Tag: Naft Tehran

15/05/2015

Hossein Faraki does it again . Sepahan lift the League title for the 5th time.

A thrilling finale to the Persian Gulf League season which saw the championship change hands three times in 90 minutes, ended today. Tractorsazi Tabriz, Naft Tehran and Sepahan Esfahan were all in it for the championship title, with the first two meeting in Tabriz and Sepahan facing Saipa t home.

The final day of the league began with Tractorsazi leading the table and needing a win against the other contender Naft Tehran to secure the title for the first time in the history. Naft was in the same situation as Tractorsazi , while Sepahan not only needed all the three points of the match against Saipa , but also for the two teams drawing in Tabriz , in order to snatch the title.

SNATCHING THE TITLE

Snatch is the most appropriate term for Sepahan eventual Championship title as they have been chasing the leaders for weeks without actually making the top until 9 minutes from the season end.

The match in Tabriz in an over-filled Yadegar Imam stadium estimated to be at 70,000 started shockingly for the host as Ezzati scored Naft’s goal within 9 minutes. That result meant the title was for Naft, but Tractorsazi soon responded. The brilliant partnership between Ando Teymourian and the Brazilian forward Edinho , produced two goals for the Azeri team. The first one came on the 37^th minute when a nice weighted cross from Ando found unmarked Edinho on the right. The top league scorer, calmly dribbled the on rushing Naft Defender Shiri, before slotting the ball to the right far corner of Biranvand goal to score the equalizer.

Eight minutes later on the stroke of halftime , the roles was reversed as Edinho, on the left flank, was the provider of an immaculate low cross which found the on rushing Teymourian, to head home past Biranvand reach to the far end of the Naft goal. On both of Tractorsazi goals , Biranvand was found wanting and guilty of poor positioning and action.

Now , Tractorsazi was the champion despite Sepahan leading Saipa in Esfahan.

In the second half Tractorsazi cemented their lead with a third beautifully taken goal by the young and promising forward Farid Karimi, who was surrounded by 4 Naft players but managed to beat them and easily put the ball under Biranvand’s open legs!

3-1 for Tractorsazi as Yadegar Imam Stadium erupted.

Naft Tehran, A fine team with grit and talents.

MORE THRILLING MOMENTS

But there was more action and thrill awaiting the fans. The fate of this match turned upside down when only two minutes after Tractorsazi’s goal, Ando Teymourian, the most experienced of Tractorsazi players, got his marching orders from Iran’s top referee Alireza Faghani. With just short of half an hour to go, suddenly Tractorsazi was feeling the heat.

In the 76th minute and after consistent waves of Naft attacks, Ali Ghorbani pulled another goal back for his team to make it 3-2. Tractorsazi had 14 minutes to hold on to their lead to win the title, but Lenardo Padovani , the Naft defender took full advantage of a horrible mistake by Hamed Lak in Tractorsazi’s goal to score the equalizer.

It was a massive heartbreak for Tabrizi fans.

SEPAHAN ESFAHAN, RECORD BREAKING TITLE.

Sepahan were still leading Saipa for the remainder of the 9 minutes of the League season 2014/15 as the two goals scored by Mehdi Sharifi in Esfahan was good enough for the Esfahani team to win its record 5th title.

Hossein Faraki, proved beyond shadow of doubt that he is currently the best Iranian football coach by far, winning his second title in a row with two different clubs.

TEAM MELLI FORTUNES

As far as Team Melli is concerned , the matches of the last few rounds and the thrilling finale , showed plenty of promise and talents to replace the old guard in the team, if only one Carlos Queiroz allows that to happen. The Portuguese coach , was nowhere to be seen in any stadiums for the last day of the league as he has left Iran and missed the thrills of what he labels as a boring league.

