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Team Melli in for a real chance.

It is interesting how the media covers  Team Melli ahead of the clash against Morocco tomorrow.  In a kind of streotypical analysis. most if not all, focus on one player only and that is Sardar Azmoun. Very few have in-depth knowledge of Iranian football beyond Azmoun and Jahanbakhsh , which in itself is considered an advantage for Queiroz.  Many give Iran little  chance against Morocco and hence they are the underdogs.

However, at the coaching level , it is doubtful that  Herve Renard  wil be that naive. He will stress upon defense and Mehdi Benatiya very much in style of Queiroz.

It is a real opportunity for Iran to grab all the 3 points. Solid defense augmented by a superb forward line should be enough for Team Melli to get all the 3 points. Tactical discipline that Queiroz is quite strict at, should steer Team Melli to all the 3 points.

TEAM FACTS

IRAN

  • Carlos Queiroz has had to prepare for his first game without young midfielder Saeid Ezatolahi, who is suspended, meaning veteran captain Masoud Shojaei should start in the middle of the park.
  • The 34-year-old could play deep in midfield to allow Karim Ansarifad to start further upfield or in the number 10 role, with Omid Ebrahimi stepping in alongside Ehsan Hajsafi. There is always a chance that Chesmi might feature ion a defensive midfield role too. Dejagah is doubtful
  • Alireza Jahanbakhsh, and striker Sardar Azmoun, are certain starters, Mehdi Taremi is still not fully recovered and might totally miss this game.
  • Biranvand in goal, is a certainaty. However, this is the only chance that Queiroz might be tempted to pick Mazaheri or Abedzadeh. Surely Spain and Portugal are risky.
  • One certain starter for the central defence is surely Morteza Pouraliganji . His partner maybe Montazeri, although MohammadReza Khanzad has

MOROCCO

  • Herve Renard has good competition for places in his squad, particularly out wide, and in order to get as many of his best players in the XI as possible Nordin Amrabat will start at right-back with Nabil Dirar a doubt.
  • That could mean a start for Schalke youngster Amine Harit, lining up on the opposite flank to Hakim Ziyech with Younes Belhanda given the free role in midfield.
  • The main dilemma may be up front, where Ayoub El Kaabi is the man in form, while Khalid Boutaib's goals helped Morocco qualify for their first World Cup in 20 years.

ADVANTAGE: IRAN

Saudi Arabia Humiliated. Morocco fans rejoice.

After the Saudi Arabia football team was in the wrong end of a drubbing, the Moroccan fans did not hide their joy and expressed their delight at the defeat of the fellow Arab country.

In St. Petersburg streets, while fans of both Iran and Morocco were having a jolly time taunting each other in a peaceful and light-hearted atmosphere, the Moroccan fans burst into extra celebration after hearing the result of the opening match between the host Russia and Saudi Arabia. The Russians scored 5 against the hapless Saudis.

Several reasons for the expression of joy by the Moroccan fans were mentioned depending on whom you talk to. The majority mentioned that the Saudis have betrayed their country Morocco in the competition for hosting the 2026  FIFA World Cup., "Not only Saudi Arabia, which claims to be a brother Arab country , did not vote in favor of Morocco, they actually lobbied for America  and influenced other Arab countries to do so as well. That is betrayal to me and they deserved to be humiliated and beaten"

"The least they deserved" said another laughing Moroccan fan who was holding Iran flag in addition to his own country's.

Some fans targeted a Saudi Official Turki Al Shaikh for abuse.

Iranian fans joined the Moroccans in their celebration in a unique scene.

Team Melli Head Coach

Quieroz " Team Melli is highly adventurous at the present time”

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia — First, they were picked in possibly the toughest group at the World Cup. Then they failed to attract any high-quality opposition in friendly matches.

Now in Russia, Iran has been hit with sportswear sanctions from the United States, preventing players from wearing their favorite soccer shoes.

No wonder Iran coach Carlos Queiroz spoke Thursday of the “hurdles” his players have to mount as they compete in back-to-back World Cups for the first time.

“We do not allow these problems to become justifications, excuses,” Queiroz said, a day before Iran opens play in Group B with a match against Morocco in St. Petersburg. “All these situations we’ve been facing, we have been using as an opportunity to develop and an inspiration to make our players stronger and full of will. We are sure that we have to be a family and keep united.”

