Tag: Dragan Skočić

18/03/202218/03/2022

Team Melli Squad list announced.

Team Melli will play complete its FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 schedule by playing a double-header against South Korea and Lebanon on March 24th and 29th respectively. With a day before flying to Seoul on a chartered plane. the squad for the two matches was announced. Iran has qualified for the finals in Qatar and will be battling the Koreans for a top-of-the-table finish and more importantly a significant addition of points in FIFA ranking. The draw in June will seed countries for the Finals based on total points in FIFA Ranking.

Dragan Skočić has announced the list of players invited to the national team camp. The Croat coach is desperate to keep his immaculate, near-perfect record with Team Melli after over two years from his appointment replacing the perpetual failure Marc Wilmots.

The names of the invited players:

- Goalkeepers:

Alireza Biranvand
Amir Abedzadeh
Hossein Hosseini
- Defenders:
Sadegh Moharremi
Hossein Kananizadegan
Shoja’a Khalilzadeh
Majid Hosseini
Omid Nourafkan
Milad Mohammadi
Daniel Ismaelifar
Farshad Faraji
Aref Gholami
- Midfielders:
Saeed Ezatollahi
Kamal Kamiyabinia
Mehdi Mehdipour
Amirhossein Hassanzadeh
Milad Sarlak
Ehsan Haj Safi
Vahid Amiri
Mehdi Torabi
Ahmad Noorollahi
Saman Ghoddos
Ali Gholizadeh
- Forwards:
Mehdi Taremi
Alireza Jahanbakhsh
Sardar Azmoun
Karim Ansarifard
Allahyar Sayadmanesh

Two players Saeed Ezatollahi and Sadegh Moharremi are suspended for the Korea Rep match with an accumulation of two cards, while Hossein Kananizadegan is surprisingly included in the list despite being sanctioned by the disciplinary committee!!

16/03/2022

Khalilzadeh and Hosseini are off injury list.

Team Melli’s next match against Korea Rep. in 13 days’ time will witness the availability of two key players.

Shojaá Khalilzadeh and Majid Hosseini, both injured playing for their clubs, will be available for selection. The fact that Khalilzadeh’s injury was not serious as initially thought, gave Skocic positive news and quite a relief.

With Kananizadegan’s suspension, Siavash Yazdani unavailable due to Military service, the backline of the team looked suspect and a serious source of concern by Dragan Skocic in recent days, The Croat Head Coach was closely following the situation of his players for the matches against South Korea and Lebanon, two matches in which a victory or at least a draw against Korea and a victory against Lebanon will guarantee Team Melli, top finish in the table.

Contrary to KayseriSpor’s statements about Majid Hosseini’s deteriorating condition, the Team Melli defender returned to the field in last week’s Turkish Premier League and played for his team for 90 minutes. Skocic, would have picked Omid Nourafkan to play in the central defense although Nourafkan has limited experience playing in that defensive role. Hence the availability of Majidi Hosseini is assuring.

Unlike years ago when Team Melli defenders outnumbered players in the midfield and attack, lately not many players have been selected for the squad in the defensive line. Paulo Bento, the Portuguese coach of South Korea, recently stated in an interview that his team, despite qualifying for the World Cup, is looking to win the next two remaining games and intends to take the top of the group and will play with all its might.

04/03/2022

Dragan Skočić stress is reduced with Azizi Khadem’s removal.

During his one year in charge, the former president of the Football Federation never voiced strong support for Team Melli head coach Skocic and always avoided answering questions regarding Skočić, future with Team Melli. Now that Azizi Khadem is dismissed, the FFIRI’s managers are already discussing extending the Croatian coach’s contract until the World Cup.

Despite all the criticism, adversaries, and plots behind his back, the Croatian head coach Dragan Skocic, was able to lead Iran to one of the fastest qualifications to the world cups. He and his team were able to qualify for the 2022 World Cup three rounds before the end of the qualifying round, which sounds like Skocic’s contract will be automatically renewed. According to a contract signed two years ago in February 2009, Skocic was tasked with leading the national team to the World Cup in Qatar, and as a result, his contract was successfully extended at every stage. The first phase of Skocic’s mission was successfully completed after overcoming the crisis in the second phase of the World Cup qualifiers in Bahrain. As a result, he has the opportunity to accompany the national team in the final qualifying round of the World Cup, and by advancing to the World Cup, he was successful in the second step and can now be at the helm of Iran in Qatar.

