Tag: Dragan Skočić

The indiscretion of Mehdi Taremi !

A reliable source close to Team Melli camp has revealed to Khabar Varzeshi that after Mehdi Taremi’s tweet a while ago and on the recommendation of the Football Federation, Dragan Skocic tried to mend his relationship with the Porto star.

On this basis, the Croatian head coach personally contacted Mehdi Taremi in Portugal to explain his interview with a Croatian website and to discuss and resolve the misunderstanding, however, no matter how many times Dragan Skocic calls Mehdi Taremi’s mobile, the Porto player does not pick up to answer the phone of his national team head coach!

Text messages sent to Taremi by the Croatian coach remained unanswered! Dragan Skocic then asks his Iranian assistant Vahid Hashemian to call Mehdi Taremi and help end the misunderstanding while complaining about the unanswered phone call. Surprisingly, Taremi ignores phone calls and messages of Vahid Hashemian too. As a final measure, these two coaches of the national team assign Karim Bagheri the task of contacting Taremi.

Skocic believes that considering Karim’s history and stature in Team Melli and Persepolis, it is impossible for Mehdi Taremi not to answer the phone of his former coach, but still, the calls are one-sided and useless! It is alleged that Mehdi Taremi, has found out that Karim Bagheri had called him because of Dragan Skocic issue, so Taremi ignored Bagheri’s call too.

 On this basis, the Croatian head coach decided to drop Taremi from the squad, because that tweet and this behavior are not justified and will cause more division in the Iranian national team camp.

Taremi is a player who is always close to controversy. His behavior remains unprofessional and poorly disciplined. Currently, in Portugal, there is a campaign against Taremi for his simulation in the penalty box and diving, according to his club coach. Taremi’s disciplinary record in Porto is quite poor for a striker. He has also been dismissed in a UEFA Champions League match for childish behavior right after receiving a yellow card, which lead to another yellow and dismissal.

Dragan Skocic to contact Taremi is commended to reduce any tension. His dropping of Taremi is quite justified especially since Team Melli and Skocic have a rich number of forwards at his disposal. Players like Ghaedi and Sayadmanesh, who form the future of Iran’s football deserve to be given opportunities upfront, while Sardar Azmoun is available and capable and enjoying his most successful seasons in Europe.

Taremi is developing into another Mehdi Rahmati and Hadi Aghili who thought they are above Team Melli. Like Carlos Queiroz, this time Skocic is teaching the renegades a lesson. A strong coach is a necessity for Team Melli and indisciplined players, regardless of their status, must be dropped as they will become a liability in the future and a bad example.

Taremi is out of Team Melli squad for Lebanon & Syria matches

The names of twenty-seven players invited to the camp of the Iranian national football team were announced.

Team Melli will face Lebanon and Syria in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 qualifiers on November 11 and 15, respectively. For this mission, the names of the players invited to the national team by Dragan Skocic were announced as follows:

GOALKEEPERS:Alireza Biranvand ,Amir Abedzadeh ,Payam Niazmand

DEFENDERS: Shoja Khalilzadeh, Hossein Kananzadegan, Majid Hosseini, Siavash Yazdani, Milad Mohammadi, Omid Nourafkan, Sadegh Moharremi, Saleh Hardani, Ehsan Haj Safi

MIDFIELD: Saeed Ezatollahi, Ahmad Nourollahi, Vahid Amiri, Milad Sarlak, Saman Ghoddos, Soroush Rafiei, Yasin Salmani, Ali Gholizadeh, Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Mehdi Torabi,

FORWARDS: Mehdi Ghaedi, Sardar Azmoun, Karim Ansarifard, Allahyar Sayyadmanesh, Kaveh Rezaei

The shock of the list, although expected, was the exclusion of Mehdi Taremi.

The FC Porto Player was the best Iranian scorer in the third qualifying round of the World Cup but his remarks against the coach in a social media posting have angered Dragan Skocic.

In a recent interview with the media in his country, Dragan Skocic described Iranian players as lacking in tactical ability, despite past praise: “Iranian footballers are technically and physically strong and are at an enviable level. What they lack, and I see progress there, is tactical ability. Iranian players are still not that good in tactical ability, but in the long run, it can be improved.”

