TEAM PERFORMANCE

It seems like a pattern is developing in these qualifiers wherein the first match of the doubleheaders turns out to be rather messy for Team Melli. In the first match against Syria, with no preparation-friendly matches, legionnaires arriving on different days and a minimum group training days perhaps no more than two, the performance was less than optimal. Nevertheless, Iran won with a solitary goal. IN the next match against Iraq, Team Melli squad had a solid 5 days of training together where the coaching staff had adequate time to gel the team, the result was an astounding 3-0 win but more importantly, an eye-catching effective performance

Against UAE there were many loose ends, wrong passes, low-quality final balls, poor finishing all of those which resulted in the opposition getting more adventurous and going for a win. It was only the fact that in this match the defense of the Team Melli had one of its best matches in many years that prevented UAE from scoring. In fact, the trio of Sadeghi, Kanani-Zadeghan, and Khalizadeh was so effective, that Beiranvand had hardly to do any serious work during the whole match. The only suspect in the defense was Nourafkan who had a shaky match and was substituted in the second half.

 The midfield performance was not commanding and less than effective in the match. Team Melli is still short of a midfield maestro that can change the outcome of the game and lacks a powerful leader in the caliber of Bagheri and Ali Karimi or the finesse of Mojtaba Jabbari or the power and dynamism of Ando Teymourian. Nourollahi tried but fell short while Jahanbakhsh had one of his forgettable matches, Ezatollahi is far short of his true potential and time is running out for him to excel. Amiri despite his efforts on the flank lacking effectiveness to yield results.

It is safe to safe that the midfield did not deliver in this match. It was obvious from some of the direct balls that the defenders were sending forward bypassing the midfield.

The forward line was also not effective as it should be. Taremi was guilty of being selfish while his partner Azmoun was in a better position to score. The Porto player was wasteful on a couple of occasions and fumbled easy balls. Azmoun’s body language was not right as he was displaying a sad figure.

PLAYERS RATING

A. Beiranvand [7]: He was the least busy player in the match and the few times he had to work, he did not have to sweat it. The punching of the ball on a couple of times was needless and not pretty, his long arm throw is exceptional, though.

S. Khalilzadeh [8.3]: One of the best performances of his career in Team Melli. He hardly put a foot wrong until he was initially sent off for a momentary lapse of concentration. Luckily, the red card was rescinded due to an earlier offside decision, but that incident does not dent his grading as one of the best players of the match.

H. Kanani [8.3]: Like his partner, Kanani was solid, exceptionally well defending, and had a high percentage passing completion average. He was also cool under pressure and was not affected by adverse decisions which helped him keep his composure. A delightful and effective performance by the central defender.

S. Moharrami [8.5]: Dynamic, versatile, with acceleration and pace. He was excellent against UAE. Petty that the fans cannot see more of him as he is playing for Dinamo Zagreb in the Croatian league. His contribution was excellent and no opposition player could beat him winning all the battles. Moharrami was one of the best players against the UAE.

A. Nourollahi [7.6]: Although he was the best of the four midfielders, he still lacks the punch and authority to make it count for the team. He was substituted in the second half as he seemed to be fatigued.

S. Ezatolahi [7]: Although his overall performance was satisfactory and he managed to feed the forwards some good passes, he is still short of his form that made this young player a revelation in Iranian football. Playing in a league like Denmark seems to have affected his performance. He needs more coordination with his teammates.

O. Noorafkan [6.0]: A disappointing performance based on what he is capable of and what he showed in the last match. He was caught off position several times by a speedy UAE winger which lead him to foul and get the yellow card for it. His obvious frustration surfaced again only minutes later when he repeated a similar foul but luckily the referee did not award him another card. Such a lack of composure and control of emotion is dangerous at the international level. He was substituted for the second half.

A. Jahanbakhsh [6.5] – He was not up to it with most of his passes going wrong. Despite scoring in two first matches, against UAE he was a shadow of that player. His consistency is questionable. Should have substituted at halftime.

V. Amiri [7.2]: A player who always gives 100% and is never short of full commitment. However, Amiri’s effort hardly yields results. He keeps the opposition defenders busy but what the center forwards need is quality balls to create the threat which Amiri failed to provide in this match.

M. Taremi [8.8]: His goal was worthy of high grading and that made him the man of the match. He was wasteful on two occasions where a pass to unmarked Azmoun would have yielded a goal and with simple control of the ball, he could have scored in the empty net in the first half. However, this is a typical Mehdi Taremi at club and country. He scores spectacular goals at any level, but he can be so wasteful and at times comical in wasting opportunities.

S. Azmoun [8]: whatever the case with him, he did not seem to be very happy as his body language was far from the usual Sardar. He remains an indispensable player who can turn the match around with one exceptional move. His assist to Taremi was one of the World Class types of assists. He could have been more effective if he was served better by the midfield. A quality player nevertheless.

 SUBSTITUTES:
A. Gholizadeh [8.4]: Made a remarkable difference when he was introduced in halftime.  Consistently menacing and dribbles his way around players with ease. This is the type of player that a team wants when the opposition parks the bus. It is a pity that he was not a starter as expected, perhaps Skocic had other plans.

Hajsafi, Ansrifard, and Sarlak were not in the field long enough to be rated.

COACH:

D. Skocic [8.5]: whatever the critics may say, and a lot of them are eating a humble pie by no, the Croatian has created a record and milestone for others to best in the future. 10 consecutive wins including 8 in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers is a sign of a professional with knowledge and ability. In there was a slight criticism in this match was his reluctance to energize a struggling Team Melli midfield while he had players in the caliber of Ali GHolizadeh and Saman Ghoddod. Perhaps the adverse climate with high humidity and temperature has affected his player selection however it was never late to introduce the magical Ghjolizadeh. Whatever he and his coaching staff to the defense, it is nothing short of excellent.