Tag: Majid Hosseini

Team Melli falls short in Bahrain

Bahrain once again inflicted injury to Iranian pride by beating Team Melli 1-0 today in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 qualifiers in the match played at the National Stadium in Riffa.

The solitary goal scored by Bahrain’s Mohammed Al-Hardan in the 65th minute from a penalty kick as a result of a foul committed by Majid Hosseini on the Bahraini player in the box.

It was the first defeat for Wilmots since he took over from Carlos Queiroz. The defeat came right after  14-0 win against Cambodia in Azadi. Team Melli performance was lethargic and lacked creativity. A few of the regular shortfalls were observed once again in this match including some disciplinary issues, surprisingly this time by the Captain of the team Ehsan Hajsafi who was guilty of being temperamental and unnecessary vocal after being awarded a yellow card. Not a good example for a person who should lead by example.

 Azmoun, by now well-known for his hot temperament and poor discipline, was seconds away from receiving two consecutive yellow cards and subsequent dismissal after a vehement protest against the Uzbek referee for not calling a penalty. The Uzbek referee V. Kovalenko seemed to be right on both calls.

The match played in sweltering heat and high humidity, was slow to take shape. Both teams seemed to conserve energy for better endurance. By the 15th minute, both teams players’ jerseys were wet as if were taken fresh out of water. Naturally, the hosts who are used to this sort of weather ¾ of the year managed to acclimatize better under the circumstances.

Marc Wilmots, elected to start with 3 forwards upfront, a plan that did not yield well. Karim Ansarifard, the 4 goal hero of last Thursday, was virtually just a bystander figure who did not seem to have turned up for the game. He was substituted in the 70th minute while Wilmots could have done much better if that substitution was done earlier.

There was very little to differentiate between the two teams as their defences did not have many problems against the opposition forwards. However, the trio Azmoun, Taremi and Ansarifard were quite disappointing. Whatever balls that reached the veteran Bahrain goalkeeper Seyed Mohammaed Jaffar was dealt with by him.

Omid Ebrahimi was the dynamo of the team and most of the offensive moves were started by his excellent distributions. However, Ebrahimi lacked support in the midfield as neither Hajsafi or Mohebi could add value to the schemer in the centre of the field. Wilmots would have been better off adding another specialized midfielder like Noorollahi using four players for better control of the midfield. The flanks did not operate well either as Milad Mohammadi and Ramin Rezaeian were limited in their action.

The defence line was fine but Majid Hosseini committed two critical errors, one of which cost Iran the game. In the first instance, the young central defender left a lot of space for Bahrain forward, but for his poor finishing, the host could have taken the lead much earlier. In the second, his poor position again and lunging at the Bahraini forward, cost the penalty.

The result takes Bahrain to the top of the group along with Iraq with 7 points while Iran with 6 points drops to 3rd. It was more than a disappointing result with several tactical errors observed. Wilmots need to seriously look at his lineup that lacked balanced. This mentality of an all-out offensive game plan must not obscure his vision and should be revisited.  Cracks began to appear early in the match as teams such as Bahrain and Iraq can exploit them.  the Belgian need to go back to the drawing board.

 

Iran’s next game is in one month’s time away to Iraq.

 

Destination Turkey.

The two mighty neighbors Turkey and Iran have a heavy mutual influence on each other, due to geographical proximity, economic benefits, linguistic and ethnic relations. They were also regional rivals at some stage of history and fought each other for influence and power. In modern times, the relation has been peaceful and friendly.  Football formed part of this peaceful relationship and also created a regional rivalry.

The Turkish association with European football and its membership in UEFA, has immensely benefitted its development. The Turkish national team, despite making it to the World Cup twice only in their history (1954 & 2002), was always considered to be better and stronger than Iran’s Team Melli from the early 50s. Those days, the two countries played a lot of football against each other including a regional tournament called RCD which was a three side annual tournament that also included Pakistan in the 60s.

However, like many things after the 1979 revolution, with Iran’s major change of political ideology, the two countries experienced less than a cozy relationship, football naturally suffered from this cold relation and the two countries cut off their football connection. Neither side showed any interest in playing friendlies against the other, no doubt politics playing a major role in the break of footballing relationship.

