The Iranian attacker saw a proposed switch to a Middle Eastern club fell through last week and is now back training at Sparrows Lane, although Peeters acknowledged the player might not be in SE7 this time next month.
telegraaf.nl
by Jeroen Kapteijns
It's funny in a football life. The Iranians had grown up in Leeuwarden and up to twenty months ago was totally unknown in his homeland, which he left with his family at the age of eight to establish a life in Netherlands. In the last World Cup qualifiers, Reza, as he conveniently calls himself, however created an unforgettable impression. The former player of SC Heerenveen, Go Ahead Eagles, FC Emmen and SC Cambuur scored the winning goal against South Korea, a result which took Iran to its the fourth World Cup participation in its history. Meanwhile Charlton Athletic's Ghoochannejhad in sixteen internationals matches he found the target ten times already.
"He is definitely the star of the Iranian team," says Shervin Gilani of the Tehran Times."You can see that he has had a good training in Netherlands. In Iran, everyone expects Reza to score in this tournament. "
Ghoochannejhad is not only of Iranian-Frisian origin with a tongue-twisting name , but an outstanding player as well. He is musically inclined and he was able in the past to play the violin. He also decided as a young footballer to study Law and Political Science at the University. On the field, he is distinguished by a combination of technical skill and a great purpose.
However, it was a close shave or Ghoochannejhad would have never been admired at a World Cup. At age 21 he wanted to say goodbye to professional football. It was Marc Overmars, the current director of football affairs of Ajax, who pulled him aside and tried to persuade him from giving up , at his former club Go Ahead Eagles.
"You can say I saved his career," said Overmars. "Reza had a lengthy rehabilitation from a cruciate ligament injury which complicated his come back and frustrated him. During a loan period at FC Emmen he got on the stand correctly. He argued that there was no future for him in professional football and had applied for transfer to the amateurs, because he wanted to focus completely on his studies. I spoke a lot with him and his parents insisted that he really needed to decide, otherwise his career would be over. It was his last chance. It's very nice to see that he is now at the World Cup. It very nearly was run very differently. "
Now Ghoochannejhad will be playing today with Iran against the Argentine, with star ensemble like Lionel Messi and Sergio Aguero. In the scoreless draw against Nigeria, there was the best chance for Ghoochannejhad to score for Iran, but his header was parried by the goalkeeper. So far, the Iranians have always been extras on the World Cup with just one win in ten World Cup matches. With games against Argentina (Today at 18:00) and Bosnia-Herzegovina (Wednesday) at the door there also seems to run out of time.
For this tournament Reza nevertheless seems to be optimistic to play a role. Significant one with Iran "We are no less than Nigeria and Bosnia-Herzegovina. We have a group with a good mix of young talent and experienced players. I think we're going to fight, to get the second place behind Argentina." Ghoochannejhad said, that does not look up to the confrontation with the potential World Cup winner. "The pressure is on Argentina. We have nothing to lose. It is up to us to show the same resilience as we showed against Nigeria."
Team Melli drew with Nigeria 0-0 in the first match for both teams in Group F. Argentina is currently leading the table with 3 points after winning their opener against Bosnia & Herzegovina.
Carlos Queiroz fielded a strong defensive line up with 6 recognized defenders sticking to his now well recognized strategy of a strong defensive team. The only surprise of the line up was the inclusion of Alireza Haghighi , who is probably the least experienced of the 3 goalkeepers ahead of no 1 choice Rahman Ahmadi. However , Haghighi did not have to make many saves or even work hard except for ne tricky free kick in the first half.
Although Nigeria dominated the first 30 minutes of the first half, the solid and well organized Iranian defense made that domination by the African champions useless. After the half hour a corner kick awarded for Iran, the quick reaction of Nigerian keeper Victor Enyeama who saved the powerful header by Reza Ghoochanejad from close range prevented Iran from going a goal up.
In the second half the Nigerian control was reduced with Team Melli getting more of the ball but the players were guilty with some bad passes and spoiling some reasonable chances. Nekounam and Teymourian were majestic in their roles and their solid performance nullified the threat form the Nigerian midfield, especially Teymourian who neutralized Nigerian's most famous player John Obi Mikel.