Hamid Estili, recently appointed as the Manager of the Iranian national football team, has recently spoken about this issue. He says that with the World Cup, Skocic’s contract has been extended until the end of the biggest football event in the world, and the Football Federation has confirmed this. In this way, Skocic is comfortable sitting on the coaching bench of Iran in Qatar 2022; Something that never happened during the administration of Shahabuddin Azizi Khadem, the ousted president of the federation. Azizi Khadem religiously avoided answering the important question of whether Skocic will lead Team Melli in Qatar or not. Azizi Khadem’s ambiguous answers over the past year have also raised concerns for Skocic, who has spoken in numerous interviews about his inalienable right to lead Iran to the World Cup, he has never before been so firm about being in Qatar like he was after qualification. Skocic firmly believed that he deserved an extension of the contract based on merit and acheivments.

But with the departure of Azizi Khadem, the current board of directors of the federation and the acting head namely Mirshad Majedi, in a meeting with Hamid Estili, also confirmed Skocic’s retention for the World Cup. Shortly before taking over the presidency of the federation, he spoke of the validity of Skocic’s contract with the federation until the end of the World Cup. Recently, Ehsan Osuli, spokesman and member of the board of directors of the Football Federation, in response to this question in the post-Azizi Khadem era, praised the excellent performance of Skočić and pointed out that the board of directors of the Football Federation, is highly appreciating the performance of Team Melli under Skocic, supports his presence on Iran’s bench in Qatar.

Dragan Skocic, in his first coaching experience as head coach of a national team, recorded 14 victories in 15 games and has not suffered any defeats so far. During this time, he was able to climb the FIFA Ranking all the way up to the 21st position in the monthly global table, and now he has the opportunity to record one of Iran’s best performances in the World Cup with a generation of experienced and talented players.

Team Melli will be meeting the Korea Republic and Lebanon in the last two rounds of the World Cup 2022 qualifiers.

02/02/2022

A critical look at Team Melli.

Team Melli got the result it wanted against the UAE and put further pressure on Korea Rep for the race at the top of the group. With qualification assured, it was an excellent opportunity for Dragan Skocic to introduce changes in the lineup, but to the great disappointment of many, he stuck with the same players except for those enforced changes such as through suspensions or Covid.

If the mission of Skocic was just to finish the match with three points and minimum damage, then he achieved that objective, but it was far from pretty. A countless number of passes went astray, the finishing in front of the goal was abysmal, final balls lacking accuracy, misunderstanding between players and lack the sense of urgency and accuracy. Players were guilty of some unprofessional works at this level. Team Melli must look beyond the final two games of the group, although the one against Korea is a good test, and start looking forward to how would they like to play and compete.

To be recognized and accepted, Team Melli has a long way to go in a relatively limited time period.

Player’s selections and Opportunities

Skocic pick for the match was frustrating. If Team Melli has any aspiration to stand and be counted amongst the elite in Qatar, then Skocic must think positively and bravely to build a team of 23 highly-rated players and not just stick with a skeleton of 11 to 13 fixed starters. That was Queiroz regime style and despite the limited success of Queiroz’s team, it failed to go beyond the group stages in Russia and did not win the title in the Asian Cup 2019.

To give players confidence, Skocic must offer them the chance to play and perform. The bench players must be as good as the main players. Bench players must be integrated and there is no better way of such integration except actually giving them the minutes at any opportunity.

Skočić missed that opportunity against the UAE. Perhaps fear of losing was the catalyst and that is understandable. It is not a crime for a coach to be result-oriented, however, there is a time when the future integration and strength of the team must take priority.

Shaky individual Performances

Non-performing players or those who are consistently playing sub-standard games must realize that they would lose their place in the lineup. For example, both Ghoddos and Gholizadeh were poor against Iraq, yet they both kept their places against UAE. To create the spirit of competition amongst the players, Skocic could have dropped them for this match to send a signal to everyone else that there is no such thing as a permanent place in the team, sub-standard performances have consequences, there are alternative options who can fill the gap and the team is more important than the interest of the individuals.

That methodology has proven to work, as the problem with Taremi proved not long ago.