Following that remarks, Porto-based Iranian striker Mehdi Taremi, who scored the most goals for the national team during Skocic’s tenure, tweeted against Skocic: “I have to say that in addition to individual technique, Iranian players and Fighting and.… Have a very high understanding in terms of football knowledge and tactics, but unfortunately, the problems lie. elsewhere. Long Live Iran”.

This issue was associated with a lot of controversy in Iran, forcing the Manager of the national team, Mojtaba Khorshidi, to declare “This is a family problem and it will be solved. There is nothing to worry about.”

Taking Taremi’s place is the young striker Allhyar Sayyadmanesh who has been brilliant this season with Zorya in Ukraine. He has been scoring goals and with his compatriot, Shehab Zahedi helping the club win matches in the Europa Conference league.

Another bright edition is the star of Omid team the 19 years old Yasin Salmani. By far the best player in the recent AFC U23 qualifiers held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, the Sepahn Midfielder makes his first appearance in the squad.

Also back on the list are three former players Soroush Rafei, Sivaush Yazdani, and Kaveh Rezaei.

IFFHS : Dragan Skocic candidate of world best National Team coaches

the International Federation of History and Statistics announced the names of the top 20 national coaches in the world in 2021 today, Friday. Among the names mentioned is the name of Dragan Skocic, the head coach of the Iranian national team. Skocic, who has won 10 consecutive games with Team Melli, is on the list alongside top coaches such as Mancini, Frank de Boer, Shevchenko, Southgate, Didier Deschamps, Scaloni, Tito and others. From Asia, in addition to Skocic, the names of the coaches of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Japan are on the list.

THE CANDIDATES

IFFHS MEN’S WORLD BEST NATIONAL COACH 2021

Roberto Mancini (Italy)
Vladimir Petković (Switzerland)
Roberto Martínez (Belgium)
Kasper Hjulmand (Denmark)
Frank de Boer (Netherlands)
Andriy Shevchenko (Ukraine)
Gareth Southgate (England)
Didier Deschamps (France)
Luis Enrique (Spain)
Jaroslav Šilhavý (Czech Republic)
Lionel Scaloni (Argentina)
Tite (Brazil)
Reinaldo Rueda (Colombia)
Ricardo Gareca (Peru)
Djamel Belmadi (Algeria)
Aliou Cisse (Senegal)
Mondher Kebaier (Tunisia)
Hassam El Badry (Egypt)
Geraldo Martino (Argentina /Mexico team)
Gregg Berhalter (USA)
Danny Hay (New Zealand)
Dragan Skocic (Croatia/Iran team)
Hajime Moriyasu (Japan)
Felix Sanchez Bar (Spain/Qatar team)
Herve Renard (France/Saudi Arabia team)

TEAM MELLI COACHING REVIEW

Team Melli is enjoying the view from the top in Group A of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 qualifying rounds. A statistical analysis rather than a scientific one gives Team Melli a 68% chance of qualifying to Qatar as the table stands now. With just one match short of halfway, that is a high percentage and a source of confidence for the fans in the team looking ahead for a historical milestone, the third consecutive qualification to the World Cup finals.

However, there is as always, a lot of room for development as all is not well. The focus of this article is on the coaching and the vital role the whole staff played in these results.

To start with and to make things clear, anyone who discredits the coach and places the success of the team purely on the individual players or other factors is either ignorant or has a grudge against the coach, and by God, there are a lot of them in Iran.

When the name of the new Team Melli coach was announced, many people asked, “Dragan who?”. The fans and critics should not be blamed because the reality was that Skocic was not a household name, and his CV contained the name of uninspiring Persian Gulf league clubs only. Not exactly on the same level of coaching Manchester United, Portugal National Team, South Africa, and even UAE which Carlos Queiroz had. Even the doomed Marc Wilmots had a much better CV.

So, the pessimism of the fans could be justified, and the doubters started growing in numbers as some mainstream Iranian media looked like it was on a mission to subconsciously destroy the Croatian Dragan Skočić. Reminiscing about the glorious days of Carlos Queiroz while finding faults in Skočić tactics or players selection, to the extent of making up stories. The fact that the Portuguese coach did not achieve any championships or titles and failed to win the AFC Asian Cup twice, seemed not to matter!

