 7.85
  • Alireza Jahanbakhsh: A bench player for this match who came in with 12 minutes to play. Not only he had no effective contribution, but he also got another yellow card and is hence suspended for the next match against the USA. 6.00
  • Ehsan Hajisafi: Solid defensively and hardly put a foot wrong. It seems that he is not a 90 minutes player and more but for the time he was on the field, he was reliable and did a good job 7.80
  • Saeid Ezatolahi: A much better performance than the last match yet still missing some vital skills in his play. Defensive work from the midfield was fine when combining well with other players 7.45
  • Majid Hosseini: More confident and less error-prone. He combined with Pouralganji to create a solid wall in front of Hosseini preventing the Welsh penetration from the heat of the defense. 7.70
  • Ahamad Noorollahi: Lacks the speed and agility for fast transitions however, he played his role well and prevented the Welsh from taking hold of the midfield areas. 7.70
  • Hossein Hosseini: Was not really threatened by the Welsh player thanks to a solid defense. His Aerial work was fine and had no problem catching most of the crosses aimed toward his goal. Kept a clean sheet. 7.78
  • Milad Mohammadi: Had a calm day and did not need to exert lots of pressure on defensive duties. His incursion into the Welsh half on the wing was limited. 7.78
  • Morteza Pouraliganji : Did a fine job in combination with Majid Hosseini despite the lack of playing together for many years. 7.75
  • Carlos Queiroz: Must be credited for the changes he made in the starting lineup including playing with two center forwards, Taremi and Azmoun. On the other hand, there was no sign of a definitive game plan for ball distribution from the midfielders as he opted for route one football, balls directly sent from the back directly to the two forwards. Although some of the midfield players were capable of distributing the ball more efficiently. Had no solution for the slow transition from defense to attack and for the lack of pace. A player such as Torabi would have been ideal for that purpose. 7.8

Team Melli stuns Wales with two late goals.

Rozbeh Cheshmi and Ramin Rezaeian scored two late goals against Wales in Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Al-Rayyan, Doha to ensure Team Melli grab all three points in an exciting and dynamic match.

The 2-0 win puts Iran in the second position in Group B on goal difference behind group leader England. The USA is third and will be meeting the leaders later this evening.

Team Melli had five changes from the previous match with Azmoun making the starting lineup and Jahanbakhsh benched. Gholizadeh also made the start-up. The match was balanced in the early stages but slowly Team Melli managed to take a grip on the match.  However, efforts by Azmoun and Taremi did not yield any results. Ali Gholizadeh scored a goal from a nice assist by Azmoun but he was deemed offside.

The first half ended goalless

In the second half, Iran was much the better team and threatened Wales consistently. The poor finishing and the slow transition from defense to attack marred Team Melli’s performance. Azmoun shot against the post and seconds later Gholizadeh curled a beauty into the far corner of Hennessy but that ball also hit the upright.

In the dying minutes of the match, Taremi was released from a long ball. He beat the offside trap and was one-to-one with Hennessey, The Welsh keeper came all the way outside the box to cut the ball. He fouled Taremi in the process and also denied him a goal-scoring opportunity, a clear red card case. However,  to the shock of the Iranians, the referee opted for a yellow card to the Welsh Keeper. Moments later, the referee was invited to look at the situation by VAR referees. The review resulted in the rightful decision of sending Henessy off.

Dying minutes of the added time. Rozbeh Cheshnmo lathed at a loose ball from outside the box to score from a low powerful shot right into the corner of Welsh goal. 1-0 to Iran. The Welsh then went on an all-out attack leaving their backlight. two minutes later, a counterattack and a beautiful pass by Taremi ended up with Rezaeian chipping the Welsh keeper to make it 20-0.

Iran deserved this valuable win against the 10-man Wales and needs a similar result to assure qualification to the next round.

Central defence partnership of Team Melli is under threat!

One of the main reasons for the success of Team Melli in winning all the matches in World Cup qualifiers in Bahrain was the solid fortress-style partnership in the heart of the defense.

