Carlos Queiroz announced a fine mix of youth and experienced players or the upcoming Team Melli matches against Thailand and Lebanon in the AFC Asian Cup qualifying group.
28 players were named by Queiroz , 8 of them play their football outside Iran.
Team Melli was announced after the conclusion of the round 12 league matches and started the training session today (Sunday) at the Team Melli training camp center. Out of the players selected, the foreign-based players were absent and will be joining the team in the next few days.
As always, there is a debate going on about the players selections depending on whom you talk to. Although the selections sounds logical and to certain extend a fair reflection of the current status of Iran’s football, Queiroz mus
t always create some kind of controversy with a few of his choices.
Selection Debates
The Portuguese coach continues his fixation with European based players unabated. As it happens, none of the Team Melli players in the European teams have fared well this season. Perhaps this is a bit of understatement; the reality is much tougher than that. Ashkan Dejagah (Fulham) and Reza Ghoochannejad (Standard Liege) , arguably the two best players in the squad , have failed to play regular football in their respective clubs from the start of the season. They have also failed to make the bench in many matches, reflecting how poor the coaches of these teams consider their Iranian players. The other high profile player, Masoud Shojaei is playing his football in a second division club in Spain,and he has not set his club Las Palamas alight yet.
The two youngsters in the team playing in European clubs, Azmoun (Ruben Kazan) and Jahanbaksh (N.E.C) , who have been selected for the first time to Team Melli squad, have not fared much better either. They are both fringe players given the odd few minutes now and then.
However, being on the roster of a European club , regardless to the fact that the players gets any playing time, seems to be a guaranteed way to be named in Team Melli squad. Interestingly enough, Alireza Jahanbaksh when asked in an interview by a reporter why he opted to join a struggling team which just escaped relegation the season before, ( and now lingering in the bottom of the Dutch league) he pointed out that he needs the European experience but then stressed upon the fact that being in a European team is one definite way of being noticed by Team Melli selectors ! Obviously, the youngster has been coached well in this matter and smart enough to get what he wants.
Not selceted, sorry !!
On the other hand, two of the best and most impressive players for their teams in the league have not been given any notice. Bakhtiar Rahmani , a young talent with flair and ability playing for Foolad Khuzestan, and Perspolis brilliant and skillful player Payam Sadeghian have failed to make it to the disappointment of many observers and neutrals.
Both are young , both have great influence in their team, with Rahmani’s team leading the table and both have already played for Team Melli different age levels teams. This season with nearly half the league matches played, the two players are showing much tactical maturity that is ripe for selection. However, with Queiroz out of Iran for one reason or another, his supporting cast have failed to recognize the abilities of two youngsters who perform to a high standard week in week out , and instead opted for another youngster Sardar Azmoun , who has not reached any of the two aforementioned players standard while rarely playing for his team!
Perhaps , the questionable personal and professional attitude of Sadeghian has tarnished his image lately, a fact which was highlighted in his TV interview by Ferdowsipour , and might have been noticed by TEam Melli selectors. There is no such doubt on Rahmani, though
Not that the young players in the roster will have deciding role in the team , but the selection such as that will nevertheless, raise questions and increases the sense of distrust between Queiroz and the club coaches who always take the opportunity to claim that Queiroz is not interested in Iran’s league and hardly watches it. Such selection logic, and it is only Queiroz that knows the logic, will serve to fuel more debate amongst the fans and the sport journalist.
And there will always be one Mehrdad Pooladi for Carlos Queiroz.
The last time this player was selected for Team Melli, he was barely able to walk. Pooladi has suffered a long period of inactivity because of the injury. He has not played for his club this season, yet he is on the roster once again repeating the same selection process with Shojaei a few months back when Masoud Shojaei was selected for Team Melli while just recovering from his long layoff and has not played a single match for his club.
But all is not bad news, as the selection of Steven Beitashour is as exciting as the naming of Dejagah a year or so back. Beitashour is still an unknown quality for the Iranian fans. He plays in Major Soccer League in USA which has no TV coverage in Iran , so the exposure is minimal. However, he is a skillful midfielder and defender who can also score. The only problem with Beitashour will be the logistics. Travelling back and forth to America is simply not an easy feat for a football player. His selection is a big positive mark for Queiroz, especially after Beitashour was courted by Team Melli for a long time with Afshin Ghotbi desperately trying to bring him in, but efforts failed, mainly due to the politics of football. Iranian government did not fancy an American Born plying for them.
With the thaw in Iranian-American relations, Beitashour playing for Team Melli is a reality. He is a passionate person who maintains his adoring for his ancestry country and tradition. His commitment will be an interesting observation.