Tag: Ghoochannejhad

Reza Ghoochannejad parts company with Al Kuwait SC.

Reza Ghoochannejad has left Al Kuwait SC  after the club decided to terminate his contract.

The-27-year old striker joined Kuwait Sporting Club on a season-long loan from Charlton Athletics in Last August.
Al Qadisiya of Kuwait and Iran s Persepolis have already shown their interests in signing the striker.

Ghoochannejad vs Qatar

Rumors of the club losing interest started a few months back. The most expensive signing of Kuwait SC was not up to the expectations of their hierarchy and hence the club has thought about offloading Ghoochannejad by January or the winter transfer window. Kuwait football clubs and their FA is unlike the rich Persian Gulf States such as Qatar , Saudi Arabia and UAE in spending on football. The professional players bought by Kuwaiti clubs re normally the ones who are cheaper and lower in standards than the ones that head to the other 3 countries.

Ghoochannejhad played a key role for Team Melli in the 2015 AFC Asian Cup. He scored two late goals against the UAE and Iraq in Australia.
Ghoochannejhad started his career at Heerenveen and has already played at Go Ahead Eagles, Cambuur, Sint-Truiden and Standard Liege.

Iran slump out of World Cup with disappointing defeat to Bosnia

Argentina played their part and won in Porte Alegre, yet Iran could not rouse themselves to take advantage and progress at Nigeria’s expense. Iran needed a win by a couple of goals to finish second, but goals are evidently not their speciality.

For more than 80 minutes it looked like they would fail to trouble the scorer for a third match in succession, and in the end said a meek goodbye to the tournament, allowing Bosnia to record a convincing first win at their first World Cup finals even if their overall experience was soured by a poor refereeing decision.

It was Edin Dzeko’s wrongly disallowed goal against Nigeria that Bosnia feel changed the course of their World Cup, and though the consolation was entirely hollow once his side had been eliminated after two games, at least the Manchester City striker registered a goal that did count.

After seeing a shot on the turn clear the bar and a header saved by the goalkeeper in the opening minutes, Dzeko came back down the pitch in search of the ball and was successful with a longer range attempt midway through the first half. Picking up the ball from 40 yards out from Miralem Pjanic, the Roma midfielder who initiates most of Bosnia’s attacks, Dzeko carried the ball forward then cut inside to make room for a left foot shot that found Alizera Haghighi’s bottom left corner with some precision. Perhaps the goalkeeper should not have been beaten from outside the area by a low shot that was less than thunderously struck, yet Dzeko aimed for exactly the right area.

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Having barely crossed the halfway line by that point, Iran almost managed to equalise within a minute when the lively Masoud Shojaei crashed a shot against Asmir Begovic’s bar. Reza Ghoochannejhad was unable to accept the rebound but was in an offside position anyway. Interestingly the goalline technology replay was triggered, even though the ball had clearly rebounded back into play. A no-goal verdict was duly returned, though the suggestion that the ball had gone anywhere near the line was misleading.

While there is no doubt Iran can defend well – they proved that against Argentina – it is their attacking efforts that are often stodgy. They could theoretically have reached the round of 16 for the first time here, depending on Nigeria losing their final group game, though even when a goal behind they never drove forward with the sort of intensity that might have been expected.

They have scored only one goal in this tournament and it is not difficult to see why – they are much too conservative. It would have been amusing to have been a fly on the wall in the Iran dressing room at half-time when Carlos Queiroz, of all people, was presumably telling his players it was time to throw caution to the wind.

Iran did get forward a little more in the second half without looking entirely convincing. Ashkan Dejagah spent far too much of his time being pulled up for offside, as if unfamiliar with operating in such an advanced role. The television reaction shots of Iran supporters in the crowd showed disbelief and dejection when Pjanic’s well-taken second goal put the matter beyond doubt, but Queiroz and his players were hardly in a winning position before that.

At no time in this World Cup have Iran been in a winning position, and when Pjanic just about stayed onside to accept Tino Susic’s pass and elegantly slip the ball beyond the goalkeeper after an hour, they paid the price for lack of adventure.

