Being held by minnows such Turkmenistan is not exactly complimentary for a team that has high ambition such as Iran, although it is not a disaster either.
The new look Team Melli that Carlos Queiroz has gathered for the two match series in mid-June 2015 looked quite promising against Uzbekistan. In fact, the team style of play, the pace and the tactics used to beat Uzbekistan was breath of fresh air for the usually dull and defensive style of Queiroz.
But the same team came down to earth in Daşoguz , and it seems like “back to the drawing border” time.
The Portuguese coach was so prophetic when he said a day before the match that we should not look at friendly matches and official matches in the same level. He was so right as if he was expecting his troops to falter in a competitive match where results are quite important unlike friendly matches.
If we have to dissect this forgettable match in Daşoguz, the share of the blame is divided. This weak result by Team Melli is the outcome of several factors. If we start at the top, we have to look at the coach and his team line up first.
The Coach culpabilities
Queiroz started the match with a line up close to the one that exceled in Tashkent 5 days ago. No one can fault him for that and within 4 minutes it looked quite bright as Azmoun looked like he has just opened the floodgate. But poor finishing and some hints of profligacy was evident in the players as they failed to find the net time after time. The performance of one player, in particular, was so disconcerting it was like Iran was playing with 10 men. Shojaei kept losing the ball, losing one to one battles and sending wrong passes one wonders if he was being forced to play against his will. Of course, he was substituted in the second half, but Queiroz is guilty of having this player in the squad in the first place. We would never know if his replacement would have been a better choice, but since Queiroz is gallantly embarking in transforming the team with younger players, why insist on Shojaei?
Since the 1st half saw many scoring chances missed, Queiroz rightly changed tactics and players in the second, however further chances were missed. The team then changed tactics and focused on attacking from the flanks, though only the right flank one was truly functional and the Turkmen coach quickly realized that and altered his defenses accordingly.
The hosts piled up the defenses as they parked the bus while Queiroz and his men had no way to open them up. Finally another tactic was deployed, long range shots. It was a spectacular Ando special but also far too late to change the result. Teymourian rattled the goalkeeper in the 88th minute.
So tactical failure was one reason that Iran failed to beat the much inferior hosts. While it seems that in the absence of some key players, the coach seems to have difficulty to adapt.
One also needs to question Carlos Queiroz mental stability. The coach was involved in a longish pre-match press conference the morning of the match in which he was clearly and visibly upset about many shortcomings and the way the squad was treated. Regardless to whether he had a case or not, Queiroz always had issues with emotions and self-control. He is an angry man by nature. Quick to shoot off his mouth and quick to condemn anything and anyone that he does not fancy. His hyper emotional status, anger and stress in the morning of the match perhaps affected his mental stability. Perhaps such state of mind was contributory in his failure to fully concentrate on the match and arrange the team in a much calmer situation. A man working in anger is certainly much more liable to commit errors than a cool, calm and collected one.
The Players.
It is amazing what 5 days can do in football. The players in Tashkent performed so well even beyond expectations, they were the shadow of themselves in Daşoguz ! We would not know whatever happened in those 5 days to turn a group of exciting, energetic players into lethargic, impassive and unresponsive ones. Only Azmoun really deserves a special mention, not because he scored the goal, but because of his running, perseverance and skill during the whole of the match. Teymourian as a leader was disappointing, Hajsafy in the midfield role was peripheral, Amiri who is one of the most exciting players of the season was calm and mild, Shojaei, a calamity, the back four, quite shaky and alarmingly passive. In goal, Haghighi is far from confident. His positioning while the goal was conceded shows a lack of awareness.
In general, the players had a bad day despite their efforts. It is remain to be seen if there were circumstances behind this off the field or was it one of those dark things about football that no one can answer for certain. How come excellent players perform so badly the next time they play?
Looking at the bigger picture, the most vivid of Team Melli’s players composition is the lack of creative midfield players and strong leaders. A player that can control the midfield and spread the football in a skillful manner. The last one known of such caliber was one Mojtaba Jabbari but he left the team. Such caliber of players are quite unique. Many teams suffer from them too.
The Ground and the atmosphere.
Turkmenistan is an odd country with its ruling clan. Even thousands of miles away and on TV, one feels the pressure and the tension surrounding the stadium. Nowhere in the world have I experienced the whole stadium being orchestrated and controlled like robots such as the fans in Daşoguz. The fans were dressed more like a floral arrangement rather than any ordinary ones wearing their team’s jerseys or whatever they like to wear. They seemed to be controlled remotely by some government agents and told to sit without too much movement. I also have never known of any stadiums in the world that Team Melli played in which had no Iranian fans in it , except for this one. If there were any Iranian fans, and we were told that Azmoun Family was there, the TV would not show it. Perhaps Azmoun Family being Turkmen were given a special treat and entry visa.
Such environment creates pressure on the opposition players and such tactics used by the Turkmen perhaps was effective enough in creating some sense of fear and tension amongst the opposition.
The pitch itself was one of the worst I have seen for ages. It was certainly not the type that a team can play smooth passes and fast football. This type of pitch is good enough for teams that have the route one tactics but a nightmare for the teams that playing a passing game.
Administration and Management.
Carlos Queiroz was very bitter about the way his team was treated while departing Tehran. Being stuck in the coach(the bus) that took the players to the aircraft for 50 minutes, not being allowed to embark the plane , then returned back to the terminal to a hall that had no seat waiting for over three hours forcing the players to sit on the floor, is not exactly the treatment you provide to players who are representing your country. Distinct lack of respect , as Queiroz rightly said.
No matter how much exaggeration was built into that shameful treatment, such things take its toll on players and any human being for that matter. This all stems from the unprofessional, poor management of the football federation which has time and again failed to acts dutifully and professionally.
But the shameless attitude goes well beyond the federation failing to properly organize a charter flight. When a team wins a match, the least that the federation and those in charge could do is to verbally express their appreciation by saying well done to the squad. Even that is not being extended to the players and the coaching staff. Truly pathetic attitude that only serves to dishearten the players and make them think if it is worth the effort.
Conclusion
Whatever the reasons behind this poor performance, the team will bounce back and perhaps even excel. There are always lessons learned in the se circumstances. However , only smart people learn from their mistakes, the others keep failing.