Queiroz, Iran’s longest-serving coach and a former Real Madrid coach and Manchester United assistant, is popular with soccer fans in the Asian country but will be feted even more if he manages to guide the team out of a group containing European champion Portugal and Spain, one of the tournament favorites.

Queiroz said it was “disrespectful” to talk about Spain, which is in turmoil after firing coach Julen Lopetegui on Wednesday, but was more open in discussing Iran’s blighted World Cup build-up.

He has long complained about Iran’s lack of international exposure and the country’s problems — mainly for political reasons — with arranging matches against other countries. This month, a warm-up match against Greece in Istanbul was abruptly canceled, reportedly because of an ongoing dispute between the Greeks and neighboring Turkey.

Iran’s soccer federation threatened legal action, saying it inflicted “serious damage” to the team’s World Cup preparations, then saw Kosovo — the supposed replacement for Greece — also pull out.

Adding to the disruption, Nike said it would not be providing soccer shoes to Iran for the World Cup because of American sanctions currently in place against the country.

Queiroz was angered by the decision and has addressed his unhappiness with FIFA.

“Players get used to their sports equipment, and it’s not right to change them a week before such important matches,” he said. “We are using all of the hurdles as a source of inspiration.”

Iran was the first team to qualify for the World Cup — exactly a year ago Thursday — after topping Asian qualifying, and is looking to improve on a record that has seen it win only one of its 12 matches at World Cups.

The Iranians have a reputation for being defensively sturdy, conceding only two goals in 10 qualifiers — and those only came in the final match when qualification was guaranteed.

Queiroz said Thursday his team was “highly adventurous at the present time” and “a lot of young players with a high number of qualities, especially in the midfield and in attacking positions,” but didn’t discount adopting a defensive formation when needed, presumably against Spain and Portugal.

Iran is set to be without striker Mehdi Taremi because of an undisclosed injury.

“The first game is always something special,” Queiroz said. “For us and Morocco, it is a must-win game.”

___

Team Melli FIFA 2018: State of readiness.

Team Melli continued training in Moscow with a session at the FC Strogino training ground on Saturday.

That session revealed that Carlos Queiroz’s team has enough energy and motivation to play in the FIFA World Cup 2018 and embark on an exciting event, but is it enough to confront three big obstacles in form of Morocco, Spain and Portugal and deliver? The answer to this question becomes more complicated when considering all prevailing circumstances. It is reported that Mehdi Taremi and Ashkan Dejagah did not take part in training but were involved in a special recovery program and probably will not be involved with the team due to injury at this time!

However, Queiroz speaks highly and confidently about his team and he is not prepared to undermine, convey any sign of frustration or disappointment to his squad. He is still the no 1 hope of the Iranian national team to face Morocco, Spain and Portugal. As in the past World Cup, his tactics against Nigeria and Argentina and the skilled manner that he analyzed both the opponents, resulted in respectable results in the 2 matches.

Now that four-year has passed and the coach has gained more experienced and his knowledge of the players has improved, he has a few shortcomings in posts in comparison to the Brazilian World Cup. Just where he had peace of mind, the team has a weakness. Where in Brazil players in the class of Javad Nekounam and Andranik Teymourian gave the team great confidence and experience,  now Queiroz does not have that luxury.

Team Melli players greeting Ali Daei

This is perhaps the only clear dark spot of Team Melli. Queiroz has a great deal of concern in filling the area because the role of defensive midfielder in his strategy is a very vital one. This time Team Melli faces a big vacuum. Saeed Ezzatollahi is suspended for the first game and Omid Ebrahimi has not yet reached the ideal form since recovering from his longish injury.

That is why Queiroz is thinking of options and using of other players in this post to fill this gap. Perhaps Karim Ansarifrd might be asked to change his post from center forward to defensive midfielder. Rozbeh's Cheshmi is another candidate; however it seems that Omid Ebrahimi's can be better choice than any other despite his less than optimum form.

Queiroz, of course, has a much greater concern in the goal, but no matter what the circumstances are, his option are quite limited and it does not seem that he will have a better option than calamity Alireza Beiranvand. That makes both the players and fans quite nervous. The memories of him concede goals like confetti only weeks ago, is still quite clear in everyone’s mind. Despite that, the Persepolis goalkeeper’s experience makes him a better choice in Russia.