Most professional coaches religiously adhere to this mindset, Skocic must follow too. If a player is selected to play, he must deliver.

If a player continues playing weakly and yet he is still picked up for matches, there will be a sense of injustice and disappointment in the team the consequences of which is unimaginable.

Players must feel that bad performances will have consequences and hence give it 100% effort. Players in Team Melli must understand that there are at least two if not more players that can take their place if they do not deliver. This is missing in Skocic team.

Professional players of this generation will develop a false sense of security and believe in their own vitalness. Only a good professional coach can change that.

Disciplinary acts.

Then there was another disturbing part. The disciplinary record of Team Melli is absolutely dismal. There are far too many yellow and red cards awarded to them. It is an indication of lack of guile, professionalism, and most probably negligence. There are certain Team Melli players that one feels could be dismissed anytime due to a wild or mistimed tackle, pure negligence, and lack of maturity. leading to suspensions and negative effects on the team. Whatever it takes, Skocic and his coaching staff must strengthen the mental agility and emotional control of the players. The World Cup is too valuable of a place for the Team to lose players through suspensions because of loss of concentration.

Game Plan

While there were some nice touches and inter-passing, despite the lack of continuity, the game plan against the UAE was not clear specifically at the forward end. There were few crosses on the flanks while Iran has the best players who could cross. There was also a lack of aerial firepower up front where the like of Taremi can excel, the direction and control of the midfield were lost mainly due to the failure of the Team Melli midfielders in keeping the ball and timely distribution. Game plans normally do not cater for players’ dismissal and that could have been a reason for the bewilderment of the team, however, even with one player short, Team Melli still managed to miss at least two certain goals!

Creativity and flexibility.

Team Melli is struggling to break down compact defense teams. Even if that is successfully done, the rate of conversion against the chances created is poor. There has been an embarrassing number of easy scoring chances missed

The problems stem from the heart of midfield. The sight of Team Melli probing from side to side, with a painful lack of incision, has left some critics lacking in confidence in the team. Flanks that feed the tall attackers seem to go missing in action. Apart from Jahanbakhsh, no other midfield player seems to have the vision and the creativity that is required at the top-level competition. The generations of Khodadad Aziz, Mehdi Mahdavikia, Ali Karimi, Nekounam which then continued with Mojtaba Jabbari, Ando Teymourian, and Ashkan Dejagah have served the Team well through the years, now such creativity is simply lacking.

The root cause is the standard of the domestic league in Iran which is feeble and has failed to produce the quality required at the international level. The solution at Skocic’s hand. Somehow he must address this complicated issue.

01/02/2022

Players rating vs UAE

Amir Abedzadeh : Another commanding, confident and perfect display. Despite the few attacks by the opposing team, Abedzadeh handled the ball and any aerial threat with ease and did not put a foot wrong, Oozes with confidence and that transmits to the defenders in front of him too [8.75]

Sadegh Moharrami : Disappointing premature game end for such a skillful half-back. His second yellow card and subsequent dismissal were unprofessional, reckless, and negligent for a player at the international level. We sincerely hope that a good lesson is learned [5.0]

Omid Noorafkan : In the makeshift defense line, Noorafkan played well as a central defender partnering with Kananizadegan. Solid and steady although the UAE attacks were sparse and hardly threatening [7.7]

Milad Mohammadi: Had a quiet game, but it is apparent that this pacey defender has lost some of his finer touches. His ball distribution and passing lacked accuracy and was guilty of some bad passes [6.8]

Hossein Kanani-zadegan : Another solid performance at the center of defense. His timely header saved the Team a certain goal. Despite playing in an unusual formation with his regular partner (Khalilzadeh) missing, his coordination with Noorafkan was immaculate. [8.4]

Saeed Ezatollahi : Still wobbly and at times acts like a bull in a china store. The defensive work was as expected but he lacks consistency. Got himself booked for an unnecessary foul, then escaped another booking minutes later with a bad tackle. [6.7]

Saman Ghoddos : The second consecutive game in a row that Saman looks lackluster. It was not a difficult decision for Skocic to sacrifice him after Moharrami was dismissed. He made little difference in the team and lacked proper and accurate ball distribution for his teammates. It is a pity as Ghoddos is a highly technical and visionary football. He has yet to deliver at Team Melli though. [6.0]