Meanwhile, Turkish football, at club level at least, was thriving. The trio, Galatasaray, Fenerbahce, and Besiktas were as good as many first-rate  European clubs. With financial clout and huge fan bases, Turkey became the focus of attention and the destination of many foreign players.  For years, the Turkish clubs employed the services of European, African and Latin American footballers, those included some household names in football. However, the majority of the big name European signings were players at the twilight of their careers who were there for a last-ditch attempt to enrich their bank accounts before hanging their boots rather than seeking glory.  The success of the policy of the Turkish clubs in attracting high profile aging footballers was mixed perhaps moderately successful at best.

What the Turkish club ignored was the abundance of talents on the eastern and southern borders. Iran and to a certain extent, Iraq had a wealth of young talents that were there for the taking. Since the late nineties, European clubs, particularly the German realized that as a number of the best Iranian players were employed by clubs like Bayern Munich , Hamburg, Hertha Berlin, and Arminia Bielefeld While talented Iraqi players headed south to the Persian Gulf states. At no time, the Turks endeavored to attract Iranians and Iraqis to play for their teams, although it would have been a good investment and certainly cheaper for them too.

By the beginning of the second decade of the millennium, The Turkish clubs, at last, looked at Iran. There had to be something special in that country’s football that can generate quality players for Team Melli.  With shoestring budgets, Iranian clubs managed to continuously deliver talented players thus enriching Team Melli and many 0f those young players eventually heading outside Iran to play professional football. In the process, Iran has made 4 appearances in the FIFA World Cup after a break of 20 years since the initial one in 1978, but also steadily climbed in the FIFA World Ranking to approach the elites. Meanwhile, Turkey managed one appearance in 2002.

That made the Turkish clubs think hard and employ scouts to talent hunt in Iran and seek bargains and future investments from the Persians.

For the Iranians, Turkey is the perfect destination for a professional player. The culture, the climate and the proximity of the two countries make it an ideal place to play football, to develop and to make a decent living.  Although the flood gates had hardly opened on the Iranians, the Turkish clubs are beginning to be shrewd as they are constantly on the lookout for talented players even as young as 18 years old. In the case of Allahyar Sayyadmanish, who was hardly a fixed player in his club Esteghlal, such investment could turn out to be a clever an astute move by Fenerbahçe. The giant Turkish club is now seeking the services of the 19 years old Iraqi forward Muhanad Ali Kadhim from Al Shorta Club.

It is a win-win situation for both sides. Iranian Players can develop well in Turkey with training facilities and passionate fans enhancing the league to become one of the best in Europe. It is certainly the right environment for aspiring young Iranian and Iraqi players.

 

Allahyar Sayyadmanesh, is an 11th Iranian footballer in Turkey.

Naser Sadeghi (Galatasaray / Konyaspor)
Mohammad Khakpour (Vanspor)
Reza Shahroudi (Altay)
Sohrab Bakhtiarizadeh (Erzurumspor)
Mohammad Moemeni (Erzurumspor)
Hamed Kavianpour (Kayserispor)
Sajjad Şhahbazzade (Alanyaspor) ♣
Payam Sadeghian (Osmanlıspor) ♣
Vahid Amiri (Trabzonspor) ♣
Majid Hosseini (Trabzonspor) ♣

♣ currently active.

Mehdi Taremi’s hat trick spells doom for Syria

Team Melli started a new era under coach Marc Wilmots with an empathetic 5-0 win against the tough Syrian National team in Azadi Stadium on Thursday.

In a day full of positives, Mehdi Taremi scored a stunning hat trick including a goal with a reverse scissors kick each side of Alireza Jahanbakhsh goal and debutant Allahyar Sayyadmanesh . It seems that the absent of the top Iranian forward of the season, Sardar Azmoun , Saman Ghoddos and Ashkan Dejagah was not much of a concern for Team Melli.