The defenders skilfully managed anything the Nigerians threw at them with total domination of aerial balls.
Despite being the lone striker , Ghoochannejad managed to play a solid and decent game and was a constant menace for the Nigerian defense. However Ghoochannejad did not connect well with the lone offensive midfielder , Ashkan Dejagah as they seemed to be operating on different channels and missing each others passes.
Dejagah who was expected to be the key player was a disappointment against Nigeria. Half of his passes went astray and he lacked his trademark running and beating the defenders. He was not helped , perhaps , by the number of midfield players opting to stay behind during offensive moves, leaving the team short of players up front while attacking the Nigerian goal. Dejagah was subsequently substituted in the 78th minute by Alireza Jahanbakhsh.
It was a fair result for Team Melli and Queiroz skillful managed to neutralize the Nigerians threat , with remarkable ease. His selection of player for the defensive duties were immaculate. Iran managed the first point in the competition, and that is good enough of a start. It is going to be uphill from now but with the sold defensive system that Queiroz has created, without being anti-football , Team Melli is still capable to spring a surprise in the two matches ahead.
Queiroz positioned players in reduced space and then closed the training session - as is usual with coaches - trying to hide secrets from the preying eyes of the press..The goalkeeper remains the main mystery, since the three (Rahman Ahmadi, Alireza Haghighi and Daniel Davari) were tested in recent friendly matches. In the 2-0 victory over Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday, Haghighi remained the keeper during the whole game.
From the outside, the Iranian journalists were quite animated in their first contact with the team. Aided by the local federation, all traveled together to São Paulo, where they landed in the early hours of Wednesday. They monitor all matches of Iran on the spot. Apart from Nigeria, the Asian team faces Argentina on 21 June in Belo Horizonte, and Bosnia, the 25th, in Salvador.
The Iranian press has a close relationship with the squad. Some players, when sighting known journalists in the CT Corinthians, greeted them from afar. The best bets of local professionals for the World Cup are three players who play in Europe: Ashkan Dejagah, Fulham (England), Reza Ghoochannejad, Charlton (England) and Alireza Jahanbakhsh, NEC (Netherlands) -
John Duerden is a well know sport journalist who has a vast knowledge of Asian football. His work, news and analysis of football in Aisa has been carried by several Websites and News agencies. In this article , Mr. Duerden has compiled the list of 5 Team Melli players for the Associated Press, which will no doubt have a global distribution. As our bread and butter is Team Melli of Iran , we have some reservation on Mr. Duerden list , but will publish it nevertheless and have our comments at the end of the list.
[divider] by JOHN DUERDEN, Associated Press - 31 May 2014 With several European-based players in the squad, Iran will be heading to the World Cup with plenty of top level international experience.
Forward Reza Ghoochannejhad was born in the Netherlands and plays in England, while winger Ashkan Dejagah was raised in Germany and spent much of his career in the Bundesliga before moving to Premier League club Fulham. Goalkeeper Daniel Davari is another, born in Germany and playing in the Bundesliga.
Combined with Javad Nekounam, the team's captain and one its most experienced players, Iran will need to come together as a team to have any chance of making it out of Group F.
Here are five players to watch:
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Reza Ghoochannejhad is a relatively recent addition to the team — visa issues delayed the debut of the Dutch-born player — but the fleet-footed Charlton forward played an important role in Iran's successful qualification campaign, scoring three goals in his first three qualifiers.
He has now scored nine goals in 11 games.
A January move from Standard Liege to Charlton in England's second division has increased his playing time ahead of the World Cup and now the player dubbed "Gucci," who has become one of Iran's biggest stars, should arrive in Brazil fit and ready for action.
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Long-serving Iran captain Javad Nekounam has been a mainstay of the national team since making his international debut in 2000.
The dynamic Al-Kuwait midfielder has a habit of coming up with a goal just when his team needs it most and has found the target 37 times in his 136 international appearances.
Now 33, Nekounam does not cover as much ground as he once did but he reads the game as well as any.
This year's tournament is likely to be his last World Cup.
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Although talented attacking midfielder Masoud Shojaei can be inconsistent, the Las Palmas midfielder can also make a difference. When he plays well, Iran plays well.