Even when Ghoochannejhad finally opened their World Cup account with eight minutes of the competition remaining – Bosnia were waiting for an offside flag that never came – Avdija Vrsajevic hit back within a minute to restore a two-goal winning margin. Fair enough, Iran had a hard luck story after their Argentina defeat, yet even that does not match the one Bosnia can tell.

Bleachers Report: Analysing Carlos Queiroz’s Iran

By Sam Tighe , World Football Tactics Lead Writer

Welcome to the latest edition of our World Cup tactics board, where we look at each nation that has qualified for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

This time around, we’ve studied minnows Iran, led by former Real Madrid and Manchester United stalwart Carlos Queiroz and spearheaded by Fulham attacker Ashkan Dejagah.

 

Qualifying

The Asian qualifying path to the World Cup is long and unforgiving; it crams many fixtures into a short amount of time, making for an early start and an early finish to proceedings.

Iran were the second Asian nation to seal their place in Brazil after Japan, topping Group A by two points and seeing off the challenge of South Korea (qualified in second) and Uzbekistan.

They lost just twice throughout the campaign and conceded just two goals in their final eight games. They struggled for goals too, scoring an average of just one per game in the final stage and winning most games 1-0.

Four of their players scored three goals during qualifying, though Reza Ghoochannejhad didn’t emerge as a starting option until late.

 

Formation and Style

Iran play the most defensive 4-2-3-1 formation you’ll see at the finals, with Queiroz preaching discipline, tracking and numbers at the back.

His back four are a genuine back four, with the full-backs only venturing forward for the odd attack and throw-ins. Out of possession, they’re as flat as can be, charged with man-marking the wingers and harassing midfield runners.

 
Iran sit off the ball-player and mark the midfield

The Persian Stars are happy to sit off the ball when their opponents have it in their own half. Far removed from any form of high-press strategy, opposing centre-backs will have all the time in the world to pick a pass.

The problem is that there are no options, as Iran swamp out the midfield by switching into a deep 4-4-1-1 or 4-1-4-1 and man-mark all outlets. They barely encroach upon ballplayers to pressure and instead decide to present the opposition with no options.

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With no one to pass to, SK hit it long. Again.

Inevitably, players get fed up and play longer, riskier passes. Here’s an example from a stifling 1-0 victory over South Korea that sums up the approach.

If the opposition are able to work it forward—via pass, overload or dribble—Iran become snappy and aggressive in hunting down the ball, treading the thin line between firm challenge and foul on a regular basis.

They’re often touch-tight and work incredibly hard to win the ball back, but once they have it, that’s where the problems start.

Offensively, they are stunted, and it doesn’t help when all they do going forward is pass it to Javad Nekounam and hope he can pick out a stunning, incisive long pass.

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Iran aggressively pursue the ball as it enters their territory.

Nekounam will always look to the wings first and foremost to release a runner, and Masoud Shojaei has impressed on the left opposite Ashkan Dejagah with his hard running, opportunistic releases and enthusiasm.

Reza Ghoochannejhad has emerged as an opportunistic finisher, with nine goals in 11 international appearances, but how will he cope against the defences of Argentina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Nigeria?

 

Reasons for Hope

This Iran side is extremely well-drilled. Every player knows his job off the ball and has subscribed to Queiroz‘s way of thinking. He’s renowned as a defensive coach, which didn’t suit Portugal in 2010, but this is the ideal fit.

The defensive unit, led by Seyed Jalal Hosseini, looks settled and competent. Hosseini himself commands an organised back line and barks orders at his full-backs on a regular basis.

B/R Tighe (@stighefootball)
Possible Iran XI for the finals.

Andranik Teymourian, Nekounam‘s defensive midfield partner, is also more than handy and has experience—albeit very limited—in the Premier League.

Dejagah will give them an attacking edge often missing during qualifying, but he’ll be required to make his own chances and finish them himself. Nekounam will make the first pass, but beyond that, it’s up to him.

Mohammadreza Khalatbari is a wild-card substitution capable of winning a game, but he lacks consistency and lost his starting place over the last 12 months.

 

Reasons for Concern

Iranian fitness levels have always been doubted—a product of most players playing in the low-standard Iranian Pro League—and nothing we’ve seen in 2014 bucks that trend.

With the exception of Ghoochannejhad, Nekounam and Dejagah, you worry about the durability of this side over the course of 90 minutes against Lionel Messi, Edin Dzeko and Emmanuel Emenike.