Jahanbakhsh scored the opener with a clever slotted ball finish, while the teenager made his debut minutes earlier scored the fifth goal to seal the match and mark a memorable day for Team Melli.

Not many teams in the world can claim a 5 goal margin win against Syria, a team with physical strength and mental toughness that has been passed on for generations.

Despite having most of the ball possession, Team Melli did not really threaten Ahmad Madania in the Syrian goal. It took a cleaver steal from Alireza Jahanbaksh, who had a season to forget in the English Premiere league, right inside the Syrian box and a clever shimmy followed by an accurate ball to the far end of Madania for Team Melli to strike on the half hour.

7 minutes after Jahanbakhsh’s goal it was the turn of Mehdi Taremi to start recording a historic match for himself, a match that he will cherish for a long time. The opener for Taremi was the result of a clever back heel pass by Ansarifard slicing open the tough Syrian defence for Taremi to receive the pass, take his time to round the keeper and slot the ball in.

The first half finished with a 2 goals lead for Team Melli. At no time in the half was there any indication that this will be an easy win for Team Melli as the physically strong and tough tackling Syrians gave little breathing space for the host.

The tough tackling had its first casualty, though in Majid Hosseini who was tackled hard and fell on the ground with a suspected dislocated shoulder in the second half. Kanani-Zadegan took Hosseini’s place in the central of defense.

Mehdi Taremi was on the roll as he scored his second in a spectacular fashion. The type of goals the fans love to watch and the TV to broadcast over and over again. His overhead scissors kick wrong footed the Syrian keeper whose desperate attempt failed to stop the ball hitting the net. The Al Gharafa forward scored his second and Iran’s third goal.

From this moment, it became clear that the Syrians were deflated. 3-0 was a big margin for such a proud and never says die team. They have never been beaten by an Iranian team with a 3 goals margin and although they have not given up per se, there were signs of gaps developing in their midfield and defense while the star forward Omar Al Somah had very little support up front.  The Syrian defensive cover work seemed crack sometimes too easily.

Team Melli took full advantage of that and Taremi, once again was on the score sheet. His third was scored with a nice header from an acute angle. The fully stretched Madania managed to touch the ball but it had too much pace and Taremi completed his hat trick. Iran 4 Syria 0

And the icing on the cake was a perfect introduction of young Esteghlal forward, Allahyar Sayyadmanesh. On the 79th minute Ansarifard was withdrawn to be replaced by Sayyadmanesh who has yet to complete his 18th birthday to make his debut.

Two minutes later, a clever through ball and perfectly timed run by the debutant, created a one to one situation with Syrian keeper. Allahyar though, seemed to get his bearing all wrong and mildly shot wild of the advancing keeper.

However, just before the end of regulation time, a corner by Hajsafy was met by towering the Sayyadmanesh who jumped and headed powerfully into the net. A beautiful goal indeed and a perfect curtain raiser for one of the future stars of Iranian football.

All in all, it was a 10 out of 10 performance by Team Melli and a perfect start fot the Belgian Marc Wilmots. Apart from the introduction of Sayyadmanesh this team was the legacy of Carlos Queiroz. However, there is a marked change in the philosophy between the former Team Melli coach who was an avid believer in tight defenses and the philosophy of the new regime as clearly stated by Wilmots in his pre-match press conference.

Wilmots team will be playing offensive football but not forgetting the delicate balance between going on all-out attack and reasonable strong defense.

One thing that Queiroz has created in this team though and has to be credited for it, is creation of a strong team with plenty of options in every position. It will Make Marc Wilmots job that much easier.

Team Melli vs Oman: players rating and performance review.

It was a clinical victory for Team Melli against a stubborn Omani team which has no inferiority complex playing against higher ranked and bigger teams.  The overall rating of the team performance was higher than average bordering excellent. A smartly taken goal by Alireza Jahanbakhsh to score his first goal in the tournament and a well taken penalty kick by Ashkan Dejagah sealed the victory for Team Melli in a match they dominated but could not close early enough

We will discover the positives and negatives of the match versus Oman and see if we learned from the shortfalls.

