Tag: Amir Ghalanoei

Italian coach Antonio Manicone is to be appointed as an assistant coach with Ghalenoei.

Petkovic’s former assistant on the Lazio, Switzerland and Bordeaux bench is expected to assist Amir Ghalenoei in Team Melli

Together with Petkovic

(Keystone)

June 3, 2023

According to reports in the Iranian media, Antonio Manicone is about to join the coaching staff of Team Melli, as an assistant to Amir Ghalenoei. The FFIRI has already confirmed its intention in fact confirmed its intention to hire a foreign assistant without naming anyone specific.

The 56-year-old Italian was assistant to Vladimir Petkovic on the benches of Lazio, the Swiss national team, and Bordeaux. As a player, he wore the shirts of Inter, Palermo, Genoa, and Perugia.

Currently, there are three Iranian assistant coaches helping Amir Ghalenoei, Andranik Teymourian, Hamid Mottahari, and Rahman Rezaei while Miguel Teixeira is the only non-Iranian assistant on the bench.

Ghalenoei announces the initial squad for CAFA Championship 2023

In preparation for the inaugural Central Asian Football Association championship in Kyrgyzstan, Amir Ghalenoei, the head coach of Team Melli, has selected an initial list of 24 players who will form the initial squad with the group scheduled to start a mini camp on Sunday.

The players invited to the camp are :

Payam Niazmand (Sepahan), Mohammad Reza Akhbari (Tractor), Hossein Pourhamidi (Aluminum)

Ehsan Haj Safi (A.K. Athens, Greece), Mohammad Naderi (Altaispor, Turkey), Ehsan Hosseini (Arak Aluminum), Mohammad Daneshgar (Sepahan), Hossein Kananizadegan (Al Ahli Qatar), Arif Agassi (Foolad Khuzestan), Amir Mehdi Janmelki (Nasiji Mazandarane), Mehdi Tikdari (Gol Gohar Sirjan), Ramin Rezaian (Sepahan) Gholamreza Thabit Imani (Peykan), Alireza Alizadeh (Gol Gohar Sirjan), Omid Nourafken (Sepahan),

Mohammad Karimi (Sepahan), Amir Hossein Hosseinzadeh (Charloei, Belgium), Mehran Ahmadi (Malavan), Mohammad Javad Mohammadi (Hawadar), Shahab Zahedi (Puscas), Mehdi Memizadeh (Sanat Naft Abadan), Mohammad Ghanbari (Tractor), Mohammad Reza Azadi (Arak Aluminum) and Reza Asadi (Tractor)

These players are to introduce themselves to the national team’s coaching staff on Sunday, June 4th. Also, the selected players from Esteghlal and Persepolis along with Mehdi Taremi, Saeed Ezzatollahi, Sadegh Moharrami, Sardar Azmoun, and Majid Hosseini will be added to the national team after the end of the mini camp due to the late ending of the season for those players.

A specific training program will be considered for the aforementioned players during the rest period at the end of the season. Allahyar Sayadmanesh is absent from this camp due to a marriage ceremony outside Iran and with the permission of the head coach and will be added to the camp in the next stage based on the opinion of the head coach of the national team. Shoja Khalilzadeh and Ahmad Nourollahi are both suffering injuries and will be dealt with by the medical staff of the national team with a decision to be made about them before the trip to Kyrgyzstan.

Team Melli’s CAFA Nations Cup 2023 matches

13 June 2023
20:00
Iran  v  Afghanistan
    Dolen Omurzakov Stadium, Bishkek
 
16 June 2023
20:00
Kyrgyzstan  v  Iran
    Dolen Omurzakov Stadium, Bishkek
 

How is Team Melli under Ghalenoei?

With one win and a draw already under his belt, Ardashir (Amir) Ghalenoei seems to have started well in his second term with Team Melli.  The nucleus of the previous team is still intact as Ghalenoei used most of the players who qualified Iran for the world cup under Dragan Skocic and then briefly in the World Cup finals, under Carlos Queiroz. However, the addition of several new players and the return of previous ones has given a slightly different shape to the same team.

