Tag: Alireza Jahanbakhsh

Team Melli draws away to Korea Rep.

South Korea and Iran played a 1-1 draw in the Seoul World Cup Stadium in an international friendly on Tuesday in front of a full capacity ground. The host opened the scoring when their leading scorer Hwang Woo-Sung took full advantage of a mix up between Team Melli’s defenders to lob the advancing Beiranvand on the 57th minute, but Iran soon responded when a corner kick by Rezaeian was met by Pouraliganji who scrambled the ball to hit Korean defender Kim Young-Gwon  and end up in the back of the net.

The action-packed match was entertaining from the start as both teams were geared for attack, and in the process, leaving both defenses vulnerable to counters. The host took the initiative against Iran at the start of the first half. Lee Jae-sung attempted a sharp left-foot cross on the right side in the sixth minutes but the Korean forwards could not take advantage. In the 7th minute, Hwang In-Beom’s right-footed shot from the left of the box was blocked by a defensive wall.

In the first 15 minutes, the Koreans had a slight edge but stubborn Iran defense and a steady goalkeeping by Beiranvand , spoiled every Korean ambition. Lack of real threat by the Koreans emboldened Iran to attack and go forward

Iran finished a good set of passes with a medium-range shot from Fullback Rezaeian in front of the box in the 14th minute. In the 17th minute, Rezaeian’s crossed inside the box, but Hajsafy attempted left-footed shot was blocked. Twenty minutes into the match, Torabi’s right-footed shot from the inside of the box led to a sharp trajectory but missed the goal by inches.

Both teams played a fierce battle to control the middle of the field in the first half. In the 23rd minute, Lee Jae-sung’s through-pass allowed Sang-Joe to take a left-footed shot but Beiranvand deflected the ball to a corner. Then it was the turn of Korean keeper Joo Hyun-woo to make a save when Alireza Jahanbakhsh hit a long range shot from 40 meters. Jahanbakhsh, who received the ball from a counterattack in the 25th minute, had Ansarifard on his left with lots of space but he elected to go it alone. Iran then created several opportunities to attack and shoot taking advantage of the space between Korea’s defense and their midfielder. In the 37th minute, Ansarifard tried a medium range shot but did not get past Jo Hyun-woo.

South Korea, who had desperately wanted to test Beiranvand, eventually managed to do so and created that opportunity. In the 41st minute, the Korean Ace Son Heung-min tried a powerful left-footed shot from the front of the box, but Beiranvand saved it to a corner. In the 43rd minute, Najang Ho volleyed the ball from a cross but hit the underside of Beiranvand’s crossbar and deflected away from the goal-line.

At the beginning of the second half, Iran introduced Noorollahi instead of Jahanbakhsh in order to boost the attack. Noorollahi ‘s mid-range shot hit the crossbar in the 50th minute depriving Iran from securing a deserved lead.

But South Korea took the lead instead with Hwang Joo Ja’s opening goal in the 57th minute. Kim Min-jae’s long pass was blocked by the defenders who then clashed into each other, and Hwang Joo picked the loose ball and used a chip shot to beat goalkeeper Beiranvand in the box.

Iran, who gave away the first goal, showed a strong performance by scoring the equalizer following a corner kick in the 62th minute. The corner by Rezaeian , hit the body of Pouraliganji , then deflected past defender Kim Young-kwon into his own goal. Iran managed to equalize in less than 4 minutes.

South Korea, brought in Lee Seung-woo, Sejong, and Lee Jung-hyo after the 75th minute, but missed out on Na Sang-ho, Baek Seung-ho and Hwang-in. Iran also responded with three substitutions of their own.

In the last quarter of second half, Son Heung-min hit a mid-range shot from outside of the box, but Beiranvand easily handled the shot .

The match ended with a 1-1 draw.  Both the coaches Paulo Bento and Marc Wilmots opted to limit the number of substitutions not to break the flow of the game and that resulted in attractive match.

At the end, South Korea, which had hoped, and in some ways was desperate, to win against Iran for the first time in eight years, had to settle for a draw and swallowed up its pride.

In the meantime, both teams will continue their voyages in the second round of the 2022 Qatar World Cup Asian qualifiers starting September 2019.

Graham Potter’s appointment as Brighton Coach, an Inspired Move

Brighton and Hove Albion’s decision to replace Chris Hughton with Swansea City manager Graham Potter might seem harsh, and a massive gamble, but dig a bit deeper and it could be one of the shrewdest appointments of the summer.