Dragan Skočić opted for Shojaá Khalilzadeh and Hossein Kananizadegan and created a strong partnership between them, and the result was spectacular.  Iran conceded one fluke goal from Hong Kong and was solid against the rest. This partnership continued in the third round of the FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifiers as only South Korea (3 goals) and Lebanon (1 goal) managed to score against Team Melli. It is a record that any team can be proud of in such a high level of competition.

 However, the return of Carlos Queiroz to Team Melli is threatening this partnership.

The Portuguese coach is fond of the duo Morteza Pouraliganji and Ramin Rezaiyan, both of whom were invited by FFIRI to submit their documents for the issue of visas for Austria. Pouraliganji’s return comes after more than a year of absence from the field due to a severe injury followed by operations. His decision to return to Iran domestic league football in the year of the 2022 World Cup is to be close to the selectors. He joined Persepolis and so far performed well in the three matches he played registereing good statistics. The sudden return of Queiroz will again put him as a favorite amongst the rest of the central defenders.

 Like Queiroz himself, Pouraliganji will benefit from the hard work of Shoja Khalilzadeh and Mohammad Hossein Kananizadegan, who were one of the main factors of early qualification of Team Melli to the Qatar World Cup,

There is no question about the technical abilities or performance of Khalilzadeh, but his place in Team Melli is threatened by the bad relationship with Queiroz. The issue came to the surface after the defender gave an interview that was critical. This defender’s opinion about how he can affect the future of the defensive composition of the Team did not set well with Queiroz and Khalilzadeh like many other players before was banished from Team Melli.

Queiroz, unlike his predecessor Dragan Skočić, has zero tolerance for any type of opposition. In that sense,  it is quite likely that will make Khalilzadeh will be watching the World Cup games on TV rather than defending the three colors jersey. The Portuguese man will most probably see the return of players such as Seyed Majid Hosseini, Morteza Pouraliganji, and even Roozbe Cheshmi.

Team Melli will leave for Austria next week to play two preparatory games against Uruguay and Senegal under Carlos Queiroz. While Uruguay has published the name of the squad for the match against Iran last week, FFIRI has not finalized its list.

Ali Karimi Joins Al Duhail

 Ali Karimi, Team Melli, and former Esteghlal midfielder who was transferred to the Qatar Star League side, Qatar Sports Club at the beginning of the season, has moved on to Al Duhail. in the winter transfers on loan.

After former Persepolis midfielder Bashar Rasan joined Al-Qatar, the club’s officials removed Ali Karimi from the list and transferred him to Al-Duhail. Al-Duhail team is led by French “Sabri Lamoushi”. Previously, Ramin Rezaeian, Team Melli defender played half a season for Al-Duhail, but he was included in the surplus list and went to Al-Siliyah. Karimi replaces Rezaian in Al-Duhail, with whom he will play in the Club World Cup.

Iranian legionnaires mixed fortune.

2019 has been a difficult year for Team Melli.

There was high hope for the Team to lift the Asian Cup for the first time since 1976. Iran was the favorite for the AFC Asian Cup and reached the semi-final without much difficulty too. Then a moment of madness and breakdown of discipline allowed the Japanese to open the scoring and the rest was a steep uphill struggle for the Team Melli. The match ended in one of the worst defeats of the decade after Japan scored 3 goals. That was also the end of an era as Carlos Queiroz Finally packed his bags for good.

Then came a relatively unknown quality in the form of a Belgian coach who did not last the distance on his last job with the Ivory Coast. Marc Wilmots started brilliantly with a big win in a friendly against Syria and a draw away to South Korea. The real test, however, was the FIFA World Cup qualifiers. It started well against the two weakest teams of the group, but when they faced the first real test, Team Melli failed tactically and lost to Bahrain. There was hope that the second match away to Iraq will yield a better result but like the match against Japan the semi-final of the Asian Cup, the poor tactical discipline of the players and lack of concentration in the last seconds meant another defeat and now the qualification is at perils.

Wilmots left the Job, which he frankly hardly got involved in, and Team Melli is now coachless.

Despite the disappointing Team Melli results, some of the players have been having a good year abroad.