Beiravand’s save was crucial and this covered one deficiency in Team Melli otherwise impeccable defense. The lack of pace in the central defenders in this case Majid Hosseini despite his ability and youthful energy, left him chasing after a faster and more agile forward , tacking him from behind , conceding a penalty and a yellow card for good measure. Such shortfall does not necessarily render Hosseini incapable of playing for Team Melli at international level; it means that the covering work and the defensive tactics should cater for such instances. That is the work of a defensive coordinator or coach. Perhaps by experience, Hosseini would improve and does not indulge in tackles and fouls that risk him being sent off.

Sardar Azmoun is by far is the best forward in Team Melli. His physique, mental strength, skills and heading ability makes Azmoun an excellent asset for any team. He is easily the gem in the crown of Iran, but Sardar has shown his negative side too in Oman game by wasting easy scoring chances.

While Azmoun has the skills and ability to score from the most awkward of positions, he wasted at least 3 glorious ones on Sunday. One chance that only required mildest of shoot, another one which only required accuracy and a header that he would normally slot as easy as ABC. Against Oman he failed to convert any one of them. It was a battle between him and Taremi on how many chances they can squander.

Taremi , perhaps not as resourceful or skillful as Azmoun, had his bad day too. The golden miss was that ball that he could have either passed to Azmoun but instead he opted to lob. It was not a clever decision and the ball ended wide and nowhere near the target.

At the end, it really did not matter as Azmoun & Taremi colleagues have done the job already, but scoring chances will be far and few in matches against the stronger oppositions such as Japan and South Korea. If they are not taken, then it could possibly mean the end of a dream.

Very difficult to pinpoint why the Team Melli attacking pair missed so many chances. It could be anything of nerves, haste, overconfidence, casualness or negligence, whatever it is; it needs to be sorted out. Perhaps it is all in the mind. These two players can play a major role in Team Melli’s quest for the lifting of the title. They need to be sorted out by someone in the coaching staff.

 

A special mention has to be given to two distinct players. Alireza Beiranvand with that excellent penalty save as early as the first minutes of the game and the grand performance of Ashkan Dejagah who was like the dynamo of the team playing on of his best matches in Team Melli Jersey.

The significance of Beirnavand cannot be over emphasized for many reasons. Falling behind so early in a match not only has a negative psychological effect on the conceding team, while it hypes the other, against Teams like Oman it means parking the bus.

Thankfully, we did not have to experience that agony the moment Beiravand saved Ahmen Kanoo’s penalty.

About the performance of Ashkan Dejagah. The Tractorsazi’s midfielder hardly put a foot wrong, orchestrating the midfield, cleverly distributing the ball,  defending deep , challenging for the ball when required and overall being a good motivator , leader  and visionary. He was tireless and gave a few younger players a lesson in endurance too.

  • Alireza Beiranvand (9): The single player who made difference for his early save. However, he also made a number of excellent stops. His long throws,, are becoming a lethal weapon. Proved beyond any shadow of doubt, that he is the best goalkeepers in Asia, one one of the best in the world.
  • Milad Mohammadi (7.5):  Although his turbo runs on the flanks was not much in evidence today, he was convincing in defense and very little passed him. .
  • Majid Hosseini (4): Single handedly could have cost the team the game. Poor marking and a silly foul resulted in a penalty on the first attack by Oman. Later on he was quite lucky not to be sent off for another bookable offense. A day to forget for the young defender.
  •  Morteza Pouraliganji (8): Although did not face a strong offensive line, he did his job perfectly and dealt with the opposition attackers with ease.
  • Ramin Rezaeian (6): He is still rusty at times and lack of competitive match practice is evident in his game. However, he contributed well towards both attack and defense.
  • Mahdi Taremi (5.5): Wasteful and disappointing for the player who started this campaign so well. He has not scored since netting two against Yemen and needs a confidence booster match against China to keep him going. His most important contribution was winning the penalty which Ashkan Dejagah converted.
  • Omid Ebrahimi (7.5): The always reliable defensive midfield who never fails to impress and always delivers. He had yet another good game and alongside Dejagah, controlled the midfield not allowing the Omanis any chances to pressurize the Iranian defense.
  • Ashkan Dejagah (9): An excellent performance worthy of an Oscar. Has been Iran’s one of the best Team Melli players throughout the tournament. Did not put a foot wrong and ensured superiority in the middle of the park while feeding the flanks for offensive moves. Scored the team’s second goal, netting a crucial penalty in the 41st minute.
  • Alireza Jahanbaksh (7.5): Still not operating on all cylinders after the recovery from injury, however, Queiroz trusted him to start for the second match running, and he delivered. Troubled the opposition time and again and finally scored Team Melli’s first goals after a smart piece of play.
  • Vahid Amiri (7): Had a good game playing just behind the attacker. Always looked to play his teammates in behind the defense.
  • Sardar Azmoun (7): Very strong performance marred by awful wastefulness. He could have easily scored a hat trick. Shot wide from close range when it seemed easier to score than miss. However, the rest of his game, tackling and winning the ball was immaculate.