Overall, Team Melli played delightful football in both matches, despite some shortfalls that need to be worked upon by the coaching team. The passing of the ball, finding spaces, defensive coverage, crosses from flanks, and counterattacks were all carried out to acceptable to good standards. The shortfalls were in the poor finishing, final ball delivery, mental agility, and the chronic shortfall of Iranian players, general slowness. While modern football demands quick and swift thinking by footballers, Iranian players seem to take extra seconds to make such moves.

 

The match against Kenya was particularly worrying in the sense that the Iranian players could not physically match the Kenyan team! The African players won most of the one-to-one tackles which mostly ended up with the Iranian hitting the lawn with both arms raised up in protests to no avail. Physical strength and body build have always been one of the better attributes of Iranian footballers throughout the years. It is important to keep that up, especially against stronger teams. It is also important by Ghalenoei to instill some discipline and discourage play-acting.

Although not much can be read from the two matches, and not much can be presumed from Ghaleoei’s public statements, it seems that a fresh mentality is going to dominate Team Melli’s playing style. Under eight years and something, Team Melli fans were exposed to the dour defensive-minded style of Carlos Queiroz. Ghaleoei has a different mindset and we do hope it is aimed toward more attractive football that appeals to the fan but of course, not to the detriment of results. Offensive footballs require such tools as gameplans with several options and competent skillful players to finish the moves. On the face of it, Team Melli has players up front that play in the highest standard leagues such as Azmoun, Taremi, and Sayyadmanish with the newer generation players such as  Amir Hossein HOSSEINZADEH and Arya BARZAGAR waiting for their chances.

These players have proved time and again their worth.  It is up to the Ghalenoei to utilize the skills of such talents. There is a small problem with finishing for Taremi, perhaps he is experiencing a down in his performance, but he and his teammates cannot be so wasteful and profligate as they have shown in these two matches.

There are no shortages of talent on the defensive line and the goalkeepers, so that is the least of the worries.

The biggest challenge for Ghalenoei remains the midfield. It is the line where the forwards must receive quality and timely service in order to finish the job. The present complexion of the midfield is not so hopeful. Unfortunately, Jahanbakhsh who mainly operates mainly as a winger has been facing form degradation recently with erratic performances. Ezzarollahi seems to have stagnated and his value remains on the defensive side, Ali Gholizadeh is one of the better players that Ghalneoi may focus on for the offensive side, Nourollahi is another player whose value varies between one match and another. Saman Ghoddos came with such promise, but he is yet to deliver consistently. Team Melli has no midfielder that can take the game by the scruff of the neck. There is no such player in the current generation of footballers, unfortunately.

So, the lack of creative, quality, and consistently good midfield players will remain Amir Ghalenoei’s biggest challenge.

One bright side of the two matches was the introduction of Sepahan’s midfielder Mohammas Karimi. Hardly a household name in Iran, the former U20 Team Melli player, performed very well in the first half and was one of the few good players while he was on the field. There seems to be a player that can serve Team Melli well if given the chance. In the contrast, his club teammate Moghanlou was utterly wasteful, out of place, and at times, lost in the lineup of Team Melli in both matches. No doubt he played and scored well with his club, but in the two matches at an international level, he remains way out of place.

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.

Andranik Teymourian joins Team Melli coaching staff.

Amir Ghalnoei has recruited the former Team Melli captain,  Andranik Teymourian as an assistant coach joining the coaching staff today.

Teymourian was introduced to the players by the Ghalenoei before the training started today thus starting his coaching career in the national team.

Before this, Rahman Rezaei, one of the former players of the national team with the experience of playing in the World Cup and the AFC Asian Cup, was added to the staff of Amir Ghalenoui, but Rezaei, for reason not declared, did not turn up for the first training session and then subsequently turned down the job. Amir Ghalenoei went to Teymourian, who was one of his players in the national team of Iran and Esteghlal. Team Melli is currently in camp and preparing for two friendly matches with Russia and Kenya.

Amir Ghalenoei announces his first squad

Amir Ghalenoei has picked up his first squad ahead of the two international friendlies against Russia and then Kenya both in Azadi Stadium, Tehran.