Said fitness concerns aren’t exactly helped by the kick-and-rush approach taken by Queiroz and his men while attacking, and it’s no wonder they tire, as they rarely ever have the ball.

“Resting in possession,” a la Barcelona, doesn’t have to be taken too seriously by international teams, but the Persian Stars could do with adopting a little bit more patience on the ball. Quality, or a lack thereof, factors in here, of course.

Can Ghoochannejhad, Nekounam and Dejagah break down Argentina, Nigeria and BIH single-handedly? The honest answer, on paper, is no.

 

Conclusions and Predictions

You’d be mad to back Iran to get out of a very challenging Group F, but that doesn’t mean they’re a walkover.

They don’t scrabble around defensively and block shots with flailing legs a la North Korea in 2010; Queiroz has coached this team to the point that they’re positionally superb off the ball.

While they are expected to eventually yield, don’t expect landslide scorelines and a minus-10 goal difference at the end of the tournament.

Iran could hold World Cup surprise in expatriate contingent

No nation competing at this summer’s World Cup finals is rated less likely to win the tournament than Iran. If punters are mad enough to believe otherwise, then take 1500/1 on them lifting the trophy.

For Team Melli coach Carlos Queiroz, it’s a question of relative success. If failing to get his own country Portugal over the first knockout hurdle four years ago in South Africa was under-achieving, then reaching that stage with Iran in Brazil would be considered the complete opposite.

On each of their three previous appearances at the World Cup finals, the Persians have failed to get out of the group stage, recording just one win. Although they have climbed just six places in the FIFA World Rankings to 37 since he took charge in April 2011, Queiroz has quickly introduced a significant foreign-based contingent into the squad.

Iran are set to include their highest ever number of players plying their trade outside of Middle East on a major tournament roster. Chief among this diaspora are right-sided combination Steven Beitashour (Vancouver Whitecaps) and Fulham’s Ashkan Dejagah.

Reunited with Felix Magath at Craven Cottage, after the pair played for and managed Wolfsburg to the Bundesliga title, the German gaffer is once again getting the best out of the winger. Dejagah’s end of season form (three goals and an assist in seven appearances under Magath at the time of writing) could yet help save the west London club from relegation.

Other expatriates set to get the call from Queiroz are goalkeeping pair Daniel Davari and Alireza Haghighi, attacking midfielder Masoud Shojaei, young NEC Nijmegen winger Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Charlton Athletic forward Reza Ghoochannejhad and uncapped Rubin Kazan frontman Sardar Azmoun. The latter has been affixed with the somewhat dubious label of the “Iranian Messi”.

Fulham fans, but more likely Bolton Wanderers and Barnsley supporters, may also remember holding midfielder Andranik Teymourian. His partnership with former Osasuna stalwart and national skipper Javad Nekounam in the Persians’ engine room remains a key component of their spine.

Both are north of 30 and playing back in Middle East now, but have been to a World Cup – 2006 in Germany – with Team Melli before, and have over 200 caps between them. Queiroz will seldom be able to call on such substantial experience elsewhere in his squad.

Centre half Seyed Jalal Hosseini rarely misses a competitive game for Iran, but has never graced the global stage. Left back Ehsan Hajsafi, meanwhile, is another regular in defence, and has over 50 caps at just 24 years of age.

Khosro Heydari can cover either full back berth or play further up the field. Versatile forwards Mohammad Reza Khalatbari and Gholamreza Rezaei give Queiroz options on the flanks, in behind or up front.

The fact that Iran captain Nekounam was their top-scorer in qualifying says a lot about the players operating ahead of him, as they prepare to grace a World Cup group, which they are widely expected to finish last in.

Queiroz must tackle tournament second-favourites Argentina, first-time qualifiers (as an independent nation) Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Africa Cup of Nations holders Nigeria. All are looking like tough games.

Iran are rank outsiders to win Group F at 28/1, and to reach the knockout phase from this formidable pool at 11/2. They are thus odds-on at 1/10 to bow out after three matches.

As challenging as it looks, then, Queiroz will be counting on individuals like Dejagah to bring their club form in decent divisions across to representing their country. Team Melli can kick things off by stunning Nigeria with victory on June 16th at 11/4.