The most delightful of the successes must be that of Al-Shahaniyah Iranian defender, Ramin Rezaeian. Despite his post of a defender, he is one of Qatar’s top five goalscorers by the end of the year.

Rezaian who is on his second season with Al-Shahaniyah is becoming a hot commodity in Qatar Star League (QSL). Rezaian, despite being a defender, has also been among the best players in Qatar. His name in Top Scorers list is among the elite of the league such as  Baghdad Bonajah (19 goals), Akram Afif (17 goals) who are the two top scorers. Rezaeian, Mohammed Montari and Thiago Parisa of Al-Khour are next all on 9 goals.

Interestingly enough, Team Melli center forward, Karim Ansaifard has scored 5 goals only in the same, he plays for  Al -Sailiya.

The Other refreshing performance must go to Kaveh Rezaei who is making real waves in the Belgian league. His disappointment at Brugge last season is all but forgotten as the 27 years old Sporting Charleroi forward has scored an average of a goal in every two matches bagging 8 goals so far this season. His compatriot and teammate Ali Golizadeh also scored 3 goals.

Sardar Azmoun is also having his best season ever and is being sought after by many clubs hoping to lure him out of the Russian League.  Sardar has scored 7 goals in the league so far which is on winter break. He scored 9 all season last term. Zenit is leading the table in Russia.

Another of the legionnaires who exploded on the scene abroad is Mehdi Taremi.  The Team Melli Center forward and Azmoun partner upfront joined the Portuguese club Rio Ave and not only he managed to make a sensational start in the cup competition by scoring 4 goals, his tally so far is 5  goals in 10 games ( a goal every two matches) in the league. Taremi suffered several nagging injuries meantime while in Portugal, but the winter break should keep him fit and ready for another adventure.

Also in Portugal, another Team Melli player has been doing quite well with Desportivo Aves. Mehrdad Mohammadi has been brilliant and scored 5 goals in a team that is struggling near the end of the table.

Alireza Jahanbaksh who is the most expensive Iranian player in history had been having a torrid time since joining Brighton from AZ Alkmaar, but in one week the star player scored two wonderful gaols for his club to take the headlines.

Two very disappointing stories of Team Melli players are those of Saeid Ezatollahi and Samman Ghoddos. The former had a long injury that threatened his career. After a full recovery, he struggled to regain even a fraction of his previous level. He is now warming the bench in AS Eupen, a team in the Belgian league at the bottom of the standing. The 23-year-old Ezatollahi has made one appearance for Eupen this season, while his Team Melli teammate in the same club, Omid Ebrahimi has featured 12 times in the league for AS Eupen.

 

Saman Goddos is a sad story as he is suspended by FIFA for breach of contract. On 29 August 2019, FIFA suspended the  French Ligue 1 side Amiens SC Saman Ghoddos from all football activities for four months plus a €4 million fine for his failure to report to Huesca in the La Liga in accordance with a signed contract.

Is Ivankovic the right choice for Team Melli now?

OPINION

One cannot ignore all the talks about the rift between Marc Wilmots on one side and the FFIRI, Iranian Media and fans on the other.

The Belgian coach has failed to meet expectations and that 14-0 win against Cambodia looks now more a hoax that gave him and his players a serious false impression of superiority and self-esteem that was brought down back to earth in Bahrain.

It is safe to say that Wilmot’s team lacks special players in midfield to open the game and feed the forwards but also Wilmots himself does not know his best lineup. There were several other technical shortfalls and the dearth of focus by the players. Wilmots also failed with his players’ selection and substations. He was technically outsmarted by the coaches of Bahrain and Iraq.

Two crucial losses on the trot seem to be good enough justification to relieve the man who was accountable from his duty, but what about the timing? In fact, the timing is perfect as it gives the new coach over three months of plotting and planning. That period will surely be enough for a person like Ivankovic who is very familiar with Iran’s football.

The Professor has many advocates in Iran’s football and if he cannot do the job for Team Melli, it is difficult to imagine any other foreign coach doing it. His familiarity with the players, many of them he coached in Persepolis, his knowledge of the culture, his awareness of the players’ discipline and behaviour are great assets to add to his technical awareness and savvy tactics.