Ali Gholizadeh : After a marvelous run late in the second half where he showed tremendous skills, his run towards the UAE goal and the feeble shoot on goal, while Taremi on his left was wide open, is bordering a crime. He did not have a good game like his partner Ghoddos. It is unsettling and as such robbing the team of creativity. Missed two glorious goal-scoring chances [6.3]

Alireza Jahanbakhsh : Another top performance from the Captain of Team Melli. His enthusiasm, skill, and vision are going to be much needed if Iran has any aspiration in qualifying from the group stages of the World Cup. He is the Maestro of the team [8.9] Man of the Match

Mehdi Taremi : He delivers when needed. That goal against UAE was a poacher’s goal and that is what makes Taremi so special and a valuable asset to the team. He suffered from some fatigue especially when he had to return back and cover for the team missing a player, but still performed admirably [8.8]

Vahid Amiri : A few flashes of brilliance but Amiri like many of his teammates today lacked the high passing accuracy. It is expected from him to feed the forwards with crosses, but they were scarce and far apart thus hardly creating any threats. He still covered quite well in the back when needed. [7.5]

Substitutes

Ahmad Nourollahi : Found it hard to control the midfield after he came as a substitute. His one shot at goal was way off target., otherwise he had a quiet game. Perhaps recovering from Covid had some effect on his performance [7.0]

Saleh Hardani : taking into account his status as a new member of the team, he played with confidence and boldness against quite a pacey UAE winger. He never let his guard down and filled Moharrami’s slot quite well. A very good prospect and a player that needs to be given more playing time [7.8]

Siavaush Yazdani Moghadam : Not enough playing time to rate him, but in the opportunity given, he played well without any problem.to be

30/01/2022

Skočić determined to continue winning vs UAE.

Tuesday’s game against the UAE is a formality for Team Melli, but neither Skočić nor the players will be so relaxed as to let their guards down against a team that is still fighting for a place in the play-off.

Skočić is determined to continue his immaculate record and register yet another win in Azadi, which will most probably be without spectators.

The list of absentees is significant including key players like Azmoun, Nourollahi, Beiranvand, Ghayedi Hajsafi, Sayyadmanesh, and Khalilzadeh (suspended). Add to the long-term injury of Morteza Pouraliganji. However, what Skocic has on the bench, cannot be referred to as a depleted team in all sense of the word, it is simply less than the full-strength lineup.

The absence of Shoja’a Khalilzadeh is significant, however. There are several options available for Skocic to fill the gap one of them being the highly rated Esteghlal central defender, Siavaush Yazdani. With a slight reshuffle, Skocic can also use a different format as he can even employ Saeed Ezatollahi in the role of a central defender if he wishes to stick to the old guards.

Between the post, Abedzadeh did himself and Team Melli’s pride against Iraq and should continue occupying the goalkeeper post, however, such assurance cannot be given to the middle of the field. Both Gholizadeh and Ghoddos had a mixed and sometimes below-par match in the last outing. Both missed easy chances to score while their feeding to the forward line was not spectacular either. It was left to Jahanbakhsh to do all the hard work with Ezatollahi supporting the defensive side of things.

While there are apparent concerns on the half-backs, in the last three matches, all the defenders used on the posts played well enough if not perfectly to justify their selection. The question remains on the level of consistency of the half-backs. Nourafakn has shown that he has the quality and can be a forceful offensive asset with his runs on the flank, but he can also be easily caught off guard while defending and has a knack for wild tackles.

The absence of Nourallahi looked quite definitive against Iraq. Ghoddos has not reached the standard that is required at this level of competition. He has little time to make amends and misses like the one against Iraq where all he had to do is place the ball on either side of the goalkeeper, instead of hitting it badly off target, will not ender him to the coaches, or the fans.

Gholizadeh was also disappointing against Iraq. His consistency is suspect while his passing and timing need to be addressed. Both these Team Melli midfielders have the skills and the quality, however, the application and consistency are lacking for whatever reason.

Alireza Jahanbakhsh remains the gem in the crown and at the moment, an indispensable dynamo of the team.

Upfront, there is little concern even with Azmoun out of commission. Taremi’s magic is still there and even if he is given a rest day, Ansarifard, Rezaei, or the newcomer Shahab Zahedi can fill the gap with ease.