Others, in the minority, had a different idea and believed anything is better than Marc Wilmots, which in reality, made sense as Belgian has to go on record as one of the worst coaches who sat on the bench of Team Melli.

But Dragan Skočić proved his doubter wrong. He prevailed and did not give up against his domestic opponents winning one match after another, breaking records in the process, and having a high chance of qualifying to the World Cup while we have not reached even the halfway stage.

Football is not exactly rocket science. It is popular because it is such a simple game to play and understand (although offside rules and when a handball is a handball is still confusing millions of people across the World).

As such errors by players and coaches are easily recognized especially in these days of technological advances. So, although the coach and his assistances, know them inside out of the team, the capabilities of his player, physical condition, and most importantly the emotional and the psychological status of his players which always remains out of view for the fans, the team mistakes in many areas can be singled out by expertise and critics.

Provided there is no ill intent, the criticism of a coach can benefit him.  Dragan Skočić, who undoubtedly and unequivocally has done a marvelous job since his appointment, can really gain pointers and benefits from the view outside the box.

Here we will only mention three areas of concern with the way Skocic manages the team

Game Plan: Predictable, lacks diversity, and seems like an open book to the opposing coach. Team Melli is heavily suffering in the midfield that has no imagination and low effectiveness. With a lack of pace, which is no fault of the coach, he does need to offer a solution which is not doing right now. Players like Azmoun and Taremi need services to be effective and they are not getting it. When a player in the caliber of Saman Ghoddos is available but warming the bench, one must question the coach’s reading of the game.

In modern football, it is the midfield where battles are won and lost. The tactics of the world’s leading teams are fundamentally midfield dependent, Skocic chose otherwise. It is his call of course and his selection of game plan, but it is clear that ignoring the midfield might become a  risky matter especially against the pressing teams.

Perhaps Taremi, Azmoun, and Jahanbakhsh in one line forward is not the right strategy for Team Melli. He needs to experiment with one forward and pack the midfield with players using the flanks with pace and ball crossing skills. Never mind the ego of these superstars, the interest of the Team is above the interest of the individuals.

 Many past coaches on Team Meli had some obsession of playing a certain limited number of players, hardly changing the squad or the starting lineup. it seems Skocic is joining that league. It is not an effective mindset and detrimental to the team and the capable players sitting on the bench waiting for a possibly 30-second cameo show.

Substitutions: This is where many coaches excel or fail. While Skocic has made a few effective substitutions, he is guilty of not utilizing his expensive and experience players. And what is this with minute 90+5 substitutions that he is been using? Such substitution is an utter waste of time, bordering idiocy. In fact, many coaches do that for no logical reason and the rest have the herd mentality and simply imitate. A player needs at least 15 minutes to be effective, anything less than that is just a game of luck nothing more.

Preparations & Readiness: It is quite embarrassing for Team Melli to go into an official match with absolute minimum preparation. There is where the character of the Team Melli coach needs to stand out and prevail. If the lack of international friendly matches is due to Skocic, then he needs to rectify his way and start planning and programming for FIFA days like a professional. If the fault is because of Azizi Khadem and his bureaucrats in FFIRI, then Skocic needs to impose himself and strongly demand proper perpetration for the National Team with international friendly matches as a priority. Skocic cannot afford to do trial game plans and tactical changes in competition match as it may turn out costly. Every respectable team in the world arranges friendlies, Iran is becoming the odd exception and frankly a disgrace. it is worrying by all accounts.

Cracks in the dressing room!!

While Team Melli is comfortably sitting at the top of the table in FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifiers with a two-point cushion against the closest rival South Korea and 5 points margin against 3rd rank Team, Lebanon, signs of discord and possible conflict are appearing in the squad.

There are always distractors or saboteurs lurking around in Iranian football circles to create controversy with the aim to dictate their agenda by someone stirring up troubles and following the great tradition of creating ” Hashiya”. This time it seems that Skocic is the target while Taremi and Ghoddos are part of the whole episode.

