Tag: Dragan Skočić

Third round matches heating up

The UAE vs. IRAN

Team Melli is expected to be at full strength meeting their host UAE in tomorrow’s match at Zabeel Stadium in Dubai.

There are no reported absentees as the squad is now complete with the arrival of the European-based players. The UAE is also playing with full strength however, all is not too well in the camp.

In Thursday’s match, Ahmad Nourollahi who played in the UAE club, Shabab Al-Ahli is singled out as the player who has the most to prove. Unlike his clubmate Mehdi Ghaedi, the former Persepolis midfielder and a player who is in the high regard of Dragan Skocic and has been a key player in the success of h Team Melli, in his club he has been at the receiving ends of many criticisms and often substituted. Perhaps Nourollahi can see what his critics have been missing in tomorrow’s game.

Barring any last-minute injuries, Dragan Skočić is expected to stick to the tried and trusted with a similar lineup as the last two matches.

There have been some debates and unsatisfaction with the performance of half-backs, where Milad Mohammadi, Vahid Amiri, Saleh Hardani, Sadegh Moharrami, and Aref Agasi have been given minutes in the two games but not to the full satisfaction of the head coach. It is quite possible that the team Captain Ehsan Hajsafy will occupy the left-back position in Thursday’s match while Sadegh Moharrami might get the call for the right side.

Both Khalizadeh and Kananizadegan will be used again in the central defense with Azmoun and Taremi being once again paired in the forward line.

The goalkeeper position is still firmly in the hands of Alireza Beiranvand who was perhaps the most comfortable match in the last game versus Iraq. While the midfield formation could be Saman Ghoddos, Ahmad Nourollahi, Vahid Amiri, Saed Ezatollahi.

In the UAE camp. all is not so well with the fans demanding the dismissal of Dutch coach Van Marwijk. The fans along with many critics in UAE accuse the coach of negativity in managing the team and his cautions game plan. Critics have accused him of playing the wrong formation against Lebanon while failing to benefit from the bench in the two matches,

in addition to the team’s failure to adequately prepare for the qualifiers, which was put under scrutiny. Van Marwijk was satisfied with one week of external training, including two days, travel back and forth, and his insistence not to play friendly matches to prepare the players. The coach was satisfied with the first two rounds of the league, which he found adequate for the formation of the national squad.

During the two UAE matches, it seemed that the team lacked offensive effectiveness, especially with many easy opportunities wasted in front of the opponents’ goal. One of the TV punters in the UAE local station was former UAE international player Abdel Rahman Mohamed. Now an analyst, he expressed his anger against the team’s administration and head coach

” I am against Van Marwijk. He is not the man of touch competitions and he will not be able to take this team to the finals”

Korea Rep vs. Syria

The Syrians have a different problem in Seoul as the Syrian Football Association announced the absence of midfielders Muhammad Othman and Ayaz Othman from the team’s squad for its match against the South Korean counterpart, scheduled for Thursday. The Federation indicated in a statement that the absence of Muhammad Othman, a professional in Dutch Sparta Rotterdam, and Ayaz Othman who plays for the Greek club PAE Ionikos, were denied boarding the flight because neither had a valid visa in their European passports, despite the Korean embassy in Beirut and the UAE confirming that there is no need to issue a visa to them on their European passport.

Iraq vs. Lebanon

Meanwhile, Iraq’s national team  Dutch coach Dick Advocaat, called upon the Al-Shorta striker, Mohammed Daoud, to join the Iraqi squad that will meet its Lebanese counterpart on Thursday. Daoud is a late replacement for Iraq’s top striker Muhannad Ali, who suffered a severe injury during a match in the Greek League. The injury suffered by Muhannad Ali who plays for Aris Thessaloniki means he will miss both the matches against Lebanon in the third round and against UAE in the fourth round of the FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifiers.

List for UAE And Korea Rep matches announced.

Dragan Skocic announced the list of Team Melli players to play against the UAE and South Korea in the final qualifying rounds of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. Majid Hosseini, Ehsan Haj Safi, and Kaveh Rezaei are the three changes from the last squad in an otherwise unchanged squad.

With a perfect winning record and players who have delivered, Skocic rightly stuck to the same skeleton of Team Melli players. With two tough matches ahead, Team Melli can set very comfortably at the top of the table with a high chance of qualifying to Qatar with all the six points of the October matches.

Despite the lack of preparation and minimal training before the first match against UAE, the team seems to have a good understanding and performed quite well in the last two matches.

Team Melli is currently at the top of Group A of the 2022 World Cup final qualifiers in Asia with 6 points, two ahead of nearest rivals South Korea whom they meet in Azadi.