For the UAE, Bert Van Marwijk will hardly make substantial changes in the lineup except for the forced ones. The services of the players like strikers Ali Mabkhout, Fabio de Lima, and Sebastian Tagliabue are not available due to injuries. The team’s hope upfront is mainly on their former Brazilian Ciao Canedo who scored against Syria and provided an assist too. Team Melli was caught by the pace of the UAE players several times in the last match where Iran won by a solitary goal from Taremi. Khalilzadeh was actually red-carded momentarily, but it was rescinded at the last minute because of an offside just before he committed the foul on Al Mabkhout. Luckily a repeat will not occur on Tuesday as Khalilzadeh and Al Mabkhout will be out of the match.

30/01/2022

Team Melli invited for a friendly international to Japan in June.

Now that Team Melli secured qualification to the finals stages of the FIFA World Cup 2022, the federation has started planning for the next stage and has received offers for friendly international matches.

One of these proposals is the invitation of the Japan Football Federation JFF for a friendly match in Japan on FIFA day in June this year. Japan, whose qualification to the World Cup is not final yet, has asked for a preparatory game with Team Melli during that period. The final decision on holding this match, despite the request of the Japanese, is still not finalized.

“Some matches are already scheduled for June,” Team Melli head coach Dragan Skocic said in his latest interview. “We also received an invitation from Japan. Let’s see what happens. There are some scheduling work that needs to be ironed out and many plans to address. The most crucial thing is to be well prepared before we fly to Doha”

27/01/2022

Iran v. Iraq Players Performance.

Amir ABEDZADEH: Hardly put a foot wrong. The few threats that came from the Iraqi forwards were dealt with in confidence and with little trouble. His ball distribution is quite good as well. Abedzadeh is definitely proving himself as the number one keeper of Team Melli [8.0]

Shojaa KHALILZADEH: Like always, a firm and strong performance. He does slip sometimes and the yellow card he got near the end was totally needless, but no denying that Shoja’a is an asset for Team Melli [8.0]

Hossein KANANI-ZADEGAN: Although he had a quiet game, his solid work in the heart of the defense was noticible, He could have been on the scoresheet only if his header was a little lower [7.5]

Sadegh MOHARRAMI: The problems that Team Melli had on the half-backs is surely being addressed by the inclusion of Moharrami. He adds finesse to defending, perhaps a bit more physical toughness is required in the big games, otherwise a pretty solid game [7.5]

Omid NOORAFKAN: Although he is not playing in his natural post, Noorafakn is turning into a utility player for Team Melli as he can fill in for halfback and midfield. HIs runs on the flank were delightful and created a real threat. His defense work was also error-free [8.0]

Ali GHOLIZADEH: Not his usual immaculate performance. He had several chances to make a big difference in the game including a chance to score. In any case, he was slightly lower than average but did what was required [7.0]

Saeid EZZATOLLAHI: Quiet game but his physicality is a real asset. Surprisingly not too involved in the dead balls and corners with his height being an advantage. He is now much more comfortable in the team lineup. [7.0]

Vahid AMIRI: Not his best match and created a real scare with his feeble pass near the end of the match, however, Amiri remains a valuable player and despite his advancing age, his energy level is remarkable.[7.0]

Saman GHODDOS: The Brantford midfielder was disappointing. Not only he missed several chances to score, Time is running out for Ghoddod to make a real impression in Team Melli. He certainly has the talent and skill, but the application is just not there [6.0]

AliReza JAHANBAKHSH: By far the best player on the pitch today performance-wise. Commanding, leadership, shooting, impressive delicacy and skill., ball control, and all the attributes of a great player. Jahanbakhsh is on a real revival and this augurs well for Team Melli. Today it was a true grand performance [9.0]

Mehdi TAREMI: The goal he scored that took Team Melli to the World Cup, was a work of a clinical finisher that Taremi is. Considering he had only a few hours to sleep arriving in the early hours of the morning, Taremi deserves respect for showing up and giving the fans the joy that they deserve. Brilliant goal and extra credit for the Porto forward [9.0]

Dragan Skočić : Another grand performance. Immaculate players selection, the proper game plan, timely change of pace of the team, and level-headed approach. Dragan Skocic has queir=ten a few thousand doubters by his performance and taking the team to the World Cup, a mission which seemed to be quite tricky when he took over. [9.0]

27/01/2022

At last, Taremi lands in Tehran and available for the match against Iraq

Tehran :

Mehdi Taremi, who was stranded in Turkey for days after his flight to Tehran via Istanbul was diverted due to a severe snowstorm in Istanbul airport, finally landed in Tehran early morning Thursday.