The core of the matter is that Dragan Skocic expressed his opinion about the Iranian footballer’s quality to which Mehdi Taremi took an exception. What Skocic said was nothing far from the truth, as we have witnessed these attributes for decades. Skocic said what accounts to that Iranian players lack technical abilities but physically are the best and capable.
Taremi did not like that and he tweeted against his national team coach perhaps dragging other players into it creating a toxic atmosphere in the dressing room of Team Melli.

Ghoddis’s case is about not being given playing time in the last two matches and his possible absence from the squad for the next match against Lebanon and Syria.

We can all take sides in an argument as people are free to express their opinions however before such decision making one has to look at facts and circumstances when parting judgment.
Taremi is a clear-cut case. He is being silly and as usual, lacks discipline and professionalism, regardless of how many goals he scores. He has undoubted abilities in scoring, his physique is of a great classical forward,  and no one can deny that, however, he is far from a technically accomplished player, yet he is still of great value for Team Melli.

Ghoddos case is more complicated  He is the only Iranian player who plays in the English Premier League and that is no mean feat. He is creative with vision and quality. Ghoddos is the very player that Skocic complains that Iranian teams lack. Yet this skillful creative midfielder that can make an impact on a game is warming the bench!
Whatever the reasons Skocic has for benching Ghoddos, it conflicts with his statement about lack of skill in Iranian footballers. The player has also the right to say that if you don’t want me and I do not get playing time, I might as well stay in London and practice with my club to get better opportunities with Brentford. It is only fair.

Our verdict is with Ghoddos on this despite not knowing the exact details of the reason Goddos left the Azadi without even informing his coach.

One thing that Skocic needs to realize is that needs to keep his words to the absolute minimum. He definitely knows that there are many packs of wolves after him and his job. Despite his immaculate record with Team Melli so far, his name is not Carlos Queiroz so he is not the real charismatic coach that some want. It’s a ridiculous thought, but its is all real with many.

Iranian players sulk if they are criticized and seem to be least comfortable with criticism. They accept and expect nothing short of praise as soon as they turn up. That is a reality that Skocic needs to skillfully deal with. In a football league where coaches blame the earth and the sky and anything in between for their team losses, the management/organization of football is close to comical, a partisan media & fans and lack of strong leadership,  under these circumstances, the Croatian head coach needs to be wise when selecting his word, and wiser in dealing with the players. unfortunately, he can little to change their mentality in a few days where he meets his player.

The improvement of players’ mentality, technical abilities, professionalism, self-discipline, and respect for peers starts at the grassroots level in any country. Iran is no exception. There were the problems lies

So, if Skocic needs to act wisely if he wants to prevail and continue with Team Melli.

Team Melli players rating vs Korea Rep.

Alireza BEIRANVAND :[7.8] Saved a last-minute shot and was commanding on aerial balls. Still delays passing the ball and puts himself in awkward positions.Shojaa KHALILZADEH: [7.8] another commanding performance from the central defender. He offsets his lack of pace with his positioning and close marking.
Sadegh MOHARRAMI [6.8] the goal scored was a lapse of concentration in otherwise a good performance.
Hossein KANANI-ZADEGAN [7.6] Again formed a formidable line in the center of defense with good understanding with Khalilzadeh hardly allowing the Koreans any space.
Ahmad NOUROLLAHI [7.4] the burden of dominating the midfield against tough opposition brought the best out of him. Was working hard His cross attempts from right on the line could have been better.
Saeid EZZATOLLAHI: [7.9] Slowly but positively getting better in the team formation. His shot that shaved the upright was delightful. Tackling and passing were much better than in the earlier matches.
Vahid AMIRI [7.0] is industrious and diligent but he lacks the punch and final telling touches.
Ali GHOLIZADEH: [6.5] nearly incognito in the first half. There was no sign of the magic slalom runs on the flanks and mostly content with retreating back to support the defense.
Mehdi TAREMI: [7.4] Taremi is a player that can be frustrating and wasteful at times. He seems to shoot without looking at what is in front of him, like a wall of defenders! His swerving kick that hit the woodwork was spectacular. The understanding he is building with Azmoun is a hopeful sign for Team Melli.
Alireza JAHANBAKHSH [8.1] High rating is due to the goal he scored to save Team Melli. He still needs to apply himself and make a difference on the wings and midfield.
Sardar AZMOUN: [7.9] worked tirelessly up to the end and once again provided an assist in the highest class to Jahanbakhsh for Team Melli equalizer. He tends to be a reckless tackler a player who has not mastered the art of tackling and as such he received his third yellow card of the qualifiers.