Goalkeepers

Alireza Biranvand, Amir Abedzadeh, Payam Niazmand.

Defenders

Shoja Khalilzadeh, Mohammad Hossein Kananizadegan, Majid Hosseini, Milad Mohammadi , Omid Nourafkan, Sadegh Moharremi,  Saleh Hardani, Siavash Yazdani,  Ehsan Hajsafy

Midfield

Ahmad Noorollahi, Milad Sarlak, Yasin Salmani, Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Saeed Ezatollahi, Vahid Amiri, Saman Ghoddos, Mehdi Torabi , Ali Gholizadeh.

Forwards

Karim Ansarifard, Mehdi Ghaedi, Kaveh Rezaei, Sardar Azmoun and Mehdi Taremi.

 

 

Analysis of the matches vs UAE and Korea Rep.

 In an interview on the prospects of Team Melli, the former lecturer and football analyst Amir Haj Rezaei spoke of Team Melli chances for the upcoming games against the UAE and South Korea in the group stage of the final qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar,

“The unity and empathy of the players can be clearly seen in the games of this team. The most important factor in shaping a team’s success is their sense of engagement, duty and technical responsibility”. Haj Rezaei continued: “The victory of the Iranian national team against Syria and Iraq was very important and we were able to defeat teams that were always a problem for us during the period of Carlos Queiroz, but now we see that they have nothing to say against Team Melli.”

Referring to Dragan Skocic’s excellent statistics on the Team Melli bench, Hajrezaei added: “He was not a leading coach and not a front runner for the post of coaching Team Melli, but now he has proven himself to everyone. Although Skocic, was not a household name, his success on and off the field are speaking volumes about him and his reputation is growing bigger and bigger.”

“There is no call to ignore his performance and credit the victories to other issues such as the legionnaire players and the management of the federation. The fact is that the current pillars are harmonized and we see successive successes in the senior team because of many factors, not just one.” HajRezaei who was a former assistant coach of Team Melli commented on differences and comparisons between Skocic and Carlos Queiroz ” I really do not understand why there is a need to compare these two people, who have nothing to do with each other. Each has done his own thing. The only point I like to point out is that during Queiroz, there was no stability and high tension as a result of the Portuguese coach’s demeanor.”

“but talking about the past does not help the current situation. We need to enjoy the results over time and learn from them when we fail to achieve our goals.”

He noted: “Team Melli will have a lot to say against the UAE and South Korea, and I think it is not necessary to create giants and hype the opposition like they are doing to  Al-Hilal, which really did not perform well against Esteghlal.” Hajrezaei added: “The fact is that we have neglected our resources and do not enjoy it, then we talk about the small assets of other teams.”

“Let us stop criticizing the team on every point and remember to be supporters aiming for the success of Team Melli. Let’s leave the technical issues for the coaching staff,  and focus our energy on being supporters of Team Melli which currently has at least three good players in each position.”

Brilliant week for Team Melli legionnaires.

A total of six goals were scored by Team Melli players legionnaires this weekend. From Dubai to the east all the way west to Porto in Portugal, and North in Ukraine to south Europe in Greece, the Iranian players showed grit, skill, and most important abilities to score.

Mehdi Ghaedi the former Esteghlal, came in as a substitute for Shabab Al-Ahli and scored two goals including the last-second equalizer to set the stadium alight. It was a dream performance for the recently joined Ghaedi that has already started a trend in Dubai to compare him to their former hero Ali Karimi. The match ended Shabab Al-Ahli 4-2 Sharjah.

In Porto, another Bushehri player who has already established himself in the Portuguese league, also scored two goals for his club FC Porto in 5-0 drubbing of Moreirense. Mehdi Taremi scored his third goal of the new league with a chip over the opposition goalkeeper.

In Crete island, Karim Ansarifard scored what looked like the winner for his team AEK Athens away to OFI Crete, but the islanders score in the injury time for the match to end 3-3.

Ehsan Hajsafy also played in this match alongside Nasarifard, was the third Iranian player of the team, Milad Mohammadi was not registered for the match.

Allayhyar Sayyadmanish, the promising young Team Melli player who has been forgotten by the selectors, put a forceful claim to a place in Team Melli squad when he scored again for his club Zorya to beat Chornomorets 3 – 0. This was Sayyadmanish’s third goal of the season for Zorya.

 

With Azmoun still to play for Zenit on Monday evening against Kazan, it already looks like a piece of excellent news for the passionate Iranian fans and comes right after the Iran National Volleyball team managed to lift the Asian Championship after they beat host and nemesis Japan comprehensively in Japan.