The worrying part is that Team Melli will be truly struggling in the goalkeepers department as Naft Tehran’s Alireza Biranvand and Tractorsazi’s Hamed Lak both where culprits in their performances. Their standard was consistent with their earlier showings in the league. Both are on Team Melli squad list but certainly liabilities and hardly worthy of a place in Team Melli. With Peykan relegated and with them Mehdi Rahmati, it is difficult to see him bounce back that soon or be picked up by Queiroz. There are no other significant talents who can be considered a worthy candidate for Team Melli goalkeeper position discovered in the league.

26/02/2015

The Goalkeeping dilemma.

Any Iranian fan watching the recent AFC Champions league matches would have been alarmed by the lackluster standard of Iranian goalkeepers. Added to the fact that the recent showing of Team Melli matches where goalkeepers performed poorly, such performances does not instill much confidence in the custodians who form the last frontier of any ambitious team challenging for championships and trophies.

The beautiful free flowing passing game of Naft Tehran deserved much better than the 2-1 defeat in Uzbekistan, as the Persian Gulf League leader fell victim to two horrible and amateurish errors by their goalkeeper Alireza Biranvand which cost them two goals and a defeat, after leading 1-0.

Nearly identical scenario was repeated a day later again in Uzbekistan as Tractorsazi was leading 1-0 before two blunders by their goalkeeper allowed the Uzbeks to win the match 2-1. The culprit goalkeeper was Hamed Lak. His edgy performance was a contributing factor in this defeat.

Persepolis , whose goalkeeper Sasha Makani is very well known for his calamitous performances was spared its blushes when they defeated Lekhwiya of Qatar 3-0 against all the odds. The Qatari league leader with some expensive star players were simply having a day off as Makani was hardly tested.

The common dominator of all these goalkeepers is that Carlos Queiroz has picked the above mentioned goalkeeper for Team Melli at different stages and competitions. Which , for all practical terms and purposes , means they are the best keepers in Iran. Biranvand is still in the list and was part of the last squad in the AFC Cup 2015 in Australia while Makani and Lak have only been recently replaced by Haghighi and Frouzan.

Haghighi , the surprise pick of the obstinate Portuguese coach , was the main goalkeeper for both the World Cup and Asian Cup. Not surprisingly, his performances have left a lot to be desired. The fans need to be thankful for the outright defensive game plan of Queiroz that has protected Haghighi in goal from being bombarded in both tournaments. However, when the team changed plans and needed to win by playing more offensively , Haghighi and his defense were truly exposed and conceded 6 goals in the last two matches of the two major competitions. 3 goals against Bosnia in the World Cup and three against Iraq in the quarter finals of Asian Cup. To make matters worse, Alireza Haghighi failed to save any penalty kick in the penalty shootout as Iran was knocked out from the Asian Cup.

All this was happening when two of the most experienced goalkeeper in Iran, Mehdi Rahmati and Rahman Ahmadi , were enjoying a holiday back home as Queiroz did not seem to believe in their abilities nor their skills.

Queiroz issue with Rahmati and some other players is a problem that is quite clearly undermining Team Melli. His personal antipathies against certain staff and players like Khalatbary , Mojtaba Jabbari, Hadi Aghili , Majid Saleh , Ali Karimi amongst many others are leaving the team handicapped and nothing is more evident than in between the three posts where the absence of the experienced Rahmati was felt.

Queiroz is only a part of the entire problem as Iran’s football system seems to have a distinct lack of ability to produce quality goalkeepers. It is also evident that the goalkeeping coaches are not of a high caliber at clubs and junior teams’ levels.

Iran’s goalkeeping problem is not new either. For more than a decade, Iran has been suffering from lack of quality goalkeepers. Ebrahim Mirzapour and his generation of keepers did not enhance the reputations of Iranian keepers, before Rahmati came into the scene. However, even Rahmati, arguably still the best keeper in Iran (not according to Queiroz, of course) , had difficulties like poor handling of aerial balls which marred his good records.

