Tag: Saman Ghoddos

Marginal win for Team Melli vs Bolivia

Iran’s Team Melli defeated Bolivia 2-1 at Azadi this evening. The game was the second in a series of matches that Queiroz have arranged in preparation for the AFC Asian Cup 2019

The first half ended 1-0 to Iran from a goal scored by Alireza Jahanbakhsh in the 17th minute.  Bolivia tied the match from a fantastic volley by Rudy Cardoso on the 51st minute.  Mehdi Torabi then scored the winner on the 63rd minute. His second in as many games for Team Melli.

The starting line up of Team Melli was a pleasant surprise as Queiroz sent an offensive team with one recognized defensive midfielder in Omid Ebrahimi. At front, the full force of Team Melli in the shape of Azmoun, Taremi and Jahanbakhsh  while the midfield was orchestrated by Saman Ghoddos who rarely starts for Team Melli despite enjoying g a highly successful season in the French League.

Queiroz attempt at offensive game plan came in front of a relatively weak team from Latin America. Despite much better possession  percentage and more shots on goal , Team Melli players were going through the same old problems that has marred their game for many years, poor finish and poor last ball. Jahanbakhsh , Azmoun and Taremi wasted many chances due to weak control or inaccurate shots.

The two prominent players in this half were Saman Ghoddos and Sadegh Moharrami.

The defense line up was lacking the presence of injured Morteza Pouraliganji and was quite short of experience.  It is obvious that Queiroz needs a lot of work to mend this fragile defense line. Biranvand, once again showed his weak side and unreliable goaltending when his suspect positioning resulted in the Bolivia goal.

Despite the fatigue by Bolivian Team, they managed to contain the Iranian offensives easily. Team Melli players did not help themselves with their own poor finishing, inaccurate passes, and wasted final balls.

Overall, this match against a team that has no relation to the style and type of football that is going to be played in the Asian Cup, did not give confidence to the fans that Iran is really able to mount a serious challenge for the title. Queiroz, who is by now becoming so unpredictable in whatever he does, realizes more than  anyone what an uphill battle is ahead especially when the likes of Japan , Australia and Korea are preparing against stronger teams and achieving good results.

The two lines that have disappointed the most were the forwards and the defense. Taremi does not have the quality to perform at the highest level and there is very little that Queiroz can do about that. However, the better tactical and skilful duo , Jahanbakhsh and Azmoun were both lethargic like despite the former scoring the lucky goal.

With two remain matches before the Asian Cup, Queiroz will have more opportunity to experiment before opting to filed an offensive minded team in UAE or revert back to his comfort zone of defense.

 

Manchester City track Saman Ghoddos who was voted best striker in Sweden for 2017

By Steve Goodman
The Sun Newspaper – UK
31st July 2018, 8:24 pm

Ostersunds’ attacking midfielder can also play up front and caught the eye in their Europa League run last term

Manchester City are tracking Iran World Cup star Saman Ghoddos.

The attacking midfielder helped Swedish club Ostersunds to the Europa League last 32 and was voted Sweden’s top striker in 2017.  Team Melli star Ghoddos, 24, came off the bench in all three of Iran’s games in Russia last month and is also comfortable playing up front or out wide.

Reports in Sweden say Etihad boss Pep Guardiola had the Malmo-born ace watched last Saturday as he helped Ostersunds beat Elfsborg 1-0. Ostersunds chairman Daniel Kindberg confirmed City’s presence – but was coy about the Premier League champions’ interest in his prize asset.

He said: “Maybe City are watching many players in Europe.

Chinese clubs have made big-money offers to Ostersunds and Iran star Saman Ghoddos but he says he is too young to go there at the moment “Have they contacted us about Ghoddos? You never know.”

Chinese clubs have already made huge contract offers to Ghoddos.

He said: “It is sick money, but I’m not really thinking about going there right now. “I am far too young to move to China just yet.”

Ghoddos has hit ten goals in 20 games for Ostersunds so far this season.

He won two caps for Sweden in friendlies before switching to his parents’ home country last year. The former Syrianska star has since won 11 caps for Carlos Queiroz’s Iran side. Despite a brilliant season , Ghoddos fell victim of Queiroz tight defense game plan and had never been afforded the chance in the World Cup to prove his worth. However, he has attracted much attention throughout Europe for a big club move.

Alireza Jahanbakhsh has already signed for Brighton and Hove Albion and so far is the only Team Melli player in the Premeier League

Saman Ghoddos could soon be celebrating a move to the Premier League

Realistic chances of Team Melli in Russia.

With less than twenty days left to  the world Cup, what are the realistic chances of Team Melli against he might of Spain & Portugal? The other team in the group, Morocco, is not to be taken lightly either.

The World sport media is full of reviews about the Russia world cup and there are always those predictions of course. When it comes to Group B, the majority would pick the two European giants as the favorite to qualify ahead of Iran & Morocco. It is a fair assessment based on track records and achievements of the past.

However, time and again, football has shown us that winning is all about being the better team on the day and even being that good is no guarantee of winning the match. That is one beauty of football that makes it by far the most attractive sport in the world. So, can Team Melli surprise a few and qualify from this tough group, the answer is YES, very much so.

It is not a wishful thinking, but based on decades of observation of the team and the current style under the control of one Carlos Queiroz. If there is anything that is certain with the Portuguese master, it is his passion for tight defenses and his ideology that strong defenses can win you matches which has been his predominant tactics all through his reign with Team Melli.