When Chris Hughton joined Brighton, they were in 21st place in the Championship. He got them to the Premier League, and kept them there for two seasons despite having one of the league’s smallest budgets.

In the final game of this season, Brighton may have got comprehensively beaten by one of the best soccer sides there has ever been, but on the last day of the season 22 years ago, only Robbie Reinelt’s goal in front of the jam-packed, dilapidated away end at Hereford United kept Brighton in the Football League. Brighton have come a long way since then, and while Hughton has only played a small part in that journey, he was the manager who took them to the top flight for the first time in 34 years.

Sacking Chris Hughton seems to many outsiders like a club getting ideas above their station, and no doubt Hughton will have little difficulty finding another job this summer (he’s already linked with the West Bromwich Albion job). But Brighton are on a downward spiral, and only a very brave gambler would have bet on Hughton’s negative brand of soccer keeping them out of the relegation places next season.

Even though Brighton stayed up this year, there was little to cheer about at the Amex Stadium – Brighton only scored 16 goals from open play all season and no side tested the other team’s goalkeeper fewer times than the Seagulls. Hughton also failed to get the most out of big-money signings like Alireza Jahanbakhsh, so there’s little to suggest that backing him in the transfer market will lead to any upturn in performances.

“I expected more from myself.” Alireza Jahanbakhsh

Alireza Jahanbakhsh says he hasn’t shown his best form for Brighton & Hove Albion yet and admitted he expected more from himself in his first season in England.

The Iranian winger joined the Seagulls for a club record fee, reported to be £17m, last summer but failed to register a goal or assist in a campaign which he said had ‘a lot of ups and downs’.

A hamstring injury and the Asian Cup saw Jahanbakhsh miss three months of the season from November to February before he started eight of Albion’s final 11 Premier League matches.

Reflecting on his debut campaign in England, the 25-year-old said: “It was a little bit up and down, to be honest. At the beginning I was trying to get into the team as soon as possible and play games.

“Obviously, as everyone knows, I played a couple of games and then got an unexpected injury. It took me out for a while and then I had the Asian Cup. There were some things which kept me away from playing games.

“The last couple of games I played, made progress and got used to the competition.

“The Premier League is a high quality league and different to what I’m used to. It (the season) wasn’t what I’d planned for and what I was expecting from myself but it’s gone.

“I’ll have a good pre-season hopefully and will have a good season (next year) which I expect from myself and what everyone expects from me.”


Jahanbakhsh admitted his season left him unsatisfied and he said: “It was tough getting used to a new environment and moving to somewhere with a totally different culture and facing new stuff, which I’ve never been challenged with.

“There were a lot of ups and downs but there were a lot of times I enjoyed and played a lot of minutes.

“But it wasn’t something which makes me satisfied, nor the fans and people who expect more from me.

“I know the reason why I’m here and I was expecting more from myself obviously. I wanted to play more, be important for the team statistically but that was something which didn’t happen this season.

“Next season I’m going to work with double energy and with the mindset of what I have from the Premier League right now. Hopefully I’ll bring more quality to the team and show what I can do.”

Jahanbakhsh, who played 24 times in all competitions, feels Brighton fans are still to see the best of him: “Definitely. There’s been some games I’ve really enjoyed playing with my team-mates but my best hasn’t happened yet obviously.

“I expect more of myself and I know I can show more. That’s the reason I’m not really happy with this season.

“It has gone and next season I’m going to do everything to get into the best shape.”

Brighton finished 17th in the Premier League and also reached the FA Cup semi-finals in Jahanbakhsh’s first season with the club.


He said: “For the team it wasn’t that bad a season. The last seven, eight, ten games it’s been a little bit difficult with being down there and stressing about relegation.

“We made it difficult for ourselves because there was a stage of the season where we were 11th, 12th position in the table. We’d been doing a great job and got to the the semi-finals of the FA Cup.

“We lost a few points which made it more difficult in the last couple of games but luckily we are staying in the Premier League.

“We have to plan for next season which we know is going to be even more difficult. We are going to do our best to have good preparation in pre-season and to have a good season.”

Jahanbakhsh now has a rare summer off with no international commitments and he said: “Now is a good time to have some time off, refresh my mind and come back in good shape for pre-season.”

Jahanbakhsh doubtful for Yemen match.

Alireza Jahanbakhsh who has been suffering from a hamstring injury is doubtful for the first game of Team Melli in the AFC Asian Cup 2019.