While goalkeeping is the least popular of posts amongst young players and good keepers are always in demand, the lack of production of quality keepers which requires a careful study and planning from the root level , could very well be a serious problem in the near future for Team Melli.

22/02/201522/02/2015

China’s Tianjin Teda seeking Morteza Pouraliganji

The central defender of Team Melli , Morteza Pouraliganji is being pursued by the Chinese Super league club, Tianjin Teda FC.

Pouraliganji was one of the stars of Team Melli in the AFC Asian Cup. His performance in Australia attracted number of interests from various clubs in the Persian Gulf states and China. Tianjin Teda has formally submitted an offer but the details are sketchy.

Pouraliganji confirmed that an offer exists from China but said he is unaware of the transfer sum and financial terms between his club Naft Tehran and Tianjin. The defender who also plays in midfield, has denied all the figures that some Iranian newspapers have published and refered to them as pure fabrication by the media. “The closet person in Naft organization is not yet sure of the final figure and I was not briefed on it fully , so , I don’t know how these people can come up with figures!”

The 23 years old Pouraliganji said that he is naturally looking to progress in football and enhance his chances in the professional world. “I do not mind playing in China, and that will be my first step towards my ultimate goal and that would be playing in Europe.”

Morteza Pouraliganji is taking a short break to visit his mother in the North before flying to China to close the deal, according to ISNA news agency.

30/12/2014

Alireza Mansourian pledges full support to Queiroz

Naft Tehran coach and a former Team Melli player, Alireza Mansourian pledged his full support to Team Melli and Coach Carlos Queiroz. Mansourian was present at the farewell ceremony of Team Melli to wish them well before departure to Australia.

In a short statement to the press at Team Melli camp site, Mansourian said “I came here to show my support to the boys, and Carlos Queiroz. It is my duty to do so and I sincerely wish Team Melli all the best in their difficult task in Australia. Yes, it is not an easy job by any means but the boys are well up to it.”

“Queiroz has been trying his best for the team, however the preparation was less than ideal and there is no denial in that. However some might justify the circumstances and whatever was said; we must admit that the preparation of Team Melli was well below Querioz’s expectations and definitely way below our competitors’.”

Mansourain , who has 3 players in the squad Biranvand, Amiri and Pouraliganji added “I believe that Queiroz and Team Melli in general were victims of the disputes between the Ministry of Sports and the football federation. That should not have happened but the reality was, a high tension between these two organizations resulted in Team Melli being hurt by it.”

Alireza Mansourian urged all the fans and the media to be behind Team Melli and support the team to the end.

25/12/2014

“Only Nostradamus can predict Team Melli’s results” Haj Rezaei

Amir Haj Rezaei , the prominent Iranian football analyst and former coach , was highly critical of the long interruption of the football league program lasting 50 days in order to set camp for Team Melli.

“You cannot build one team on the ruins of the rest. Football league program is the foundation and fundamental in any country’s football progress. You cannot stop this program for the sake of one team.” Haj Rezaei said in an interview with ISNA.

“I am totally against such scheduling which it is the result of poor planning and loss of awareness. No country I know of has such long interruptions of the league program while it is at its peak.”

Asked about the prospect of the 4 Iranian clubs in the forthcoming Asian Champions League, Haj Rezaei said that the prospects are quite dim. “The Iranian teams are facing well organized, strong, resourceful and experienced Arab teams from the Persian Gulf states. Their job will be quite difficult at best. I cannot see much chance of progress for these Iranian teams, most of which are facing all sort of problems or financial difficulties.”

“Naft Tehran which has been doing well in the last two seasons has the best chance to progress. They have a well-built and strong team. They have managed to keep the right balance under capable coaches. The only problem with Naft is lack of experience. The same can be said for Tractorsazi. Foolad Khuzestan has lost some key players because of the military service issues however with a clever coach, the team still managed to do well in the league and keep their high ranking. Whether Foolad will be good enough for the Asian Champions league is another question.”

