Team Melli has completed the group round with a perfect record of 9 points with 3 wins out of 3. This is the same achievement of the last Asian Cup participation in Qatar 2011 when Iran beat , Iraq, North Korea and UAE to top the group. The performance of the players is always under scrutiny and while some players have been hyped in exaggeration and given titles such as “Iran’s Messi” , the reality is nowhere near the fairytale stories that many fans fantasize about. Despite the 3 wins, it was far from easy matches or walkovers for Iran, however , there was no surprises there as most experts expected this group to be a tough and tight one with all the teams so familiar to each other’s style. There were some excellent performances in Team Melli and with it some disappointments. Overall, the hard work, the experience and perseverance of Team Melli made the difference. Whether this success is sustainable is another question that is not so simple to predict.

Poor team preparation

The sharp eyes of the critics noticed how the poor preparation has affected Team Melli. If we take the last match against the UAE as an example, the difference in the preparation between the two teams was sticking like a sore thumb. While the UAE players could telepathically find each other when passing or crossing the long balls, Iranian players pass completion rates were not so brilliant and made a poor reading. There were many easy passes missed because of short time that this group has worked together. In the front line, many opportunities were missed because of the timing of the passes, either too early or late. Heavy touches on the ball and lack of communication between players marred Iran games. Overall, there were more rough edges than the rest of the teams.  This is result of a team that has not been ideally prepared.   Another sign of poor preparation is the number of unnecessary fouls committed by Iranian players. Players in haste, were making some totally unnecessarily fouls. Sardar Azmoun's silly, and that is being respectful, yellow card was a typical proof of the rough preparation. One can only wonder what this bunch of talented Iranian players would have given us if there was a decent preparation. Dip of forms of several players is an alarm bell for the team. Shojaei (31 years) , Hosseini (33 years) , Nekounam (35 Years)  and Teymourian (32 years) have all performed below par. On the other hand , there are a few promising , if not outstanding performances from the likes of Pouraliganji (22 years) and Azamoun (20 Years) When Omar Abdulrahman dribbled his way so easily passed in the penalty box going past the two most experienced Iran players Nekounam and Teymourian inside the penalty, it was a sign of vulnerability of the two.  Omar Abdulrahman is one of the most talented players in Asia and a quality player and that is a fact, but regardless of that. When any player can easily pass the tight defense including the two best holding midfielder, then that is a problem for the coach.

PLAYERS’ RATING

Alireza Haghighi (GK) : Hardly put a foot wrong despite the fact that he was not really tested in all the 3 matches. When he was required to react, he was confident and made it look east. Very solid performance so far.  8/10 Mehrdad Pooladi: Rock-hard, no nonsense defender whose performance was slightly affected by several issues including late preparation for the season while seeking a club. Despite his rustiness, Pooladi was still as reliable as ever, perhaps not at his peak yet.  7/10 Jalal Hosseini: Not put to test in anger, however his lack of pace, heavy touches and nerves made him shaky at times. Still a vital defender with his vast experience but also a liability against more skillful forwards. 6.5/10 Morteza Pouraliganji: The surprising star performer. The rookie has displayed remarkable defensive ability in his role as central defender partnering Hosseini. On top of his fine defensive work, he was a threat on the other end during corners and free kicks. Could have well scored a goal with a header. 9/10 Vahid Amiri: Played one game only but he was impressive, nevertheless. His failing was the last touch; however he certainly has the ability and clearly he can replace some of the older members in the midfield anytime now. 7.5/10 Khosrow Heydari: given less playing time than the usual. The right back was far from impressive. Still has his quality on the flank, but his delivery been disappointing. Did not assist any goals and his famous inch perfect crosses where nowhere to be seen. 5/10 Andranik Teymourian: Hard worker and dedicated player who is clearly short of his true form. Had two assists from dead ball and played a major role in the overall defensive game plan, but Ando is way short of his best. Queiroz has no replacement for him in the current squad. 7/10 Javad Nekounam: His leadership is still valuable on the field , not so his contribution to the game. His form is going downward. Disappointing tournament so far and could be easily exposed in the midfield. Short of pace and breath. 5/10 Alireza Jahanbakhsah: The young man with so much promise, disappointed when he was given a starting role. He seemed lost in the match against UAE and was substituted without showing any sign of his promise. 4/10. Soroush Rafiei: Another of the new faces that had a disappointing debut in the tournament. 4/10 Sardar Azmoun: Superb, especially when given the right service. He can be exceptional forward with surprisingly excellent heading ability.  There are rough edges in his game but with experience and more games, he would be a star player . 9/10 Vouriya Ghafoori: Very solid defender with calm and mature attitude. His work rate is remarkable. Not much can go through him while defending although his attacking role on the flank was rather inadequate. 7.5/10 Ashkan Dejagah: One of the best Team Melli players with skill and ability to beat the best. The Qatar match showed his weaker side, when tight man-to-man marking neutralized him. His value to the team was quite evident in the UAE match. When he substituted in, the team’s offensive capabilities improved significantly. Still not at his best in this tournament, perhaps his transfer from a top league to a lower quality one had affected him. 8.5/10 Reza Ghoochannejhad: Apart from the valuable winning goal he scored against UAE, his contribution was minimal. Lacks vision at crucial stages and needs more support to show his best side. 7/10 Masood Shojaei: No change from the Shojae of the last few years. Slow, unable to beat his markers and in general ineffective player. Can go a whole match without being noticed. On the poorest performer in the team considering his experience and reputation. 4/10. Ehsan Hajsafy: Started the tournament really well against Bahrain with a master class goal, but gradually dipped in form.. Did  not play the last match, He does have several qualities though and still a vital member of the team. 7/10 Amir Hossein Sadeghi : Did not play enough minutes to be rated fairly.