With Team Melli preparing for the third and fourth match day for World Cup 2022 qualifiers, this is excellent news for the fans but particularly Dragan Skocic, the Team Melli head coach. Iran will play UAE away on the 7th of October followed by a hame game against South Korea in Azadi 5 days later.

Iraq, Iran set for titanic clash

the-afc.com

Doha: Iraq and Iran are looking to continue their unbeaten start to the AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to Qatar Group A when they lock horns in Doha on Tuesday.

On head coach Dick Advocaat’s competitive debut at the helm, Iraq held Korea Republic to a goalless draw in Seoul with the Dutchman content with ceding possession and looking to hit on the counter.

Meanwhile, their neighbors Iran produced the only win of the group on the opening day when captain Alireza Jahanbakhsh’s deflected shot settled in the Syrians’ net, with Team Melli going into Matchday Two leading Group A with three points, two ahead of the four sides that drew in the previous round of matches.

The two teams have a lot of history between them, that being most recently the doubleheader in the previous round of the Asian Qualifiers: The Lions of Mesopotamia recorded a 2-1 home win, with the return leg settled by Sardar Azmoun at the Azadi Stadium in Tehran.

Azmoun will be welcomed back into the fold, having missed out on his side’s opening match through suspension, while head coach Dragan Skočić continues his recovery from COVID-19, having left assistant Marijo Tot to lead the team in the previous game.

“We saw how Japan was defeated at home by Oman and Korea Republic and Iraq drew in Seoul,” said Tot.

“This shows that the teams are close and winning requires hard work. All of our players did well against Syria, and I would also like to thank all our technical and support staff at the national team.”

Iraq’s Advocaat vowed to take a different approach against Iran, after being content with defending for large swathes of their previous game and only bringing on offensive support in the form of Justin Meram and Mohanad Ali later in the game.

“We played really well defensively in the last game,” said Advocaat

“We will play a lot more offensively in the next game, which will be an extremely important one for us. We only started preparing for the games two weeks ago and half of our squad consists of new players.”

Tuesday’s fixture will be the sixth between the two sides in FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, with Iran having won three to Iraq’s two.

It will also be the second time they face off in Doha in the Qualifiers, with the late Ahmed Radhi and Alaa Kadhim having led Iraq to a 2-1 win in the Road to USA 1994.

Iraq v Iran
Venue: Khalifa International Stadium (Doha)
Kickoff: Tuesday, 21:00 (UTC+3)

IRAN IRAQ
W W W W W X W W L X
02. Sep.21 : Iran 1 – 0  Syria 02.Sep.21 : Korea R. 0 – 0 Iraq
15. Jun.21 : Iran 1 – 0  Iraq 15. Jun.21 : Iran 1 – 0  Iraq
11. Jun.21 : Cambodia 10 – 0  Iran 11. Jun.21 : Hong Kong 0 – 1  Iraq
07. Jun.21 : Iran 3 – 0  Bahrain 07. Jun.21 : Iraq 4 – 1  Cambodia
03. Jun.21 : Iran 3 – 1  Hong Kong 24.May.21 : Iraq 0 0 Tajikistan
09/02 • Home
Iran
10
Syrian Arab Republic
06/15 • Home
Iran
10
Iraq
06/11 • Away
Cambodia
010
Iran
06/07 • Home
Iran
30
Bahrain
06/03 • Home
Iran
31
Hong Kong, China
09/02 • Away
Republic Of Korea
00
Iraq
06/15 • Away
Iran
10
Iraq
06/11 • Away
Hong Kong, China
01
Iraq
06/07 • Home
Iraq
41
Cambodia
05/24 • Home
Iraq
00
Tajikistan

Match Preview: Iraq vs. Iran

There is a solid consensus that Team Melli did not play well against Syria and also Iraq will form a much tougher opposition versus Iran on Tuesday in Doha.

The Performance

It did not need a professional football analyzer to conclude that indeed Team Melli was not at its best versus Syria and the team lacks cohesion and strategy. Despite the superiority in statistics for Team Melli against Syria with a ball possession figure of 69% against Syria’s 31% and total passes of team Melli of 416 against Syria’s 130, the dangerous chances created on the opposition keeper was meager and hardly inspiring.

So, Yes, the Team lacked direction, was short of ideas, and generally poor in the finishing phase and final passes. When one looks at the reasons and preparation of the Team, achieving a win against Syria is actually admirable.