“Out of all the 4 teams, Persepolis has the most daunting task. The club has no CEO , no one to sign their checks , players want to leave , the team is struggling at mid table with some bad results , and to cap it all , internal conflicts are aplenty in this organization. I can’t see how Persepolis can get through this mayhem.”

Asked about Team Melli prospects in the AFC Asian Cup. Haj Rezaei summarized by saying “Only Nostradamus can predict Team Melli’s results.”

14/12/201414/12/2014

Team Melli leaves to Johannesburg.

Team Melli left Tehran en route to Johannesburg via Dubai for a 10 day training camp with 21 players in the squad.

2 players were left behind. Mohammad Nouri , Persepolis Captain is banned from leaving the country because of a court order and tax issues, while Soroush Rafei has Military service pending. Queiroz has asked the FFIRI to act to release these two , but realistically it is a long shot as the cases of the two are not the type that Kaffashian can solve by picking up the phone and everything becomes settled.

Naft Tehran provided 4 player to Team Melli , a record by this club. Their players were quite enthusiastic and spoke to the press before departure. The veteran Iman Mobali who last played for Team Melli in AFC Asian Cup 2011, hoped that he can gian the trust and confidence of the coach and win a place in the squad to Australia. Vahid Amiri , believed that the camp will be very beneficial and echoed the sentiments of his teammate, Mobali. Amiri acknowledged that the majority of the squad are young and inexperienced but hoped that the objectives of the camp is realized for the coaching staff.

The 10 days Johannesburg training camp does not have any confirmed official or friendly matches. It is hoped that Queiroz , through personal contacts, can set up a match or two with some outfit to save the blushes of the federation and the training camp.

08/12/2014

Morteza Pouraligangi , the inspired young midfielder.

Naft Tehran midfielder in confident enough to believe that his team can win the Hazfi Cup, in addition to achieving a respectable high ranking in the Persian Gulf League. He also said that he aims to gain the full confidence of Team Melli coach in order to make the squad to the Asian cup. His long term ambition is to play in Europe.

Morteza Pouraligangi , the 22 years old footballer from Babol , in an interview with Mehr News Agency, after his team Naft Tehran defeated Padideh to qualify for the final of Hazfi Cup expressed his satisfaction with his team performance. “We were the better team throughout the match and if I and my other teammates dealt better with the final ball, the margin of victory would have been much better. I think we wasted at least 5 good goal scoring opportunities against Padideh.”

“We could have easily won that match if we managed to score an early goal to draw the Padideh out of their defensive cocoon. They were just thinking of not conceding as their game plan was based upon solid defense while their attack was based on Route 1 (direct route) to the opposition goal “.

Pouraligangi , who was named in the last Team Melli squad and was an unused substitute in the match against South Korea, attributed his team sterling performance to long term vision of the club management and quality coaching.

“After Naft Tehran won promotion to the Persian Gulf League, the club recruited the best coach they can afford and one who had an excellent track in producing and developing talented young players. He was Hossein Faraki , who gave me my first chance to play in the league while I was only 18 years old. After Faraki left, Golmohammadi maintained the same policy as his predecessor of allowing talented players to be given playing time regardless to their name or family backgrounds. Now, Alireza Mansourian who is an expert in youth level football is taking over and doing a remarkable job with Naft which is one of the youngest teams in the league.”

“Most of the young players in our team have similar aspirations. To start with, we all want to gain success and win trophies with Naft Tehran. This is vital for our career success and future. Then we want to build upon that domestic success to reach our goal of playing in the European leagues.”

Morteza Pouraligangi joined Naft Tehran in 2010. The midfielder started his football career for his local club, Peykan Babol , before moving to Pas Tehran , and then Ehsan Shahr Rey before settling in Naft Tehran in 2010 and making his professional debut.

In 2009 , Morteza Pouraligangi was selected for Iran’s U 16 team where he played 4 matches while in 2010 he was a member of Iran’s U 18 playing 2 matches, then Iran U23 where he won 10 caps.