Training in Istanbul

Biranvand may be considered as the man in the goal for Team Melli in Russia, Queiroz however has shown that he is unpredictable. His pick for the same post in Brazil was Alireza Haghighi , not the no 1 choice, but Queiroz was spot on in 2014.  If Brunvand is to be the custodian of Team Melli, he certainly needs a lot of guidance from a good sports psychologist - who can be Queiroz himself - to talk to him and mentally prepare the unpredictable Persepolis keeper,  for a big time and they don’t come bigger than the FIFA World Cup.

In other posts, there does not seem to be a particular or a major problem. Team Melli has players who play major roles for their clubs outside of Iran and understand the status of the World Cup and its significance. So Queiroz is confident that of them and would not worry about other posts.

However, it seems that Queiroz will still take a surprise course  of action in the Iranian national team. Perhaps the change of posts of one or two players, and perhaps his technical thoughts and great ability to read the game, will make all the three great opponents ponder and fight to get satisfactory results. We should wait and see.

TEAM MELLI PLAYERS: Market Value

As the World Cup approaches, players values in the market fluctuates and is highly dependent on their performance on the field. The latest Market Values for Team Melli players are listed here  
PLAYER AGE MARKET VALUE
Sardar Azmoun 23 9,000,000 €
Alireza Jahanbakhsh 24 8,000,000 €  
Karim Ansarifard 28 4,000,000 €
Milad Mohammadi 24 2,800,000 €  
Mehdi Taremi 25 1,700,000 €
Saman Ghoddos 24 1,600,000 €  
Ehsan Hajsafi 28 1,500,000 €
Reza Ghoochannejhad 30 1,500,000 €  
Alireza Beiranvand 25 1,200,000 €
Omid Ebrahimi 30 1,200,000 €  
Saeid Ezatolahi 21 1,200,000 €
Vahid Amiri 30 1,200,000 €  
Ramin Rezaeian 28 1,000,000 €
Morteza Pouraliganji 26 950,000 €  
Mohammad Rashid Mazaheri 29 900,000 €
Mehdi Torabi 23 800 ,000 €  
Majid Hosseini 21 800,000 €
Roozbeh Cheshmi 24 800,000 €  
Ashkan Dejagah 31 800,000 €
Masoud Shojaei 33 700,000 €  
Amir Abedzadeh 25 500,000 €
Mohammad Reza Khanzadeh 26 500,000 €  
Pejman Montazeri 34 400,000 €

Americans plot against Team Melli !

Nike refused to supply boots to the Iranian national team, the coach turned to FIFA.

After Donald Trump pulled out of the Iran Nuclear deal, he has all guns blazing against supplying anything to Iran. backed by the Israeli Benjamin Netanyahou, Trump has started forcing the Amrican firms to step dealing with Iran due to what he claims to be Nuclear threat and support for terrorism. The boycott has not even spared football boots  produced by American company Nike , just in case those boots are utilized in the production of heavy water or Nuclear fuel.

Team Melli Head coach , Portuguese Carlos Queiroz asked the International Football Federation (FIFA) to intervene after the refusal of the sportswear manufacturer Nike to provide soccer boots to the Iranian team.
According to the coach, the replacement of the usual boots on the eve of the World Cup can be bad for the game of the team, Radio Free Europe reports . "Players get used to their sports equipment, and it's wrong to change it one week before such important matches," said Queiroz after training in the Moscow region. "We urge FIFA to help us in this matter," he added. The first match of the Iran in FIFA World Cup starting next week in Russia will be held on June 15 against the team of Morocco in St. Petersburg. 60% of the 32 teams participating in the championship use Nike boots. The company explained its decision made in May by a statement by US President Donald Trump about withdrawing from a nuclear deal with Iran and restoring sanctions against Tehran. Sanctions should come into force in a few months, but several European companies have already begun to wind down their business operations in Iran.

Late strike by Ansarifard gives Iran a narrow win against Lithuania

Karim Ansarifard scored a late winner to give Iran a 1-0 victory over Lithuania in a behind-closed-doors friendly on Friday.

Carlos Queiroz’s side, who will face Morocco, Spain and Portugal in Group B at the World Cup, went into the game on the back of a 2-1 friendly defeat against Turkey in Istanbul and struggled to create chances against Edgaras Jankauskas’ lively Lithuania side.