SUBSTITUTE

Omid NOORAFKAN [6.7]: while undoubtedly has a lot to offer, his reckless tackles and lack of concentration can cost him dearly in the team. Awarded a yellow card 6 minutes after being brought in.

COACH:

DRAGAN SKOCIC [6.7]: His lack of adventure in the first half and poor substitution give him a low mark. The team lacked direction and energy in the first half and the offenses were carried out on long direct balls where the midfield is bypassed. If such tactics yield results, then no one would complain, but it didn’t. Clearly lacks a ball carrier and a ball distributor in the midfield and that needs a solution. With so much talent on the bench, his substitutions were nothing short of awful.

The team tactics look predictable as it seems there is no variety in play and no second option.

Skocic consciously reduced number of midfield players.

The head coach of Team Melli says that he knows that his team has a problem in the middle of the field.

According to ISNA, the Iranian national football team stopped today (Tuesday) in its fourth match in the final qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar against South Korea with a result of one, one.

“In the first half, we realized that we had a problem in the middle of the field and we tried to reduce the distance between the Iranian and Korean players by making changes,” Iran’s coach Dragan Skocic told a news conference after the match.

“We knew we had a three-on-three duel in the middle of the field. In the second half, we had a better view with the addition of the Nourafkan. In the first half, I was aware that if the two strikers went forward, the balance would be upset, but I did it consciously.”

“All the players did their best,” commenting in a question about Sardar Azmoun’s performance

“Today was not the best day for Sardar, but he is one of our most important and key players. His goal in the previous stage made us reach this stage of the competition and continue the dream. “

Asked what he expects ahead for his team and its mission to qualify for the World Cup, Skocic said explained: “I am not satisfied with the result of today’s draw and I am not convinced, but I must say that Korea was a great team and has world-class players. Today’s game was against our direct opponent. We move forward with positive thinking and we are alert to the shortcomings and need to solve the team’s problems and have a better performance.”

Asked if he was surprised in the first half against Korea, Skocic said: “If you had listened to me, you would have realized that we were not surprised. We consciously decided to have more players on the offensive line and the reason for that was to increase the pressure on their defenses. But when we realized that such a plan is upsetting the team balance, we changed the tactics. We were ready for other events. I repeat that I deliberately reduced the number of midfielders and it was a risk that I accepted as head coach.“

The Koreans intent to change history in Tehran.

the-afc.com
Tehran: Korea Republic have never won in Iran, but Paulo Bento’s side will see Tuesday’s top-of-the-table AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to Qatar clash as the perfect time to put that record right.
Seven times the Korea Republic men’s national team have ventured to Tehran, and a pair of draws – in 1977 and 2009 – are the best it has ever got for a team that has historically been one of Asia’s giants.
The last three visits to the famed Azadi Stadium have all yielded 1-0 defeats, and it has been six matches across 10 years since the Koreans have gotten the better of Team Melli at any venue.

With seven of a possible nine points accrued from three successive home games, and with attacking weapons like Son Heung-min and Hwang Hee-chan in tow, Bento and co will be hoping the 2021 visit to the Iranian capital is the one which ends a decades-long drought, but they will arrive to find a star-studded and in-form opponent.
Boasting firepower of their own in the devastating strike duo of Sardar Azmoun and Mehdi Taremi – and buoyed by a perfect record of 10 wins from as many matches since Dragan Skočić took the head coach role at the outset of 2021 – Iran will hold no fear, even if the Azadi Stadium will remain empty.
Three wins from three and no goals conceded in the Final Round underlines Team Melli’s strength at the back as well as upfront and extends a remarkable run which has seen the team concede only seven goals in their last 25 Asian Qualifiers matches.
Thursday’s win over the United Arab Emirates in Dubai was emblematic of the dual strengths of Skočić’s side.