It has to be mentioned that Ivankovic is a strict disciplinarian and has no time for petulance, sulkiness and general misconduct that is rife amongst the Iranian players. In his time at Persepolis, he got rid of several players due to disciplinary issues, the most famous of them is the current Team Melli Back Ramin Rezaeian.  Ivankovic could also face problems with other players who are stars in their own rights but not too professionals in attitude and conduct. One such player is Sardar Azmoun.

It is a terrible thing for a person to lose his job, especially in the festive season, but if this unfortunate action has to be carried out, now is the best time for Team Melli but not necessarily for Marc Wilmots.

Analysis of the loss to Bahrain.

Team Melli’s loss to Bahrain is far from destructive and it is too early to call on the success of the coach. However, there were many factors in the loss that needs to be highlighted. Those factors are thus discussed

  • Weather
  • Tactical error
  • Players Selections
  • Late substitutions
  • Lack of Discipline
  • Bahrain’s solid defensive game plan.

Weather

The unbearable weather condition culminated into a lethargic & energy-less performance by Team Melli players. Of course, the bad weather conditions, principally the high temperature and humidity is the biggest challenge for players. It is true that weather affected both teams, Bahrain players, however, are more adapt to such weather than the Iranians.

Tactical Error

If the coaching staff of Team Melli analyzed and studied the opposition, then their reading was faulty for one main reason. Playing 4-3-3 away from home against a fairly solid defence is a risk especially when the weather condition is a disadvantage. A line up to fulfil a balanced game-plan seems a better proposition than prioritizing offence. There was no need for 3 front players, none of whom are adapt to supporting the defence on transitions or retreat on counter-attacks against them. It would have been more prudent for Wilmots to secure the back four with a couple of competent holding midfield players and two offensive midfield players.

As time was passing, it would have been quite clear for the coaches of Team Melli that the opposition has a solid defensive game. At no time was there an obvious plan change to penetrate this defensive wall. The lack of variety in Iranian attacks only helped Bahrain coach read the Iranians well and counter it.

Players Selections

There were no issues with the defensive line up where Hosseini & Kanan-Zadegan occupied the centre of the defence while Milad Mohammadi and Ramin Rezaeian operated on the flanks. Pouraliganji’s absence was claimed to be due to a slight knock but Majid Hosseini should have easily covered him. Unfortunately, the young Trabzonspor defender was far from his best committing two vital errors one of which lead to conceded a penalty. Hosseini was slow and caught off position several times in the match.

 The two main players’ selection issues were in the Midfield and Forward lines.

It is difficult to understand what the coach wanted to achieve with the trio of Ebrahimi, Hajsafi & Mohebbi in the centre of the field. There was a clear lack of a solid holding midfielder, and if Hajsafi was supposed to be the man then he fell short of carrying out the task. Mohebbi selection left many scratching their heads. Just because he scored two goals in his debut against Cambodia does not make him fit for a match away from home in a totally different environment and priorities. He was lost and should have been substituted much earlier. Ebrahimi was excellent in the midfield. He was the schemer and played some delightful balls for his teammates, but he was a one man show in the midfield. He would have benefitted from having Noorullahi or Dejagah on his side.

In the forward line, lining up with 3 forwards, one of whom was completely out of sync and disconnected from the rest, was a tactical suicide.   In fact, the trio was not complimenting each other but also becoming an obstacle in the heavy traffic of Bahrain’s penalty box. An experienced coach should have picked that as early as the first 20 minutes of the match. Karim Ansarifard was a non-performer in this lineup.

Late substitutions

Sometimes the game does not go according to plans and the team might need a shake-up or a change in the assets. Wilmots should have recognized that much earlier than he did against Bahrain. The coaching team was reactive rather than being proactive. It was easily one of the main shortfalls of Wilmots and his assistants in this match.