After going in goalless at half-time, Iran spent much of the second half pinned back by waves of Lithuanian attacks, with Justas Lasickas firing over the crossbar before substitute Povilas Leimonas failed to hit the target after a neat passing move culminated in a chance on the hour mark.

Iran came to life in the last 10 minutes of the game, piling forwards and creating a number of chances before Olympiacos striker Ansarifard tried his luck from the edge of the penalty area and found the net in the 88th minute.

While the result – Iran’s fourth victory in their last six international friendlies – will have pleased Queiroz, the manner of his side’s performance will have given him food for thought ahead of their group opener against Morocco on June 15.

This was the last friendly of Team Melli. Due to a mixture of issues, games against Greece and Kosovo were cancelled. At the last minute it was been able to arrange this game against Lithuania. The Iran was the first team to arrive in Russia and has been in Moscow for 3 days, where it will play. its fifth participation in the World Cup.

Lithuania is a fourth tier team of Europe, which has not played in any World Cup, nor is it expected to do so in the short and medium term. The team consists of local players who play in their country's, infima league, where their first division players, would have problems playing in the third division of Spain, for example.

I

FFIRI to file a complaint against Greek FA with FIFA.

As the media in Iran were actively researching this new European and less known team including for information such as their foreign based players, it was announced soon after (about seven hours later) by the Kosovo Football Association that it was calling off the match with Team Melli , due to the demand to play behind closed doors without spectators.

The match was scheduled to take place at İstanbul Başakşehir Fatih Terim Stadyumu (same venue as the match against Turkey), but with the cancellation of this match, Team Melli is now only practicing in Turkey. After that, the  final list will be declared, then the squad will head to Russia to complete its last match against Lithuania.

After canceling the game, the Iranian Football Federation FFIRI condemned its Greek counterpart, saying it has suspended all relations with the Greek Football Association in a more formal and demonstrative fashion!  The statement by the federation, said "Despite the claims, the Iranian national team was always ready to play in Greece, as the documents exchanged between the two federations had an account of this issue. The FFIRI will file a complaint and report the issue to FIFA and will take all legal action for compensation for the losses incurred. Until such time as FIFA takes action on this case, the Iranian Football Association has announced that it will suspend all its relations with the Greek Football Association. "

Apparently the topic of the discussion was the venue of the game with Greece. The Greeks suggested to play in Greece, Xanthi. Then Athens was discussed as an alternative to Xanthi, but eventually the game was canceled because of the Greek Football Association sponsor! The federation statement goes on to point out the attempts to replace Greece with the new opponent and the subsequently canceled match with Kosovo:

"At the right time, all the necessary actions to find an alternative team to play the friendly match were taken on June 2nd. After seeking several options, the Football Federation of Iran began talks with the Kosovo Football Federation and a preliminary agreement for a friendly match was made. Following the initial agreement, the Iranian Football Federation accepted all the demands of the Kosovo Federation (including transport, residency, etc.), a new and final request was submitted by the Kosovo Football Federation that rendered playing the match Impossible. "

New and last-minute wishes? What the Kosovars have pointed out is very much a normal football practise of 100 of years and that is the presence of spectators. The Iranians have not accepted that and subsequently the game was called off. Now, who is desperate for a practise match, Kosovo who has nothing to play for , or Iran with a World Cup ahead in a fortnight?  Simple question , who is the loser here, regardless to the fact that Kosovo ranks 152 in the FIFA Ranking, which is even worst that Sierra Leone at 103?

That episode clearly shows the shortsightedness of the Iranian football officials and the stubbornness of one Carlos Queiroz, a coach who is not world renowned for his flexibility or diplomacy.

With this account and since it is unlikely that in these one-two days a new opponent will provide a challenge and much-needed practise for Team Melli, the Iranian side's preparations for the World Cup was made up of a match against the Olympic team of Uzbekistan, under strength Turkish side and a match against reserves of Lithuania, ranked 91!!

Thus , Team Melli is about he worst  prepared team of the FIFA World Cup 2018 Russia.

 

Realistic chances of Team Melli in Russia.

With less than twenty days left to  the world Cup, what are the realistic chances of Team Melli against he might of Spain & Portugal? The other team in the group, Morocco, is not to be taken lightly either.