Substitutes 

  1. Saman Ghoddos (6): Came on just before the 80th-minute mark and looked lively during the time he was on the pitch.
  2. Roozbeh Cheshmi (6): Replaced goal-scorer Alireza Jahanbaksh but couldn’t’ replicate his attacking input. However, he had a decent time on the pitch.
  3. Masoud Shojaei (N/A): Came on in the final few minutes as Iran looked to see out the match.

Team Melli marches on to the Quarter Finals.

Iran defeated Oman 2-0 to book a place in the quarter finals stage of the AFC Asian Cup 2019. Alireza Jahanbakhsh scored Iran’s first ON 32nd minute when he cleverly stole the ball from Oman’s central defender and smartly slotted it in on the advancing Oman keeper, while on the 41st minute, Captain Ashkan Dejagah scored from a spot kick awarded after a foul on Mehdi Taremi

The first half ended 2-0 for Team Melli.

The match started with a real scare when the Omani forward, closely marked by Majid Hosseini , received a long ball that bounced luckily for him, leaving Hosseini chasing behind. The Young Team Melli central defender clumsily tripped the advancing Omani forward in the box for the Mexican referee to whistle for a penalty.

Ahmed Mubarak Al-Mahaijri, Oman’s Captain took the spot kick but the excellent reflect by Alireza Beiranvand manged to save the ball which was aimed at the far right corner. This is the second Penalty save of Beiranavnd in as many game, the first being the penalty save against Cristiano Ronaldo in the FIFA World Cup 2018.

After that scare, Iran took over the play and dominated throughout the match. All figures and stats indicated Iranian superiority. Oman could not match Iran player’s skills and physical game and depended on long balls to break the solid defense marshaled exquisitely by Mortaza Pouraliganji who did not put a foot wrong. Unfortunately, the same could not be said of Majid Hosseini. Apart from the penalty he gave away because of a reckless challenge and being caught out, Late in the second half, another situation led to him committing a foul on the runaway Omani winger. He was a lucky boy not to get a second yellow and marching order.

Ashkan Dejagah was majestic in this match. He was the maestro of the team with his excellent vision and distribution of the ball.

This is the fourth clean sheet for Team Melli, although Beiranvand, except for that penalty, was not really tested in this game.

The forward line, were far from clinical today. Sardar Azmoun , could have scored a hat trick on his own while Taremi wasted two golden chances. There have been quite a few profligate performances by the strikers which could be a serious concern as Team Melli advances further.

Vahid Amiri picked up his second yellow card of the tournament , so he will miss the Quarter final’s match in four days time.

In an earlier match, China recovered from a goal down to beat Thailand 2-1. China will meet Team Melli in the next round in Abu Dhabi.