The Brighton & Hove Albion winger has been sidelined for almost three weeks now. Although he has resumed training recently and even managed to join Team Melli squad for the Training Camp in Doha, his main focus was on light work and physical strength exercises. Jahanbakhsh did not play against Palestine or Qatar in the last two test matches before the tournament.

For Queiroz, Jahanbakhsh’s absence from the game against Yemen and even against Vietnam in the next match, will not be a major concern as Team Melli has enough strength in-depth to win both matches without Jahanbakhsh. However, starting from the match against Iraq and the next round matches, his presence is significant. The only other concern will be if Jahanbakhsh shows rusty signs because of  injury and lack of playing competitive football for some time.

Iran will meet Yemen in Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi in the first match of Group D of the AFC Asian Cup. In the other group match Vietnam will take on Iraq.

Jahanbakhsh is currently the most expensive Iranian player. A lot is expected from him after what was a disappointing World Cup. Along with Sardar Azmoun, he is the major hope of Team Melli in the Asian Cup.

Iran, the strongest contender for the title.

As the AFC Asian Cup is drawing closer, the pressure on Carlos Queiroz mounts to prove his worth with Team Melli by winning the 17th edition of the continents top prize.

The Portuguese head coach, whose resume included world class teams like Real Madrid, Manchester United, Portugal and South African national teams, has spent enough time in Iran and Asia to mount a serious challenge for the continent most coveted trophy which eluded Iran for 43 years.

For over 5 years, Team Melli has been ranked at the top of FIFA Ranking, rudely interrupted by Japan in one or two occasion. Under Queiroz’s leadership, Iran made it to two World Cups with ease it should be said, against tough opponents such as South Korea and Uzbekistan.

Iran stars such as Azmoun, Jahanbakhsh and Ansarifard have not performed anywhere near some of the other Asian footballers in Europe and none of them seem to be able to hold a place in their teams. South Korea’s Son Heung-min ,  is indispensable  member of the English Premiere league title contenders , Tottenham ,  Ki Sung-yueng is an important player for Newcastle, Australia’s brilliant goalkeeper  Mathew Ryan , has been Brighton’s saviour, Tom Rogic of Celtic  plays a major role for the Scottish champions, Japan’s Maya Yoshida (Southampton) ,  Shinji Kagawa (B. Dortmund),and Shinji Okazaki (Leicester City) all passed the grade for their  European Teams. It is interesting to note however, that Japan’s coach Hajime Moriyasu in true Japanese tradition opted for a team filled with young Europe-based talents, leaving stars like the latter two players off the squad. In brief, individually, the other Asian footballer have fared much better in Europe than Team Melli players.

 

Success at National team level in a competition such as the AFC Asian Cup cannot be judged on the individual star of a team. In the true meaning of the word, it is the team, in a collective sense that makes a difference at the end. The combination of Queiroz with his experience, knowledge and tactical acuteness with this group of talented and capable Iranian footballers, whom he has built and molded to his liking, is an excellent recipe for success. This is perhaps the best Iranian team since 1976 and many pundits know it and swear by it.

It is football, after all. One or two teams can spring a surprise. Australia, the defending champion minus a few of their stars from 2015 , Japan’s young yet tactically sound team, South Korea with a tradition ,  tactical discipline and winning mentality are as good as any to win the title.  There are also some outsiders, including Qatar, Iraq, Uzbekistan and Saudi Arabia who might have a say in the tournament too.

Considering all factors, Iran and Queiroz still hold the upper hand and they are the team to beat. Barring some of the reckless finishing that have marred their recent performances, the trio up front in Team Melli can beat the best of their opponents. A solid defense is vital for any team with aspiration of winning championships and Team Melli has it all. In fact, Queiroz has a problem of riches in defense with all the defenders in the squad on similar forms and standards.

Ezatollahi’s absence in the defensive midfield role is a real, perhaps the only blow to Queiroz, but there is enough quality in the team to ensure his absence is not felt.

Success and chances of lifting the trophy will be greatly enhanced when personal, and tactical discipline (Queiroz is most defiantly should lead by example from the touchline) is at its highest. Not allowing the outcome of the match to be dependent on vacillating referees’ such as Ben Williams calls is a key factor.

On a positive note, Team Melli will have the greatest support outside of Iran in the UAE. The great Iranian community will be ever present to cheer the boys. This support cannot be underestimated.