Injuries have prevented him from showing Spanish fans his best, but there have been enough flashes to demonstrate an eye for an unexpected pass and a fancy flick.
Shojaei doesn't score as many goals as he possibly should, but he can make things happen for others.
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German-born Daniel Davari could make or break Iran's chances in Brazil, although with only three international appearances to date there is still something of a question mark hovering over the Eintracht Brauschweig goalkeeper.
Davari's European experience is one reason why Iran coach Carlos Queiroz holds him in high esteem. While Eintracht Brauschweig may not be in the Bundesliga for much longer, being a goalkeeper for the bottom team at least results in plenty of practice.
Davari made a positive initial impression on the international stage but made some major mistakes against Guinea. He still has much to learn, but if he can settle with the defense before the World Cup, he could be what Iran needs.
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Fulham forward Ashkan Dejagah can play on the right side or as the main striker.
Dejagah came to prominence in Germany with Wolfsburg, making 150 appearances for the Bundesliga team before moving to the Premier League and Fulham in August 2012.
It took Dejagah, now 27, time to settle in England but he has since showed his value with direct running and the ability to take on defenders and chip in with regular goals.
Injuries curtailed his first season in the Premier League but if he can stay fit, Dejagah will have a major part to play for Iran in Brazil.
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While we have no argument about the selection of Ashkan Dejagah and Reza Ghoochannejad in the list , we have our reservation on the other 3 in the list. Incidentally , Ghoochannejad was born in Iran in the City of Mashad. He immigrated to the Netherlands with his family as a boy.
Davari has shown very poor form in the matches he played so far for Team Melli. His latest was against Angola in the last friendly match a couple of days ago. Even if he makes the final list , and that would be due to the obsession of Queiroz with players playing outside Iran , he will be a serious liability . We also need to remember he was relegated with his team in the Bundesliga. Davari will be playing in the Swiss league next season with Grasshoppers. We have a great hope for him in the fy=uture, but as of now, he is a long way away from being a star performer.
Masoud Shojaei , perhaps due to his long injury and several failed operations, has not performed well for Team Melli for as long as one cares. As with Davari , it is the fact that he plays in Europe that has endeared him to Queiroz. Shojaei's repeated poor performance in front of the local fans in Azadi has resulted in him being booed by the fans. That is very unusual for Team Melli fan , but shows the level of their frustration with this player. It is true that Shojaei has some magical touch and crowd pleasing moves, however , he has not delivered for a long time. We doubt that he will be a star performer in Brazil , but we do not mind miracles.
Javad Nekounam is going through a soft patch. It is unfortunate as the most senior player and the Captain of the team is suffering from loss of form perhaps consistent with his age. He was a shadow of the player he was with Osasuna when he made his move to Esteghlal. He is still a valuable player , but not a five star performer he used to be. Again , we do hope for miracles here as well.
Our list will include
A reliable , solid and highly dedicated player. His defensive qualities and ability to mark and neutralize the best of the opponents players, has been remarkable. Teymourian has also a lethal shoot and scored some beautiful crowd pleasing goals. A tireless runner who is full of stamina, the type of players that Queiroz always yearns for. He is also one of the few players with World Cup and English Premier league experiences. With such background, Teymourian has all that it takes to be a star performer for his team.
There is no guarantee that this young tenacious player will even make the list , we, however will bet on him. As a rookie in the Dutch Eredivisie, the young Jahanbakhsh has performed beyond expectation. He scored goals , and assisted too. 2 of his goals in the final day of the regular season , saved his club from direct relegation and those were scored against the recently crowned champions Ajax. He has pace and power , two combinations that he helped pass defenders and score. Jahanbakhsh is a daring player , not shy of trying anything in front of the goal. He can play in several position and is comfortable as a striker, midfield player or a winger. It is very difficult to ignore this type of quality player.
"As a child, you dream of living those moments. There were 110,000 people in the stadium, it was a very important game and we won. You look around and there were people crying in the stands because they were so happy. That does something to you; you're standing there with goosebumps and everything. It's like a dream come true – it's actually happening and you're there!"