The World sport media is full of reviews about the Russia world cup and there are always those predictions of course. When it comes to Group B, the majority would pick the two European giants as the favorite to qualify ahead of Iran & Morocco. It is a fair assessment based on track records and achievements of the past.

However, time and again, football has shown us that winning is all about being the better team on the day and even being that good is no guarantee of winning the match. That is one beauty of football that makes it by far the most attractive sport in the world. So, can Team Melli surprise a few and qualify from this tough group, the answer is YES, very much so.

It is not a wishful thinking, but based on decades of observation of the team and the current style under the control of one Carlos Queiroz. If there is anything that is certain with the Portuguese master, it is his passion for tight defenses and his ideology that strong defenses can win you matches which has been his predominant tactics all through his reign with Team Melli.

Queiroz has an amazing record with Team Melli. In fact, the last time he lost an official match was 4 years ago against Bosnia in the World Cup. Since then, he only lost two friendly games against Tunisia and Sweden.

With the majority of Team Melli players making a living in European leagues,  that fear and complex about World Class European players does not affect their performance anymore. The cold feet syndrome hit the team in their first ever world cup in 1978.

This group of players can play against the best of them. The defenders will be dealing with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, and Diego Costa like any other forwards they have dealt with before, albeit with special instruction by the Maestro Queiroz. The chances of the two stars putting a few goals still exists but it is far from a forgone conclusion.

Team Melli strength really lies in the attack. Up front is where the two golden boys of Iran can make a difference, Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Sardar Azmoun. These two can beat defenses and can score against the top ranks, but they need the supply from the midfield. Much of that support will be on the shoulders of Ashkan Dejagah , if he full recovers  , and Saman Ghoddos another amazing talent for Iran.  The success or failure very much depends on how the midfield performs in both the defensive and offensive duties.

Team Melli biggest challenge is in the goal. Number one choice Alireza Biranvand has been in abysmal form lately. Conceding goals aplenty with his club, he showed that he really lacks what it takes at top class.  The other two on the list are hardly more experienced than Biranvand with Amir Abedzadeh , the son of legendary , Ahmad Abedzadeh , just making his debut against Uzbekistan. It is certainly a worry for Queiroz and will be interesting to see his pick. Knowing that Queiroz never shies from making dramatic calls, it very likely that he might drop his number and pick the unlikeliest of choices.

Mazaheri, Zob Ahan keeper , has been in truly fine form in the Persian Gulf Pro League and with his team in the AFC Champions League, however, Queiroz might favor Abedzadeh as he is playing in Portuguese league and that might give him an edge.

Iran unveils World Cup-themed rugs to be gifted in Russia

Seven FIFA World Cup-themed Persian carpets and rugs have been unveiled in Tehran ahead of the 2018 tournament in Russia. The silk carpets are to be gifted to football bodies, while the rugs are for the teams Iran will face.

Four large carpets feature the World Cup trophy, Russia 2018 mascot Zabivaka, the goal-scoring wolf, as well as images of iconic sights in Russia and Iran. All four carpets have unique details relating to the nation or body that will receive the lavish gift. The one going to FIFA, for example, bears the logo of the organization.

“One of them will be donated to the Razavi shrine custodian, another carpet will be donated to the Iranian Football Federation, the third to FIFA, and the last to the Russian Football Federation,” carpet provider Hamed Heydari told RT’s Ruptly.

The weavers have produced three smaller rugs as well, which bear the logos of national teams that will play Iran in the Group B of the tournament – Morocco, Portugal and Spain. The carpets are expected to be given as a gift by the Iranian team captain to his counterparts.

The carpet-making process is complex and time-consuming. It took over six months to make the World Cup 2018 set. “We started weaving these rugs six months and 15 days ago. Two shifts of eight people, that is 16 people put together worked on them. The fabric is 80 percent silk.” Heydari said. The tradition of weaving special carpets marking World Cup tournaments emerged back in 1998, when Iran managed to qualify for the football showpiece for the first time since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Since then, the weaver team has produced carpets marking every world championship. “The goal of weaving these carpets is to introduce the genuine Iranian culture into international arenas. The rugs will go down in history. One of them will be kept at the Russian Football Federation. May the entire world see these carpets and realize that Iranians are people of the arts,” carpet weaver Hossein Kazemi Hamed said, adding that he himself used to play football, and his “love for sports made me bring carpets and sports into some sort of a relationship.”