Team Melli came to the match with the worst possible preparation. Even the Syrians were better prepared despite the catastrophic conditions of their country. Iran’s football federation and in particular the body in charge of national teams is world-renowned for their incompetency and poor organizational skills. This body, if it actually exists, has done little in terms of value for Team Melli’s preparation for the World Cup qualifiers. With only one or two proper training sessions, lack of leadership as both Skocic and Hashemian were quarantined, and the hallmark of Iran’s federation (no friendly matches) the expectation of a brilliant performance against Syria with a good result was just wishful thinking. In fact, grabbing all the 3 points was admirable under the circumstances.

Against Iraq, the conditions will be slightly improved in the sense that the full squad would have 3 days of training together and a coach sitting on the bench, but that is about all.  The team still requires strengthening in many areas which have been covered and reported many items over, particularly in the discipline department.

It will not be a bad idea to replay the AFC Asian Cup 2019 Semi-final match against Japan to teach the players a lesson of how the breakdown of technical discipline led to such an embarrassing historical defeat.

The opposition

Despite Iraq’s admirable draw away to South Korea, it is hardly a team that Iran should fear. The tactics that Iraqis deploy have not changed for years. Dick Advocaat in the short time he has taken over cannot change the Iraqis system overnight as what he will focus on is much the same as old Iraq with enhancement here and there.

Being a Dutch coach and a master in the offensive free flow Dutch football system does not mean that Iraq will go for an all-out attack against Iran on Tuesday. In fact, the Iraqis are lacking in offensive areas and lack the power that Syria has upfront. Their general situation is very much like Iran with organization and preparation. Iraq however is stronger than Iran in a few areas. They are a defensively disciplined team, strong mentality, and have a never-say-die attitude. There is intensity in their game but has a vulnerable defense line. In general, the team has a good mixture of physical and mental attributes which makes Iraq a strong opponent.

 

 The expectation.

The unsatisfactory performance will be truly forgotten when Iran gabs all the 3 points from Iraq, which is entirely possible. The Coaching staff has a few things to sort out, but the expectations from the fans will be nothing short of 3 points. Sardar Azmoun is available and that is a tremendous boost for Team Melli, the Stadium is air-conditioned and ideal for playing football, the team is away from any controversy and drama that is sometimes associated with Iran training camps. It is all set for another victory, but it will not be easy nor granted.

Skocic & Hashemian are cleared and heading to Doha.

Dragan Skocic and Vahid Hashemian, who could not accompany Team Melli in the match against Syria due to covid19 infection, will join the Team Melli squad and the training camp in Qatar after their new test proved negative.

Both the Head Coach and his assistance were absent from the team for over two weeks after their positive tests. On Saturday, both the coaches left for Doha.

As soon as they arrive in Doha, Skocic and Hashemian must undergo the corona test on arrival and enter the quarantine, until their test results are negative. Assuming g being cleared, both Skocic and Hashenian will be sitting on the bench against Iraq on Tuesday.

 Football Federation President Shahabuddin Azizi Khadem will also travel to Qatar tomorrow to attend the national team match against Iraq. Meanwhile, the covid test of all Team Melli’s squad in Doha was proven negative and the team is cleared to train as required in Doha.

Left behind in Tehran, Milad Sarlak has attended the clinic of Persepolis club after he was diagnosed clear from any head injuries or damage. However, he was advised to rest for a few days until he is fully recovered.

 

Skocic continues his 100% winning record.

While remote coaching his team from a hotel room where he is isolated due to Covid19, the Croat coach of Team Melli Dragan Skočić has set a record of 8 continuous wins in a row as Team Melli’s head coach after defeating Syria on Thursday.

Although this record might be at test comes next Tuesday against Iraq, Skocic enjoys a unique standing amongst Team Melli coaches. His perfect record so far is an irony as many people have doubted his ability to coach at the international level and at the highest competitions.

Football, however, remains a sport where the unexpected can occur and things will not always go according to the script.  With no international coaching in his resume, Dragan Skocic managed to assemble a good mix of players for Team Melli ensuring the injection of fresh blood especially the youth. His plan has worked well and despite his possible absence in Doha against Iraq, The Croat will hope to continue his winning record.