No, Reza Ghoochannejhad is not referring to his debut for Charlton Athletic. Rather he is talking about the one for Iran, with whom he is going to the World Cup, thanks largely to his introduction to the national team. It came at a critical time: by October 2012, Iran's hopes of reaching a fourth World Cup were looking slim – they had eased through two preliminary qualification rounds but were finding things far tougher in the final one, beginning with a stoppage-time win in Uzbekistan before drawing 0-0 at home to Qatar and losing to Lebanon. That made the next match against South Korea, with whom Iran has developed a strong and strange rivalry, one from which victory was essential. Tehran's Azadi Stadium, one of the world's biggest football arenas, was full and expectation was enormous. Ghoochannejhad, making his international debut at the age of 25, was in his element.
"It's not pressure, it's the reason you play football," he says. "Other things are important, money and so on, but as a child what you dream of is playing in front of so many people and when you do it it's just crazy and you really enjoy it. That's what I've been doing all the time so I'm a happy man!"
Ghoochannejhad performed well even if he did not score in the 1-0 win that put Iran's qualification back on track, though he did hit the decisive goal when Iran and South Korea met again in Ulsan nine months later, a victory that secured qualification for Brazil as well as settling an uproarious feud that had broken out between the South Korea manager, Choi Kang-hee, and his Iran counterpart, the former Manchester United assistant manager Carlos Queiroz.
An angry Choi had attributed the defeat in Tehran to poor hospitality and vowed to gain revenge by beating Iran in the return match, even though South Korea had already secured World Cup qualification. The outburst prompted Queiroz to accuse Choi of insulting the Iranian people and then pin a photo of the South Korea manager looking sad on his shirt, which he wore throughout the buildup to the match. Queiroz greeted Ghoochannejhad's winning goal with an "up yours" gesture to the South Korea bench.
If that episode endeared the manager to many Iranian fans, so too has his selection of Ghoochannejhad, who has earned superstar status in Iran by scoring nine goals in 11 matches since becoming the latest example of Queiroz's policy of tapping into the Iranian diaspora for talent.
Ghoochannejhad grew up in the Netherlands after his parents emigrated there when he was eight. In football terms, he is a graduate of the Dutch school and represented Holland at various youth levels after joining Heerenveen's academy when he was 11. He spent 12 years there before the former Arsenal and Barcelona winger Marc Overmars persuaded him to join Go Ahead Eagles on loan. "I have a very good relationship with Marc Overmars, when I was young he always helped me," Ghoochennejad says. "I was playing for Heerenveen when I came in contact with him and he wanted me to go to his team. I was 19 or 20 and I played for them a bit before I got a very bad injury, a ripped ACL [anterior cruciate ligament], and it took me a year or two to recover."
While the injury was obviously a frustration, Ghoochannejhad is not a man who falls prey to boredom. He began a degree in law and also plays several instruments, though he insists that his violin-playing prowess has been exaggerated ("I had lessons for a couple of years, that's all, don't believe everything on Wikipedia. Ask Wikileaks, they know better!").
Once fully recovered, he rejoined Overmars at Go Ahead, spending a season there before moving on to Cambuur, where he equalled a record held by Johann Cruyff by scoring within nine seconds of his debut. From there he joined the Belgian side Sint-Truiden and then moved on to Standard Liège, both clubs owned by Roland Duchâtelet, who bought Charlton last December. Ghoochannejhad signed permanently at the Valley soon afterwards, unlike three other players who arrived from Standard only on loan. Thus he is preparing for the World Cup by fighting against relegation from the Championship.
"If we can stay in the Championship, it will be like winning the Champions League for us so we hope we can do something nice on Saturday," says the striker as Charlton get ready to welcome Blackburn Rovers. Fail to win and they could need points from their remaining games against Watford and Blackpool. That might be considered a comedown for a player who competed for the Belgian title while at Standard and began this season playing in the Europa League but he says the thrill of escaping relegation is similar to the buzz of challenging for higher honours. "You can compare it," he says. "When you play at the top you play for a prize and now the prize is not to get relegated. I know that sounds stupid but it's like that. We have a goal and that's better than playing for nothing."
Fighting against relegation has also compelled Charlton to make three points a priority, an approach he has found curiously rare in English football. "The philosophy is very different than where I used to play. First of all, it's very physical. In every game defenders try to rough you up so you have to make sure you are quick in your combinations. Second, in Holland when I played we always played to win. Here, my experience is that it's more important not to lose than to win. But that's also the Dutch school, they always try to play attacking football and concentrate less on defence. But it's a very good experience for me to see it in this angle."