Iran
1 Alireza Beiranvand GK
5 Milad Mohammadi DF
8 Morteza Pouraliganji DF
9 Omid Ebrahimi MF
11 Vahid Amiri FW
17 Mehdi Taremi MF
18 Alireza Jahanbakhsh 32‘ MF
19 Seyed Majid Hosseini DF
20 Sardar Azmoun FW
21 Ashkan Dejagah 41‘(PK) MF
23 Ramin Rezaeian DF

Substitutes
4 Roozbeh Cheshmi 69‘ -> (Jahanbakhsh)
7 Masoud Shojaei 88‘ -> (Azmoun)
14 Saman Ghoddos 78‘ -> (Dejagah)

Manager
– Carlos Queiroz

Roozbeh Cheshmi out of the World Cup

FFIRI has announced that Roozbeh Cheshmi, Team Melli center-right defender, has suffered an injury during training yesterday and will no longer feature in the FIFA World Cup 2018 in Russia.

It is a real blow for the defender who has pivitol in the defence of Team Melli against Morocco.

With that injury, Carlos Queiroz equation changes for the second game against Spain. Iran edged Morocco 1-0 in the their first World Cup match at the St. Petersburg Stadium on Friday following a stoppage time own goal from Aziz Bouhaddouz.

“It was a great football match. Our strategy was exactly since the first minute to create a mental collapse in the Moroccan players. And now we tried to do that creating frustration and block all the playmakers, The players that can create something. The most open opportunities [to strike] in the first half belongs to Iran and since we were able to create panic in the defensive line of Morocco the game changed. Now it’s time to rest and think about the game against Spain,” Queiroz told at the press conference.

Roozbeh Cheshmi was in the heart of defence that frustrated the Moroccans.

In the game against Morocco, Cheshmi  alongside Morteza PouraliGanji in the middle of defense was able to protect and cover Alireza Beyranvand to keep a clean sheet. Now, with this injury, who should be seen as a substitute for a defender who has been labeled by Queiroz as “the most modern” defender of Iran in the past 10 years.

Queiroz , with all the criticisms that he sustained before the start of the Russian World Cup for playing from Roozbeh Cheshmi in the heart of the national defense, called him the most modern defender of the last 10 years in the national team. A strange claim since Queiroz has not been in Iran for 10 years. Now that Cheshmi is injured and can not play for the Team Melli, that piece of brief news has hit the team and considered as a great shock for some and certainly for the squad.

Majid Hosseini

However, it is not like a lost cause as Queiroz has three options for Cheshmi. Majid Hosseini, Pejman Montazeri and Mohammad Reza Khanzadeh.

Majid Hosseini, who was substituted in the final minutes of the game with Morocco, experienced his first appearance at the World Cup. The young defender of Esteghlal Tehran, who had developed quite rapidly from a youth team all the way to Team Melli senior team, was preferred to the much experienced of Mohammad Reza Khanzadeh, who has been playing for a long time at club and the national team.

Of course, Queiroz has proven that he has tricks up his sleeve and not shy from taking bold decisions such as using a player with one cap only, in an important match in the World Cup. That is what he did with Majid Hosseini. A surprise that no one guessed.

However, It’s unlikely that Queiroz will opt for young Majid Hosseini this time against Spain. Most likely he will use Khanzadeh and even Pejman Montazeri instead of his modern advocate.

Sweet start, looking ahead for Spain.

Millions of Iranian men and women, boys and girls danced in the streets of major Iranian cities to celebrate Team Melli’s victory against Morocco to register its first win in the FGIFA 2018 World Cup and only the 2nd victory in the history of the competition. The first win being the historic match vs USA in Lyon in World Cup 1998.

To the displeasure of the religious factions and extremist, Girls danced, men sang and the  whole crowd forgot their daily hardship to enjoy this unique moment of joy in a remarkable display of patriotism

After The dust has settled, and after all the so-called experts got it all wrong by favoring the Moroccans, Queiroz and his coaching staff need a long thought about what has emerged from the match against Morocco

Team Melli impressed in qualifying rounds, the defense was impeccable conceding only in the last game against Syria when Iran has already qualified, Iran remained unbeaten throughout and only let in five goals in their 18 qualifying matches.

Queiroz and the boys were both left rueing the draw that saw them placed in the same group as 2010 winners Spain and European champions Portugal, with only the top two sides advancing to the last 16.

Spain and Portugal, 10th and fourth in the world rankings respectively, have won four major tournaments between them in the past 10 years. Before the match, Queiroz said his side had been “drawn in the hardest group in the World Cup”.