The Iranian Porto striker underwent the PCR test and the result returned negative after arriving in Iran and hence Taremi is available for selection for the match against Iraq.

Due to fatigue and other issues, Dragan Skocic, might very well opt to use Taremi as a substitute rather than in the starting lineup. The technical staff, due to the absence of many of their players, made a great effort to ensure the availability of Mehdi Taremi for this match.

Team Melli will still be deprived of 3 key players, Azmoun, Nourollahi, and Hajsafi.

27/01/2022

Skocic “The conditions are not ideal”

Dragan Skocic, in the pre-match press conference, said: “It is definitely not an ideal situation, but if my players stick to the plan and give it their best, we can finish the game successfully.”

“As you know, tomorrow’s game is very important because we can seal our qualification. I saw the Iraq games in the FIFA Arab Cup. I know they are a young and tough team. Conditions are not ideal for us. We do not have 4 players due to Positive PCR tests. Mehdi Taremi has not joined us yet. However, our players are ready and capable. The team that we have is good enough.”

Asked about the next games and what changes he is implementing “My main concern is tomorrow’s game. After this game, we think about other games and how we can move forward. We will definitely have changes in the team. Each player who plays has his own unique characteristics. That’s why we may not appear with the usual squad, but I’m sure all the players will play with all their strength and we can get off the field with our heads held up high.”

Commenting on the invitation of Hossein Kananizadegan, who is sanctioned by the disciplinary committee for inappropriate and divisive comments he made, and how this situation differs from Taremi’s disciplinary action, He said ” I must say that moral principles are very important for my team and for myself. If there is one thing that is a priority, it is ethics, discipline, and behavior. We must be careful because we represent our country. I do not agree with such alleged behavior, and this behavior may be far from honorable on the part of this player, but at the same time, we have not received any credible evidence or instructions from the disciplinary committee on his case. It seems like the case is still open and being discussed in the ethics committee. I do not want to punish or judge anyone for talking in cyberspace and Instagram and retaliate prematurely. This situation was an opportunity to know our responsibility to the country and the people and to be careful about our behavior, and this is a lesson for others to be careful that this does not happen. “

For the record, Taremi was disciplined by Skocic for commenting on social media, which Skocic just said he must be careful not to punish a player on that basis. It is a case of double-standard in fairness.

The Croat Head coach then talked about Azmoun’s case and Zenit’s opposition to Sardar joining the national team camp and also the possibility of adding Azmoun and Hajjasfi to the squad for the UAE match: “This club (Zenit) can not do that. Our game is on FIFA Day and the club has no rights whatsoever to stop a national team player from joining his National Team. We have to review the FIFA & AFC rules regarding players who recover from a positive test and the subsequent tests prove negative. The players you mentioned are not available to us right now. We have to see if we can use them for the next game. “

“Every coach brings new things to the team,” Skocic said of his knowledge of the current Iraqi coach, Željko Petrović from Montenegro, who previously played for Dinamo Zagreb and also coached in Croatia for some time. “He (Petrović ) has rejuvenated his team. When he played for Dynamo, I was in Rijeka and I have a history of facing him.”

“Our team is ready and we know what we want from tomorrow’s game.” He was asked whether the substitutes in his team will have the same quality as the absent players and whether we will see a surprise selection in Team Melli. “I do not think the unexpected will happen,” he said. “We are still one night away from the game and it will be a long night for me to reach the final conclusion. It is clear that the Azmoun is difficult to replace. With these interpretations, the team that will be fielded will be on the game with all its energy and we will have the necessary quality. “

In response to whether the Football Federation could not have done better planning for the presence of players in the national team so that players like Mehdi Tarmi in Turkey would not be caught due to the weather? “The issue you are talking about is the federation’s duty to plan, and I know they did their best,” he said. “Taremi is our key player. I do not specialize in weather forecasting and for this, I am not in a press conference”