It was the quality and understanding of Taremi and Azmoun which created Iran’s goal, while the Emiratis, themselves featuring the prolific Ali Mabkhout, didn’t manage a single shot on target over the 90 minutes.
That victory puts Team Melli, even at this early stage, within sight of a third successive FIFA World Cup appearance.
With nine points, the Iranians are two ahead of Korea Republic and seven clear of a chasing pack featuring UAE, Lebanon, and Syria, meaning a draw or defeat on Tuesday would not derail their campaign, but a victory would represent a major accomplishment on an increasingly smooth Road to Qatar.
Iran v Korea Republic
Venue: Azadi Stadium, Tehran
Kick-off: 17:00 hours (UTC+3:30)

Post Match Press Conference UAE v Iran

Dragan Skocic expressed his satisfaction with the victory against the UAE. However, he stressed that “now is not the time for celebration because the crucial game against South Korea is ahead.“

“We played a great game against a team that defended with all heart and soul but we finally won,” Dragan Skucic told a post-match press conference. “The weather bothered us, especially since most of the players came from Europe and were not conditioned with the climate. The win was very important. We had a hard game. We knew our job was not easy at all in this climate. The presence of players from Europe also made our work difficult and we had little time to coordinate.”

He continued: “I was not satisfied with the way my team played in the first half, but with the changes we made, I got better in the second half. We made a mistake but VAR came to our rescue and reversed the referee’s decision. We are well on our way to achieving bigger things. We know we can do better. With the existing difficulties, we got a good result. “I am 53 years old and I know I should not be comfortable with these things,”

Team Melli Head Coach commenting on his 10th consecutive victory and his team’s lead with a difference of seven points with the third team in the World Cup qualifiers. “I have said many times that football has no memory. We have to rest well and get ready for the next game. If we compare with the previous round of World Cup qualifiers, we had a stronger start, but we should not be happy and we should work to get better.”

Regarding the use of VAR and determining the offside before the Shojaa Khalilzadeh was dismissed, he said: “If I had to change because of the Shojaa’s  dismissal, I would have to change one of the forwards Azmoun or Taremi, which was like cutting off one of my arms.”

“At the beginning of the second half, we started to control the game and impress the opponent, but that one mistake ruined everything, and the VAR corrected that,” Skocic said of the scene of Khalilzadeh’s dismissal.” After that scene, we returned to the game. I am glad that Shojaa’s dismissal did not take place. I must say that Khalilzadeh’s return raised the morale of the team.”

He continued: “We went to the field to win and achieved what we wanted, and this is very important. I would like to say that I liked the UAE style of play, especially in the first half, when they defended very well. “

“We are not celebrating this victory because we have a very sensitive game against South Korea,” Skocic concluded. “We have to win that game as well.”

In the post-match press conference, Bert Van Marwijk, the coach of the UAE national team, attributed the loss of his team 1-0 against Iran in the third round of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, to the physical superiority of the Iranian players over his players, adding ” I do not blame the players for today’s loss, we played Against a very strong team ranked 26 in the world, and has players in the European leagues, which makes their physical fitness very high. “

Van Marwijk revealed that the video technology (VAR) had stopped functioning or some time in the UAE-Iran match, but then it was back online to work again, saying, “The fourth referee told me in the first half that the video technology  system VAR has stopped, but later he came back again to tell me in the second half that it had returned back to work again, This is unfortunate for the UAE team, as the video technology canceled the expulsion of the Iranian national team defender.”

“We played a very good first half, and we could have scored, but we did not take advantage of those opportunities well, and on the other hand, the opponent scored his goal from a quick counter-attack, which is a shame. ” He continued: “We will not give up, and stop there. We will try to compensate for the loss of Iran’s match in the next confrontation with Iraq, and we also have seven matches left in the qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup, we must use them well, and the third-place we currently occupy is not bad. It also qualifies for the World Cup.

Van Marwijk pointed out that the players of the UAE national team came out very tired and frustrated after the match, noting that he has not spoken with them yet, but he will definitely work to get them out of the current situation in preparation for their next match against Iraq on the 12th of this month.

Where UAE falls short, and Team Melli’s vulnerability.