Going into injury time in St Petersburg, it looked like being a result neither Morocco nor Iran wanted, before Morocco’s Sofyan Amrabat conceded a needless free-kick by fouling Saman Ghoddos near the corner flag.

But that gave Ehsan Haji Safi the opportunity to whip in the free-kick, and Bouhaddouz could only steer the ball into his own net for an Iranain victory.

Morocco and its suitor can bemoan their luck . the experts can have their excuses for getting it wrong , but that is already water under the bridge. Team Melli needs a vast improvement comes the 20th June when they play the Matadors.

Biranvand was solid and any fears of flouting seemed like just a scare. The defense was well below the experience of the other group teams with Rouzbeh Chesmi who played all the 90 minutes having only 11 caps and substitute Majid Hosseini only 1 cap! However, they stood the pressure well and the Moroccans only 2 real chances, both yielding no results.

It was the midfield where the Most Valuable man for Team Melli was playing. Omid Ebrahimi was exceptional, his hustling, penetrations, that golden pass to Azmoun and his forcefulness was a delight to watch. In contrast, Ansarifard was far from effective in his unfamiliar role. Shojaei did manage to be effective but the service to the forward line was found wanting. Amiri and Jahanbaksh operated as wingers but none of them supplied quality balls to Azmoun who was not in his best form admittedly.

Queiroz will have a different strategy and game plan for Spain. He is the master of defensive strategy and not much of a believer in pressing opponents. Such tactics that Moroccans used did not yield results. Queiroz is wary of the individual skills of the Spaniards and will refrain from engaging them deep.

For Spain, Jahanbakhsh needs to raise his game. Amiri might not suit Queiroz tactics and on the half back, Milad Mohammadi could be a potent weapon to supply crosses to Azmoun. Depending on the readiness of Dejagah , he will surely be needed if he is fit.

Spain, is far from formidable. It suits Team Melli for all their opponents to be the favorites. Queiroz will have his master plan ready for the novice Fernando Hierro despite the high class of the Spanish players and the immense experience and championship pedigree they possess.

European scouts show interest in Iranian young talents.

The corridors of Dubai and Abu Dhabi hotels where the U-17 teams stayed for the FIFA U-17 World Cup was littered with European scouts and talent hunters in a bid to discover the next Messi or Christiano Ronaldo. The scouts, whose covert operation resembles the work of Major spy agencies and their reconnaissance always shrouded with secrecy, have been seen monitoring Iran’s U-17 camp.

Despite the secrecy, it was apparent that one or several Iranian youngsters are under the microscope. Dutch, German and French scouts have been asking questions and attending matches while preparing reports and dossiers about potential player that can be recruited at this age and trained professionally in Europe.

 Despite our best efforts, there was no firm indication on which of the Iranian players has been focused on or raised the interest of the Europeans.    Speculation was rife about one or two players that have attracted the interest of the scouts as potential recruits. The two players are Majid Hosseini  and Saeid Ezzatolahei. In fact , a British TV commentator was confident that the latter player has been approached by scouts , although he did not  disclose the source of his information.

The fact that young Iranians players are on the radar of the European clubs, is quite a motivating factor for the others to excel. Despite the sad loss to a much better team and technically accomplished Nigerian team, and the elimination from the championship, there were some sterling displays by the Iranian players in the 4 matches played. Individual skills, physical strength and some delicate footwork by the Iranian young players, impressed many observers.

Presence of Mehdi Mahdavikia amongst the Technical cadre of Iran’s U-17 team was also an attraction to the German scouts particularly. Mahdavikia a veteran of German football who played in the Bundesliga for the majority of his professional career was a popular star in Hamburg SV while playing for VfL Bochum and Eintracht Frankfurt  as well. Mahdavikia was a grat ambassador for Iranian football in Germany.

Saeid Ezzatolahei who was born in Anzali , is a member of Malavan Anzali club. His father Nader , was one of the senior Malavan players.