Queiroz has an amazing record with Team Melli. In fact, the last time he lost an official match was 4 years ago against Bosnia in the World Cup. Since then, he only lost two friendly games against Tunisia and Sweden.

With the majority of Team Melli players making a living in European leagues,  that fear and complex about World Class European players does not affect their performance anymore. The cold feet syndrome hit the team in their first ever world cup in 1978.

This group of players can play against the best of them. The defenders will be dealing with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, and Diego Costa like any other forwards they have dealt with before, albeit with special instruction by the Maestro Queiroz. The chances of the two stars putting a few goals still exists but it is far from a forgone conclusion.

Team Melli strength really lies in the attack. Up front is where the two golden boys of Iran can make a difference, Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Sardar Azmoun. These two can beat defenses and can score against the top ranks, but they need the supply from the midfield. Much of that support will be on the shoulders of Ashkan Dejagah , if he full recovers  , and Saman Ghoddos another amazing talent for Iran.  The success or failure very much depends on how the midfield performs in both the defensive and offensive duties.

Team Melli biggest challenge is in the goal. Number one choice Alireza Biranvand has been in abysmal form lately. Conceding goals aplenty with his club, he showed that he really lacks what it takes at top class.  The other two on the list are hardly more experienced than Biranvand with Amir Abedzadeh , the son of legendary , Ahmad Abedzadeh , just making his debut against Uzbekistan. It is certainly a worry for Queiroz and will be interesting to see his pick. Knowing that Queiroz never shies from making dramatic calls, it very likely that he might drop his number and pick the unlikeliest of choices.

Mazaheri, Zob Ahan keeper , has been in truly fine form in the Persian Gulf Pro League and with his team in the AFC Champions League, however, Queiroz might favor Abedzadeh as he is playing in Portuguese league and that might give him an edge.

The Lethal Weapon : JAHANBAKHSH

This has been a landmark week for Asian and Middle Eastern football in Europe. While the whole world focused on the US pulling out of the Iran nuclear deal, in Holland, another Iranian “lethal weapon” was making headlines.

On Sunday, Alireza Jahanbakhsh – the Iranian winger of AZ Alkmaar – scored a hat-trick in his team’s 6-0 victory over FC Zwolle on the final matchday of the Dutch Eredivise season.

Aside the fact that it was Jahanbakhsh’s second hat-trick in his past three matches, these three goals left him as the top goal-scorer in Holland.

The 24-year-old has scored 21 goals, made 12 assists, completed 78 key passes and 111 successful dribbles in 2017/2018 – in what has arguably been the best ever season for an Iranian footballer in Europe. Jahanbakhsh becomes the first Asian player to become top scorer in a major European league.

No other famous Iranian footballer – including Ali Daei, Mehdi Mahadivikia or Ali Karimi – had such a statistical feat in one European season, hinting that the young Jirandeh-born striker might be on his way to becoming one of the greatest Iranian footballers of all time.

Carlos Queiroz and his Iranian national team will now get a top forward in top form for the World Cup, and Jahanbakhsh has been linked with few notable clubs in Europe – with Italian side Napoli reported to be the favourite to add the young starlet to their squad.

Jahanbakhsh is part of a wider range of talented Iranian prospects that have made their mark in European teams in the past season.

Karim Ansarifard of Olympiakos in Greece notched up 17 goals this season; Heerenveen’s Reza Ghoochannejhad scored 10 for the Dutch club; Kaveh Rezaei contributed 16 goals for Charleroi in Belgium; and Saman Ghoddos – who was a key figure in Ostersunds’ Europa League run – finished with nine goals and five assists for the Swedish side.

With the return of Masoud Shojaei to the Iran squad, even if not in an active role on the pitch, and Sardar Azmoun – who will play at his club town of Kazan against Spain – the Iranians have a few fantastic reasons to be optimistic for the forthcoming summer in Russia.

Werder Bremen monitoring Saman Goddos

Werder Bremen is said to be eyeing Team Melli’s midfielder  Saman Ghoddos, writes the German newspaper Bild.

And Östersund does not seem to go unscathed if a deal is to die. The Germans are prepared to pay for Östersund’s gold climber.

Östersund finished fifth place in allsvenskan, the Swedish League. But the team’s season is not over yet. Right now, the riders are preparing for the next match in the Europa League which at home against Zorya on November 23rd. Östersund tops the UEFA second tier computation in Group J ahead of famous clubs like Spanish Athletic Bilbao and German Hertha Berlin. The successes of the Swedish have raised interest amongst many Europe clubs and other teams have begun snapping Östersund players.

Saman Ghoddos, just opened his scoring account at international level, when he scored Iran;s 2nd goal against Panama in a friendly international in Graz, Austria.

According to German Bild, Hertha Berlin league competitor Werder Bremen has sought to recruit Saman Ghoddos. Unlike Östersund, Werder Bremen has not stood for any success season so far. The team is currently second in the Bundesliga and is looking for reinforcements in the January transfer window. But if the Germans would like to beat Östersund’s gold cliff, they also have to pay for it. Bild writes that Saman Ghoddos is expected to cost fifty million kronor  (Approx. US$ 6 million) for Werder Bremen. Ghoddos has a contract with Östersund until 2019.

The Swedish national team back Ludwig Augustinsson already plays for Werder Bremen,