Lack of Discipline

The Achilles heels of Iranian football. Whether at club level or international, the players seem to be always in a combative mode arguing with referees and easily being intimidated by tricky opponents. Acts of indiscipline normally lead to loss of concertation and errors. In two consecutive matches, Team Melli must consider itself lucky not to lose two players for offences that deserved red cards. Against Cambodia, it was Pouraliganji with his wild lunge on the goalkeeper and against Bahrain; it was Azmoun who was the culprit.  Sardar reacted angrily against the referee for not giving a penalty to  Iran. Despite being awarded a yellow card for his dissent, Azmoun did not stop arguing. It was as if he was daring the Uzbek referee to give him another card! Such a petulant act by a player who does not seem to learn from his failings and continues committing these irrational acts.

Bahrain’s solid defensive game plan.

The Portuguese coach of Bahrain Hélio Filipe de Sousa was much better prepared for the match against Iran and put a solid defensive strategy that did not allow the top guns of Team Melli penetrating his defences. Using two layers of the defensive system, he managed to neutralize Azmoun and Taremi quite easily without allowing any of them clear shots at the target. With Ansarifard, the job of covering him was easier as the Iranian forward was ineffective. Bahrain depended on counter-attacks in the hoping of grabbing a goal which they did in their limited number of attacks.

Wilmots failed to react to such a defensive plan and slow to address it. Essentially, he had little solutions to counter the Portuguese game plan.

Final words

In summary, failure in a match is part and parcel of football. It is surely not a tragic loss to Bahrain as Team Melli still looked solid. This defeat, although caused by an individual error of Majid Hosseini, is the collective result of many factors that have been addressed above. Individual errors and slip-ups can occur anytime, the team that is prepared and has learned from its mistakes, usually can storm the weather and come out winners. The repeated occurrence of similar mistakes spells doom.

Marc Wilmots has not had enough time to get familiar with the team. It is quite doubtful that he selected many players, if any, of his own choice leaving Hashemian and others to offer suggestions. A two to three days training session before the match is simply not adequate enough for a new coach to get familiar with the capabilities of his squad.

However, Wilmots must address some issues immediately. In order for him to succeed, he needs to read the games much better and do his homework on Iraq from now.

Ansarifard and Rezaeian on the brink of drop from Team Melli.

For Karim Ansarifard and Ramin Rezaeian , two key players of Team Melli, the time is fast running out for them to find suitable clubs and hence their selection for the AFC Asian Cup 2019 will be seriously under threat.

Ansarifard, was Team Melli’s lone goal scorer in the World Cup , albeit from a penalty spot, however, he is also a valuable player in Carlos Queiroz plans. His European experience has enhanced his abilities while he thrived in the Greek league with significant number of goals. The Olympiacos new coach, however, did not believe in Karim and did not utilize him much. Ansarifard’s contract was not renewed for the new season leaving the Team Melli forward out of contract as a free agent.

Out of the few offers that Ansarifard has received, the one from Nottingham forest of the English championship league was the most attractive. With all the efforts, this contract did not materialize as it is believed the Iranian could not secure a work permit to enable him to play in England.

So, up to now Karim remains without club and of course is not taking part in training and will significantly lose form because he is not competing at the highest level or even in a moderate football competition.

Ramin Rezaein has a similar story with his Belgian club K.V. Oostende  which has released him at the start of the season. Rezaeian is a free agent and so far he has not been able to secure a club. It is believed that several major clubs in Iran has turned down Rezaeian offer of a contract. The right back who can also operate in the defensive midfield role has  a prior with Persepolis and Turkish sides which perhaps alarmed the Iranian clubs on his behaviour.

Carlos Queiroz will have no serious issues replacing both the two players posts, however undoubtedly effective and valuable players for the team even being on the bench would be adding value to the squad. Coaches do not normally pick players who are out of practice, short of form or away from competitive match. Quieroz has been known to defy that rule.

For Ansarifard, former Saips and Persepolis player, the only path to English football and Nottingham forest, if the club is still interested, is the winter transfer window which opens in January.  It might be too late for him as far as the Asian Cup is concerned. As for Rezaeian, there is still no sign of any club that has shown interest in recruiting him. at least publicly.