Now all that remains is for the likes of Azmoun, Taremi, Ansarifarfd and Jahanbakhsh to convert their chances on the pitch and leave lady luck in the dressing room.

Alireza Jahanbakhsh to return to Brighton line up against Chelsea.

Winger Alireza Jahanbakhsh is set to return for Brighton & Hove Albion in next weekend’s Premier League home match with Chelsea.

The Iranian star returned to training earlier this week after a hamstring injury. Saturday’s game with Burnley was too soon for the 25-year-old but Brighton boss Chris Hughton feels Jahanbakhsh will be ready to return against Chelsea on December 16. Hughton said: “He’s fine but at this moment, it will be too early for Saturday. “He’s trained really well. If he continues his training levels, I probably would see him available for the Chelsea game.”

Jahanbakhsh joined Brighton & Hove Albion for a club record fee of £17m from AZ Alkmaar in the summer. He has made ten Premier League appearances this season, starting four matches. He has missed the last four games after suffering a hamstring injury in the 3-1 defeat at Everton at the beginning of November.

Forest Boss is all praise for Karim Ansarifard

While Nottingham Forest forward Lewis Grabban snaffled up his tenth goal of the season as well as three points for the Reds, as they beat previously table-topping Sheffield United 1-0 at the City Ground and the £6m striker grabbed the spotlight again, Forest boss Aitor Karanka is delighted to have further strengthened his attacking arsenal with the capture of the Team Melli Striker, Karim Ansarifard.

Forest had to be patient while working through significant red tape to complete the signing of the 28-year-old, who had his contract with Olympiacos terminated in August, in order to facilitate his move to the Championship.

“I am really pleased to have signed him. I knew that the day would arrive,” said Karanka, who gave the player his debut as a substitute, deep into injury time. “The day has arrived yesterday, which was really good, given that we need him.

“The delay was to do with the work permit. I don’t know the exact details, but it was only ever a question of getting the right paperwork.”
I am just pleased to have him because, even in the two minutes he had on the pitch, he showed that he is crazy to play for this team.”

Karanka says Ansarifard is fit and ready to go – but says he will need some time to adapt to the Championship.

“He is fully fit and ready to go, but he will need time to settle in, having arrived in this league from another country,” said Karanka. “But he is a professional and he is a winner. I am positive.”
“He scored 17 goals for Olympiacos and he has quality. He is a good finisher.

“To score goals we need to get the ball into the box and you need players to be arriving into the box at the right time.

“We have good players and we are arriving at the right time. We have very good strikers. We have Lewis, we have Daryl (Murphy) and now we have Karim as well.

“Now we have another alternative. He is a good player and another player who is a very good person and a good teammate for the changing room.

“He only played one or two minutes, but the run he made in the last seconds can show you how hungry he is; how much he wants to help the team. “He is a good man and a good player, so I am really pleased with him.”

Karim made the cameo appearance with the minimal of preparation in the 90th minute of the game.

Three team Melli players play in the English leagues. Apart from Karim, Alireza Jahanbakhsh plays for Brighton and Saeid Ezatolahi plays for Reading in the Championship.

Alireza Jahanbakhsh to Brighton & Hove Albion !

The transfer of Erdivisie top scorer Alireza Jahanbakhsh to Brighton & Hove Albion is a certainty and a very special one for AZ . The Iranian is sold for 24 million euros and with that he is the most expensive AZ Alkmaar player of all time.

There has been lots of speculation about the destination of the Iranian , with the English Premier League being the favorites. Jahanbakhsh had a quiet World Cup in Russia and he was  bound to follow the coach defensive game plan thus limiting his effectiveness in the offensive duties. however, many clubs have been monitoring him well before the World Cup.

Star on the rise

The Iranian winger has been one of the standout players in the Eredivisie in recent years and he has the potential to be an exciting capture for a Premier League team. He showed flashes of his talent during the World Cup with Iran and he is now ready to test himself at a higher level.

Last season, he finished as the Eredivisie top scorer with 21 goals with one coming every 135 minutes in the competition. In addition to that, he contributed 12 assists and was regularly causing problems for opposition defences.

His feats are even more impressive considering he wasn’t playing for one of the top two teams. That said, his performances allowed AZ Alkmaar to finish above Feyenoord who had won the league as recently as the 2016/17 campaign.

The 24-year-old delivered consistency in the Eredivisie with 4.3 shots, 3.4 dribbles and 2.4 key passes. They are huge attacking numbers and underline the quality that he does possess. Although it is unlikely that he could reproduce these with a team like Brighton, he would represent an upgrade on their current options.