“My aspiration is to be a member of Team Melli. I am hoping that my performance in the league with Naft is good enough to get the approval of Carlos Queiroz.”

“Ultimately , my selection for Team Melli is based upon my own performance in my team. Carlos Queiroz has already expressed his satisfaction with my work in the U 23 team. My aim is to maintain his confidence and reinforce it further on and off the field. Queiroz is an experienced football coach who coached world class players such as Zidane, Beckham , Figo , Christian Ronaldo and others. He knows the strength and weakness of his players and always works to enhance their abilities. I hope that in the next training camp I work even better to enhance my chance for the AFC Asian Cup in Australia.”

21/11/2014

Gholmreza Rezaei : the case of overlooked excellence .

The little man from Shiraz ( 1.69 m) who is built like a powerful wrestler, whose speed and acceleration is reminiscent of puma and his goal scoring skill is worthy of some repeated viewing on the TV, is guiding his team to the top of the league.

Gholamreza Rezaei, who had a mixed success in his 3 years stint with Persepolis including a torrid period of lingering injuries and long layoffs affecting his form and morale, eventually, left for Foolad Khuzestan in 2013 the club he originally moved away from to join Persepolis.

With full fitness regained , the fast Rezaei found his form down southg and started scoring for Foolad, but his true & real value was in the way his coach, Hossein Faraki , used him in destroying the opposition defenses with sharp runs into the area and providing quality balls for his teammate to score.

Faraki was instrumental in reviving the fortunes of the fast winger and with the fine combination of youth and the experienced; Foolad Khuzestan won the Persian League Title for the second time in its history.

Not many critics have predicted that Foolad would lift the trophy at the start of the campaign, but with the presence of a coach who has an impeccable ability to get the best out of his players, and players such as Rezaei with his amazing runs, the championship was set for the Khuzestani team

Rezaei surprisingly left Khuzestan and Foolad after one season only. Many of his supporters feared that his form will suffer under a new environment, surroundings, coach and teammates. Those fears were unfounded, because Gholam Reza Rezaei continued where he left off last season but this time in Naft Tehran.

Naft structure is not far different than what Foolad was last season. A fine balance between youth and experience, excellent younger players, quality management , and a shrewd and adventurous coach , Alireza Mansourian , who believes in beautiful game, Naft has entertained the crowds with their style of play.

Gholamreza+Rezaei+South+Korea+v+Iran+vC7ETIbn6BRl — Gholamreza Rezaei vs. South Korea

On Friday , Rezaei was the star of the show when Naft Tehran , arguably the best tactical team in the League , defeated the league leader Tractorsazi 2-1 to close the gap at the top to one point only. Gholamreza Rezaei, scored both of his team’s goals. The first one was a beauty, a team goal and a worthy candidate for the goal of the season after some real fine team work by Naft ending by a sublime assist from Iman Mobali. Rezaei scored the winner for Naft , after Tractorsazi equalized in the first half , and it was another fine goal.

For 18 months now, Rezaei has been ignored by Team Melli despite his hard work. His championship medal and trophy, his goal scoring ability and his assists has not impressed Team Melli selectors and coaches, instead they opt for a player such as the lethargic and uninspiring Masoud Shojaei !

It is a dilemma and an enigma put together. There is no doubt that Queiroz wants to select the best players for Team Melli. Also , there must be someone out there who watches Naft Tehran matches else the likes of young Pouraliganji , Ale Nemeh and Biranvand would not have been picked for Team Melli.

However, when the quality of Rezaei is ignored, one has to wonder why. Since it does not take a person to be a Professor in Physics to notice a quality player, there should be some logical reason behind his exclusion. Normally issues such as behavior, discipline and characters are motives behind such exclusions. That said , Rezaei , remains one of the gentlemen of Iran’s football, a player who gives his absolute best to the team and a strictly disciplined player whose excellence is being ignored by Queiroz and his men.