There were no major surprises as the bulk of the previous Team Melli squad was picked. Ghalenoei, however, did not call eight players from the previous squad of Carlos Queiroz. Karim Ansarifard, Saman Ghoddos, Ali Karimi, Milad Mohammadi, Abolfazl Jalali, Morteza Pouraliganji,  Amir Abedzadeh and Majid Hosseini. Apart from the latter who is injured, the rest have been suffering performance issues or warming their club’s benches.

One of the notable absentees is Allahyar Sayyadmanesh, of Hull City in the championship. Although he is back after a longish injury deprived him of playing, it seems that Sayyadmanesh still requires more time to fully recover.

 

Of the new players, many of them passed 25 years of age bracket, Hezbavi of Team Melli U19, is the most significant. Despite his good performance in Uzbekistan in the AFC U19  Asian Cup 2023, he was unable to lead the team to the finals, although his selection to Team Melli is a good consolation.

 

the squad

Position No. Player Club Age Caps
MF 1 Ahmad Nourollahi Shabab Al Ahli (UAE) 29 28
MF 2 Ali Gholizadeh Kasimspor (TUR) 26 29
MD 3 Alireza Jahanbakhsh Feyenoord (NED) 29 66
GK 4 Alireza Beiranvand Persepolis (IRA) 30 54
FW 5 Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh Charleroi (BEL) 22 3
DF 6 Aref Aghasi Foolad Khuzestan (IRN) 26 2
DF 7 Armin Sohrabian Gol Gohar Sirjan (IRN) 27 0
MF 8 Ehsan Hajsafi AEK Athens (GRE) 32 122
GK 9 Hossein Hosseini Esteghlal (IRA) 30 8
FW 10 Hossein Kanaani Al Ahli (QAT) 28 36
GK 11 Hossein Pourhamidi Aluminum( Arak (IRN) 24 0
DF 12 Mehdi Hosseini Mes Rafsanjan IRI) 29 0
FW 13 Mehdi Taremi Porto (POR) 30 63
MF 14 Mehdi Torabi Persepolis (IRA) 29 39
MF 15 Milad Sarlak Persepolis (IRA) 27 11
MF 16 Milad Zakipour Sepahan (IRA) 27 0
DF 17 Mohammad Amin Hizbavi Foolad Khuzestan (IRN) 19 0
FW 18 Mohammad Hossein Eslami Zob Ahan (IRI) 22 0
MF 19 Mohammad Karimi Sepahan (IRA) 26 0
MF 20 Mohammad Mohebi Esteghlal (IRA) 24 3
DF 21 Omid Noorafken Sepahan (IRA) 25 15
GK 22 Payam Niazmand Sepahan (IRA) 27 1
FW 23 Ramin Rezaeian Sepahan (IRA) 32 48
FW 24 Reza Asadi Tractor Tabriz (IRI) 27 0
FW 25 Reza Shekhari Gol Gohar Sirjan (IRI) 24 0
GK 26 Roozbeh Cheshmi Esteghlal (IRA) 30 21
DF 27 Sadegh Moharrami Dinamo Zagreb (CRO) 26 21
MF 28 Saeid Ezatolahi Vejle (DEN) 26 50
FW 29 Sardar Azmoun Bayer Leverkusen (GER) 27 68
FW 30 Shahriar Mughanloo Sepahan (IRA) 28 0
DF 31 Shoja Khalilzadeh Al Ahli (QAT) 33 25
MF 32 Vahid Amiri Persepolis (IRA) 34 68

Kenya, to meet Team Melli in Azadi.

According to a news report, the Kenyan Football Federation officially announced that the national team of Kenya will face Iran on March 28th  in an international friendly match at Tehran’s Azadi Stadium.

Before this, Iran’s national team has a match arranged against Russia on March 23rd at Azadi Stadium. Amir Ghalenoei will lead Team Melli for the first time since his recent appointment as Head Coach.

Kenya’s national team, Harambee Stars, will flex muscles with Iran in an international friendly on March 28, Football Kenya Federation chief executive officer, Barry Otieno has confirmed. Stars will travel to Tehran for the match as they make their comeback to the international stage after being banned by the world football governing body, Fifa, in February of last year.