Transfer Record

AZ Alkmaar old transfer record was in the name of Vincent Janssen. Tottenham Hotspur paid AZ about 22 million euros 2 years ago  for Janssen,. Jahanbakhsh, was even rumored to have had his medical with Leicester City , but Brighton, surprised everyone with this hefty offer.

 Brighton’s Dutch player Davy Pröpper, commented on the transfer “The transfer of the Iranian to Brighton is almost concluded with a few minor details and will soon become official.”

It was already a lucrative transfer summer for AZ. Earlier, striker Wout Weghorst was sold to VfL Wolfsburg for more than 10 million euros.

Top scorer
It will be a tough job to replace that pair. Alireza Jahanbakhsh became top scorer of the Eredivisie last season with 21 goals, 3 more than teammate and buddy Weghorst.

Team Melli loses to Turkey.

Team Melli, which is actively preparing for the 21st FIFA World Cup, played the Turkish national team on Monday at Fatih Tarem Stadium, Istanbul. Turkey won the close match 2-1, goals scored by Cenk Tosun 6′ and 50′, with Iran scoring a late consolation from a spot kick by Ashkan Dejagah.

The starting lineup for Team Melli was: Alireza Beiranvand, Ehsan Haj Safi, Roozbeh Cheshmi, Milad Mohammadi, Masoud Shojaei, Morteza PouraliGanji, Karim Ansarifard, Mehdi Taremi, Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Sardar Azmoun and Ramin Rezaeian. In the second half, Omid Ebrahimi, Vahid Amiri, Saman Ghoddos, Mehdi Torabi, Reza Ghoochannejad and Ashkan Dejagah were substituted in.

At the onset, the Turkish team had a good opportunity to open the scoring, but Alireza Beiranvand deprived the hosts as early as the second minute. However, the resistance was broken very soon after, as in the 6th minute, the Everton striker Cenk Tosun broke through the defenses and left Roozbeh Chesmi in his shadow with a clever and relatively easy dummy to shoot past the hapless Beiranvand.

Turkey, which was in the control of the game for the first 20 minutes, still had a number of opportunities but could not increase the tally. In the 23rd minute, Ehsan Haji Safi was placed in a one-on-one situation with Turkish keeper from an immaculate diagonal pass by Alireza Jahanbakhsh, but the midfielder was far too casual and his low weak shot was easily saved by the Turkish goalkeeper Serkan Kırıntılı.

Three minutes later, Alireza Jahanbakhsh, who was one of the better Team Melli players, was in the center of the Turkish penalty area, and after a nice move past the Turkish defense, he latched on a fierce shoot which the goalkeeper again saved depriving Iran from a much deserved equalizer.

Despite the efforts made by the Iranian players in the first half, Queiroz players went into the dressing room a goal behind.

The second half started for Iran in different circumstances, as the team tried to score an early goal, but in the 50th minute, the weakness in the defense line enabled Tosun to easily score his second goal. The culprit was Beiranvand again for his poor timing and unforced error. The host was 2-0 up early in the second half.

After this goal, the substitutions by Queiroz started and the players who seem to be among the starters of the team started entering the pitch to increase the pressure on Turkey and show more aggressiveness, but there was still an inconsistency among the players. The team lacked any effective plan to score with most of the final balls ending up wasted or intercepted by the Turks.

 In the final part of the match, there was little sign of a concerted attack strategy to score.  This showed, more than anything else, the team’s weaknesses in many areas which surely requires addressing before the start of the World Cup to overcome these weaknesses.

The main problem of the team remains the central defense and the goalkeeper. Beiranvand’s weakness have been  evident for a long time now. With two of the most experienced defenders out of the squad ( Jalal Hosseini and Vouria Ghafoori ) , short of a miracle , the Portuguese coach is hard pushed to find a suitable solution.  This lack of experience and skill , raises real concerns against the likes of Ronaldo.

In the 91st minute of the match, Reza Goochannejad close range shot was blatantly handled by Turkish defender Omer Byram on the goal line. The Uzbek referee had no hesitation to call the penalty, in addition to the expulsion of the defender who was barely on the pitch for a couple of minutes. Ashkan Dejagah scored this penalty shot.

Team Melli will have two other preparations for the match versus Morocco in the Group B of the World Cup, but the meeting with Greece is still unclear, Lithuania is certain.

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.