Overall Matches

Played Won Draw Loss GF GA Goal Diff
8 8 0 0 25 2 +23

Matches

Date Comp. Home team Away team Final score
30.03.2021 Friendly Uzbekistan Iran 1 – 2
2.11.2020 Friendly Bosnia-Herzegovina Iran 0 – 2
30.03.2021 Friendly Iran Syria 3 – 0
03.06.2021 World Cup Qualifier Iran Hong Kong 3 – 1
07.06.2021 World Cup Qualifier Iran Bahrain 3 – 0
11.06.2021 World Cup Qualifier Cambodia Iran 0 – 10
15.06.2021 World Cup Qualifier Iran Iraq 1 – 0
02.09.2021 World Cup Qualifier Iran Syria 1 – 0

Torabi against Syria

Post Match comments Iran vs, Syria

Press Conference

Iran’s coach Marjio Tot:

“I am very happy that we won the game,” Marjio Tot said in a press conference ” You witnessed how Japan was defeated at home by Oman and Korea and Iraq drew in Seoul, which shows that the teams are close and winning requires work hard.” He continued: “Because we did not have some key players today, this win means a lot to us. All our players gave it all and we are happy that we took the first step well.”

Asked if he was in contact with Dragan Skocic during the game today, Tot added: “Before answering this question, I would like to thank all the members of the national team support staff. Because they supported us a lot during this period. Then I thank Skocic for his hard work and for his hard work at a time when all the members of the technical staff were suffering from this disease. We kept in touch during the game and reviewed the different options and how the team performed during the match.

“All our players made a good effort against Syria, including Jahanbakhsh, who has started his job well in Feyenoord.”

Syria’s coach

Nizar Mahroos commented on the match “We had chances to score in this match, but we could not utilize them, however, I believe we did not deserve to lose and we could have scored. Iran is one of the best and strongest teams in Asia, but we put pressure on them.

“The goal scored by Iran has had an element of luck. ” The head coach of the Syrian national football said that Ahmad Noorullahi was a better player in the Iranian team.

Sarlak rushed to the hospital for tests.

in the 27th minute of the match against Syria, Milad Sarlak fell to the ground as a result of a tackle with Omar al-Kharbin, and the impact was so severe that the medical staff appeared over his head within seconds. Sarlak was attended to on the pitch and was able to breathe normally but he was obviously dazed and suffering from a possible concussion. The medical staff indicated that he can not continue, and hence he Sarlak was substituted out.

Oddly enough, Sarlak sat on the bench, but at the end of the first half, he was diagnosed by the medical staff and taken to the hospital for the necessary tests on his head. No further report has been coming.

Flight to Doha

Team Melli, after a short rest, is flying to Doha following its first victory against Syria on Thursday. The next opponent will be Iraq who managed to steal an important point from the star-studded Korean team in Seoul.

Sardar Azmoun is available for Iraq Match

After a one-match suspension due to carrying two yellow cards in round two of the qualifiers, Sardar Azmoun is available for selection for the Qatar match on Tuesday.

Skocic and Hashemian still incognito.

Shahab Aziz Khadem in a post-match statement confirmed that both the head coach and his assistant are still under medical observation and it is not yet clear if they can accompany the team to Doha.

Skocic still absent, Marijo Tot deputizes him!

The designated Head Coach of Team Melli in the pre-match press conference said that “Iran, as one of the giants of Asian Football, is looking to qualify to the World Cup and we want to win all our.”

Marijo Tot, the coach of the Iranian national team, in the absence of Dragan Skocic, who is still suffering from Corona and has been absent from the current training camp, attended the press conference before the game with Syria. He said: “As you all know, we have an important game tomorrow. We are in a difficult period and we have to get the best results in 10 games. Everything is going well and we only have a few injuries but that will not make our job difficult.”  He continued “we have to win tomorrow’s game. The games get harder every time you have to play an opponent. Our team has quality and experience.”

“As we showed before, we worked hard in Bahrain, but we were able to get the best results. The teams here are fighting hard to be their best in order to qualify.” Marijo Tot was asked about the bench for the Syria game and who will lead Team Melli from the bench. “I believe and we will keep our hopes high until the last moment that Skocic will be available and be with the team tomorrow. He has had very difficult days in the hotel for the past 15 days, but if that does not happen, we will definitely get help from him during the game. With 22 years of coaching experience, I know what is required and our conversations should be short.”

The 49 years old Croatian coach has been an assistant to Dragan Skocic in Team Melli.  He has been assistant manager to Vahid Halilhodžić at Dinamo Zagreb during 2010-2011 season. When Halilhodžić was dismissed in early May 2011, Tot takes charge of Dinamo for the remaining matches. He also guided Dinamo to win the 2010–11 Croatian Cup, defeating NK Varaždin 8-2 on aggregate in the final.

Tot Coachd in Malaysia, China, and Saudi Arabia where he was coaching for the Saudi Premier League football giant Al-Ittihad as assistant to the head coach Slaven Bilić, the most famous Croatian football manager.