Iran’s Hosseini on the defensive

(FIFA.com) Monday 28 October 2013
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Iran’s Hosseini on the defensive

© Getty Images

Iran’s road to the Round of 16 here at the U-17 finals in UAE was paved with defence. Scoring only three times in their three section games, the Persians have a clear tactical scheme. “We do everything we can to make sure we don’t let the opponents in,” captain and centre-back Majid Hosseini told FIFA.com about his side’s stingy stance.

But Hosseini knows better than anyone what awaits him in the first knockout round in Al Ain City: free-scoring Nigeria, a team as obsessed with attacking as the Iranians are with defending. “My attack is blistering,” was what the Golden Eaglets’ coach Manu Garba had to say before even kicking off here in the Emirates. And their 4.6 goals per game average shows he wasn’t just boasting. “We can destroy any team on our day.”

We know that they only need one second to hurt you, to score a goal from nothing.

Iran centre-back and captain Hosseini knows all about Nigeria

Iran undoubtedly have one of the best defenders of the tournament in Hosseini. Tall and quick of mind, the Saipa FC man is the general of a team that keeps it tight at the back and only rarely, at specific and carefully chosen moments, raids forward. He is vocal on the pitch, pivoting nimbly to adjust to situations as they arise, and he inspires his mates with his actions and his bravery in the danger-zone. He plays like a leader and he talks like one too.

But his forehead wrinkles when Nigeria’s 14 goals so far are mentioned. Hosseini’s face turns from that of spotty teenager to a worried and wizened old man when he considers the west Africans, three-time U-17 world champions. “It will be the hardest game so far for us; we can have no illusion about it,” he said of the Nigerians, who are rivalled only by Brazil for their attacking ability and, in Kalechi Iheanacho and Success Isaac, have two of the best strikers in the world for their age.

“Nigeria are a very strong team,” the Iran captain added, looking intently at his translator who turned his Persian into English. “We know about their attack. We know that they only need one second to hurt you, to score a goal from nothing. We know all of this,” he said, before pausing and putting a hand on the translator’s shoulder, looking into his eyes and making a point clearly and slowly: “But we have our strengths too.”

Switching the conversation from Nigeria’s varied attack, their dizzying brand of Total Football that’s been a delight for fans and a nightmare for opposition defenders, the Iran captain speaks of his team as a unit. And while Mostafa Hashemi and Yousef Seyyedi have scored two of the best goals at these these finals, individuals are spurned for the collective in the Iranian cause.

“Everybody in the team acts as a defender and when we do go forward we go forward as one,” said the 17-year-old, who led Iran when they were crowned champions of Asia earlier this year. “This is one of the secrets of our success. Our defenders, all of us, are close friends and we support each,” he added about the esprit de corps in the side. “When we get into trouble, there’s always someone to help out.”

Freedom meets form in desert duel
And while Nigeria’s coach gives his players what he calls “a special freedom,” Iran’s stern-looking boss Al Doustimehr gives his team orders. “We listen to our coach because by listening to him we have arrived here at the World Cup, and now into the knockout rounds,” said Hosseini, his mates waiting for him in a pack near the team bus. “Our coach will look at the Nigeria tapes and he will tell us what to do. And if we’re smart, we’ll listen.”

Few who have seen Group F toppers Nigeria in action will hold out much hope for Iran, who’ve never gone past the last 16 at a U-17 World Cup. But captain Hosseini isn’t bothered by being underdog and his confidence in his own ability – and his team-mates – is strong. His thoughts even go beyond the Nigerians. “Our goal is the last four,” he said. “We outlined this before the tournament started and we can still do it.”

First they will have to find a way to neutralise one of the best attacking teams the U-17 World Cup has ever seen. The captain’s mind turns to his home country for the kind of backing-up he preaches in his team, but on a larger scale. “We’ve felt positive energy coming from home,” he said, his eyes turning glassy with emotion. “We want to make the Iranian people happy and we’ll give everything we have against Nigeria to do it.”

Whether that will be enough for the brave Iranians will be only be known at the Khalifia bin Zayed Stadium on Tuesday night, when two contrasting styles and temperaments collide in the desert.