Otieno has urged Kenyans to rejoice over the national team’s return after a year away, adding that the friendly will be the ideal chance for them to freshen up after getting rusty from inactivity. “On March 28, the Harambee Stars return to the pitch for the first time in over a year. This is a big moment for Kenya. I expect a great match and urge all Kenyans to rally behind the team so that we can move forward together,” Otieno remarked.

The FKF boss said they would deploy every resource at their disposal to help Kenya qualify for the next Africa Cup of Nations.

National team head coach Engin Firat welcomed the fixture, saying Iran will provide a good test for Kenya. “Iran is a World Cup nation and is ranked 24th in the world. Playing them in our first match back after suspension will help us assess where we are which is the first step in rebuilding the team and working our way to a high level of competitiveness,” Firat said.

“It is important to keep the team engaged and to keep working so that we can play at a good level when we return.” The Turkish gaffer revealed he will name the provisional squad on Thursday morning, before the start of a residential training camp on March 19.

Engin Firat, has previous coaching experience in Iran’s Saipa and Sepahan clubs. Firat was also the assistant of Ali Daei on the Iranian national team at one point in time.

Iran and Kenya have met twice with both matches played in Iran with Iran also winning them both.

 

 

IRAN v KENYA

Head2Head

FIFA Ranking:

Iran – 24th  [1551 pts]
Kenya -101 [1202 pts]

Date Comp. H / A / N Final score Stadium Attendance
14.03.2009 Friendly H 1 – 0 Azadi Stadium, Tehran 6500
21.04.1997 Friendly / Friendly H 3 – 0 Tabriz 42000

Amir Ghalenoei already active in Team Melli preparations.

Amir Ghalenoei is wasting no time in his quest to prepare Team Melli for the two upcoming friendlies on FIFA Day.

The newly appointed Team Melli head coach will announce the list of 23 to 26 players after the conclusion of the match between Golgohar and Foolad Kusestan in the Hazfi Cup. on March 17th. The training camp will commence on 19th March as the players will start arriving at the National Teams Training center in Tehran. Despite the prior announcement that the coaching team has already been selected, the assistants to  Amir Ghalenoei in the Iranian national team has not yet been determined, and considering that Mehdi Taj is away from the country, attending the FIFA Congress, Ghalenoei had meetings with the executive officials of the national team today to prepare for the camp. Mehdi Taj announced yesterday that the names of Ghalenoei’s assistants have not yet been determined, but a foreign coach will be part of the coaching staff alongside national coaches.

On the other hand, an ongoing poll by ISNA on the question of whether Ghalenoei is the right choice for Team Melli had a 50-50 split.

Iran will play Russia and then Iraq on the first FIFA Day of the year

Amir Ghalenoei appointed as Head coach of Team Melli.