According to Tasnim news agency, Al-Bayan newspaper of the UAE has analyzed the match between the national football teams of Iran and the UAE in Dubai in today’s issue. The newspaper’s pre-match reads: “

The UAE is more desperate to win this game as anything less than that, even a draw, makes their mission of qualification that much complicated.

With only two points from two games and a single goal scored, this result does not look rosy for the UAE and a win, therefore, is quite essential for them. UAE can learn from Iran itself, as Team Melli suffered two bad defeats in the previous round, but they bounced back perfectly to clinch qualification for the third and decisive round.

So, the UAE players will enter the game with a lot of confidence and motivation and want to desperately be around the top of the table to clinch one of the promotion places. This game is very important for both teams as the Iranian side wants to maintain its lead in the group, so both teams will be looking for victory and the draw is not satisfactory for them, especially not for the  UAE national team.

It is expected that Van Marwijk will first seek to solidify his defense and use counter-attacks in this game. However, this is where Skocic can outfox his Dutch counterpart and play on the vulnerability of the UAE defense. Van Marwijk uses Khalifa al-Hamadi in the central defensive role along with Shaheen Abdul Rahman, who has replaced Walid Abbas due to injury. The only goal conceded by UAE against Syria was the result of the elementary error of this pair. The Syrians forwards were so profligate in that match, the result could have easily been 3 or even 4 goals victory for Syria. Omar Khribin himself missed at least two easy setters.

Van Marwijk is well aware of the capabilities of Azmoun and Taremi in aerial battles, and how their Iranian pair’s superiority can harm his team from crosses on both flanks. He has been working on that aspect to limit that threat. What Skocic can do is supplement his offensive plan by penetrating through the center of Emirates defense using through balls and fast passing.

While depending on counterattack is perhaps the only way the UAE can threaten Team Melli, the transition from attack to defense must be organized well for Team Melli. Iran has been prolific in this aspect and must continue to do so in the coming games especially and particularly against the Koreans.

In midfield, Majid Hassan will be next to Abdullah Ramadan or Majid Rashid, and Khalfan Mubarak will be the team’s playmaker for the UAE. Lima, Caio, and Ali Mabkhout should form the team’s attacking trio. Mabkhout is the most dangerous of the UAE players and the most likely to score. He has however suffered from a slowdown in his mobility lately.

On paper, Iran looks the better of the two sides and a three-point is not too difficult to achieve. The only vulnerability of Team Melli and most of the Iranian teams, in general, is the mental toughness and discipline, both of which have resulted in bad consequences. The Arab teams are all well aware of that weakness of Iran and have mastered all sorts of tricks for many years to yield results. One can safely bet that the UAE will be resorting to intimidation tactics to provoke the Iranians.

With the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 qualification rounds at early stages, it is vital that the players keep their discipline and refrain from receiving silly yellow cards and possible suspensions. This needs to be implanted in them very strongly.

Team Melli DISCIPLINARY RECORD

18 YELLOW CARDS and ONE RED CARD in the 10 matches played in the World Cup qualifiers. This is an average of 1.8 cards per game which is quite high.

Five players received two cards: Azmoun, Taremi, Jahanbakhsh, Shojaei, and Pouraliganji.

3 players served suspensions, Azmoun, Shojaei, and Pouraliganji while two got away from it as per the FIFA regulations of clean records for the third round.

Card Details

Second round 10-Oct-19 vs Cambodia – PouraliGanji

Second round 15-Oct-19 vs Bahrain – Hajsafy – Azmoun

Second round 14-Nov-19 vs Iraq – PouraliGanji- Shojaei (two yellow)

Morteza PouraliGanji and Masoud Shojaei were suspended for the match vs Hong Kong

Second round 03-Jun-21 vs Hong Kong- Torabi

Second round 07-Jun-21 vs Bahrain – Kananizadeghan

Second round 11-Jun-21 vs Cambodia- None

Second round 15-Jun-21 vs Iraq- Nourollahi-Jahanbakhsh-Moharrami-Azmoun-Taremi

Sardar Azmoun was suspended for the match vs Syria Round Three

Third Round 02-Sep-21 vs Syria -Khalilzadeh-Mohammadi-Taremi

Third Round 07-Sep-21 vs Iraq -Ezatollahi-Jahanbaksh