His adaptation to English football has not been instantaneous but since José Riga replaced Chris Powell as manager in March, the club has sought to play a passing style more suited to the Iranian's nifty technique. His winning goal against Leeds United earlier this month remains his only one so far for the club but he has made significant contributions, albeit from the bench in recent weeks.
That position on the fringes contrasts with his role for his country. He will spearhead Iran's attempt to make it to the second round for the first time. That will entail emerging from a group featuring Argentina, Bosnia-Herzegovina and the Africa champions, Nigeria. Iran's preparation has not been ideal. Queiroz was exasperated earlier in the year about the inability to arrange friendlies. "There were some countries we wanted to play but they had already scheduled something else so it was bad organisation," says Ghoochannejhad, who scored his side's goal in the only proper friendly that they country was able to arrange this year, a 2-1 home defeat by Guinea. "They were a really strong side and we didn't play well but we will learn from it."
Iran's home-based players are on a tour of South Africa, which they kicked off with a 5-0 win over Moroka Swallows. Ghoochannejhad and other foreign-based players, such as Fulham's Ashkan Dejagah, will meet the squad in Austria for a training camp before heading to Brazil, where they are convinced they can make an impact. "We have a very experienced team, with players who played for many years in La Liga and other big leagues," Ghoochannejhad says. "It's a very talented group and very experienced, with a very experienced gaffer who is tactically very strong. Argentina are the top favourites: they will go through from the group for sure but the other three will battle for second and it could be us who gets it because I don't think we are less than Nigeria and Bosnia."
London
The Addicks *Charlton Ateletics) will turn to Iranian new boy Reza Ghoochannejhad to fire them to safety. The south Londoners are the league’s lowest scorers and have won just once from their last 10 games to leave them in the mire. After scoring a miserly 22 goals this season, it’s clear where Powell’s problems lie ahead of today’s trip to Wigan.
The Charlton boss said: “We know we haven’t scored enough goals this season so we need to boost that area.“Reza’s hard-working and gets into areas to score goals so we need that straight away. “We are looking first to him scoring goals and helping us move up the table. “He is going to the World Cup in the summer and has scored goals at different levels in Belgium and Holland. “We are looking first to him scoring goals and helping us move up the table”
“It’s an exciting signing for us and he could figure at Wigan.”
Gucci is part of Charlton’s Belgian invasion to have headed over from Standard Liege. Midfielders Anil Koc and Astrit Ajdarevic, along with goalkeeper Yohann Thuram-Ulien, have also joined from the club owned by new Charlton chief Roland Duchatelet. Powell added: “It would be silly for me not to use the network as an advantage.
“I’ve looked at the Standard squad and watched some of their games. There are some good players that can help us. “But it doesn’t restrict me from looking at other players.” “It’s an exciting signing for us and he could figure at Wigan.” Gucci is part of Charlton’s Belgian invasion to have headed over from Standard Liege.
Midfielders Anil Koc and Astrit Ajdarevic, along with goalkeeper Yohann Thuram-Ulien, have also joined from the club owned by new Charlton chief Roland Duchatelet. Powell added: “It would be silly for me not to use the network as an advantage. “I’ve looked at the Standard squad and watched some of their games. There are some good players that can help us.
“But it doesn’t restrict me from looking at other players.”
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Team Melli center forward, Reza Ghoochannejad made his debut with Charlton Athletics FC today in the English Championship league.
Ghoochanejad , played a full 90 minutes for Chris Powell side away to Wigan. The host won the match 2-1 despite Charlton scoring very early in the match at the DW stadium in Wigan. Charlton's Sordell scored in the tthird minute of the match to put the London side in front until the half time. In the 2nd half Wigan scored to goals to gran all the 3 points.
Charlton are in the relegation zone at ranked 22 in the 24 team Championship league (2nd tier of the English League).
The other Team Melli player in the English league, Ashkan Dejagah , was not on the team sheet for his club Fulham match against Southampton. The match at Craven cottage ended withe the Saint winning 0-3 sending Fulham to the bottom of the English Premiere league.