 Amir Ghalenoei, who is on the verge of turning 60, was appointed by the Football Federation as the new head coach of Team Melli as the replacement for Carlos Queiroz.
After 13 years of foreign coaches on the bench of the national team, an Iranian was selected. Afshin Ghotbi , and Mansourian on a caretaker basis, were the last of the Iranians who coached Team Melli. Ghotbi failed to achieve success with Iran in the 2011 AFC Asian Cup as South Korea ended the Iranian dream in the quarter-finals. Alireza Mansourian briefly took over the leadership of the national team for only one game against Russia. After this, the Portuguese Carlos Queiroz took over to begin his long reign of coaching in 2011.
Queiroz has since taken Iran to 5 major tournaments, of which were 3 FIFA World Cups and two AFC Asian Cups between 2011 and briefly in 2022.  The Portuguese who was a difficult character off the field and a strong advocate of a defensive game was a divisive figure among the fans. Some truly believed in him despite his failures in major tournaments, while others thought of him as the major stumbling block to the development of football in Iran.
Post-FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qata, the FFIRI has approached many coaches including, the former Qatar coach Sanches. However, to the surprise of many, Amir Ghalenoei, who has earlier announced that he is out of the race for the Team Melli head coach, was chosen ahead of the rest.
Ghalenoei succeeded Branko Ivanković to become the head coach of Iran on 17th July 2006. He took over while the team was preparing for the AFC Asian Cup 2007 qualifiers. In these preliminaries, he won four games and drew two to qualify for the finals.
In AFC Asian Cup 2007, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Iran under Ghalenoei qualified for the quarter-final stage as the top team from the group consisting of China, Malaysia, and Uzbekistan, winning two and drawing with China.
In the quarter-finals, Iran lost again to its nemesis South Korea in penalty kicks to miss out on reaching the semi-finals. After the AFC Asian Cup 2007, Ghalenoei resigned from his post. his well-respcted record with Iran stood as 
Played Won Draw Loss GF Ga GD
17 10 6 1 30 12 +18
Ghalenoei (born on 21st November 1963) is the most successful national coach in Iran’s domestic league history winning titles with Esteghlal and Sepahan winning a total of five championships and two Hazfi Cup titles. He also managed Tractor.
17 years later, Ghalenoei has another shot to make a name at the international level with Team Melli. There is only one accomplishment that will give him legendary status, and that is lifting the ultimate trophy, the Asian Cup which has eluded Iran for 47 years and counting.
However, Ghaqlenoei comes with by now so familiar heavy baggage of Iranian coaches. The main problem is his demeanor after defeats. He seems to be in denial and lacks the integrity to focus on himself and his players, instead, he diverts the ball to others blaming them for his team’s defeats, particularly the referees. He is also not a stranger to conspiracy theories making up stories about plots and other rhetorics.
Ghalenoei also had a short temper during his first stint with Team Melli. His antic at the touchline, his anger, and his constant protests led to his dismissal in a group match. Hopefully, with advancing age, it is hoped that he has mellowed down a bit.
Overall, this Coach is capable of leading and winning with notable man-management skills. He handles his players well and can influence them positively. Although the federation was hinting at the appointment of a domestic coach, there were fears amongst the fans as the majority preferred foreign coaches. With the appointment of Ghalenoei, it is hoped that many would change that view.
Alas, people should not forget that financial constraints were the main reason for selecting a domestic coach.
Amir Galenoei will be leading Team Melli against Russia on the 23rd of March and then Iraq in the next two friendly games.

Taj “Team Melli’s head coach name will be announced by March 19th”

Mehdi Taj, the head of the football federation admitted that the people of Iran want a foreign coach for Team Melli, but they should also consider domestic options.

Mehdi Taj also commented on the withdrawal of two Iranian coaches (Ghalenoei and Tartar) from the race to occupy the head coach seat in the national team. ” the federation should use its best capacities and our duty was to invite capable coaches. If a head coach does not consider himself ready, the federation will use its other options. Of course, in the survey, people declared their preference for a foreign coach, but we have good coaches inside the country who can manage the national team under them.”

In response to the question, of whether he held a meeting with the Reublic’s vice president Mr. Mokhbir? Taj said:  “We should use all the support that the government awards us to make the best decision. We were also looking forward to meeting Mr. Mokhbir. As for the Team Melli coach. we have both domestic and foreign options, but we have not reached a conclusion yet. If we form the national team today, we will not be able to provide a player to the new head coach because the players are busy with the League. We have 2 friendly games in March and we will introduce the head coach before the 19th of March. All Football stakeholders including the players are aware of our limitations.”

Taj was asked, “who are the foreign nominees for the Head Coach Job? and is Felix Sanchez, the former head coach of the Qatar national team amongst them?”
In response, he said: “Iranian nominees have been publicized. We are also considering foreign coaches and one of them is the former head coach of Qatar (Felix Sanchez). We also have a number of domestic coaches. The national team is the place of the best and the best will be selected for Team Melli.

“What about foreign currency restrictions and the exchange rate situation, will they have no problem hiring a foreign coach under the circumstances? Taj said: “We will have problems transferring money and paying in hard currency. Also, we don’t want to fall into the same trap as we did with the Wilmots case, and we shouldn’t delay the payment. FIFA rules stipulate the contracts must be honored and not be breached.” Taj added: “If the salary is not paid for three months and the plaintiff complains to FIFA, he can take all the money due to him for the remainder of the contract period. Based on this clause. Stramaccioni, Calderon, Wilmots, and Branco Ivankovic used this ruling to claim all the money and we don’t want to get into this problem. We must be sure that we can fully provide this money. If we are not sure, we will definitely go for the domestic option.