Tag: Real Madrid

Ancelotti’s lesson to Iranian coaches.

After a very hard and heavy defeat against a long-time rival,  Barcelona, Ancelotti the Real Madrid head coach gave a great unintended lesson to every single Iranian coach in how to be graceful in victory and truthful in the loss.

Khabar Varzeshi newspaper suggested that The Italian coach was exemplary after his team lost at home 0-4 to bitter rivals Barcelona by accepting full responsibility, unlike typical Iranian coach who is looking for scapegoats and false excuses to justify his team’s defeat.

The newspaper wrote: “Compare the behavior of the experienced and Professional Real Madrid coach to the behavior of some Iranian coaches who blame everyone but themselves in case of defeat. Barcelona scored four goals at Real Madrid’s home stadium to avenge a series of previous defeats by Ancelotti’s players. Barcelona Fans could not believe at all that their team would cross the barrier of Real Madrid with such ease playing this good game and with astonishing results,

 After this game, Carlo Ancelotti, without giving any excuse, just said: I am responsible for this defeat, but I ask you not to create a crisis from this loss; Because we will return to our normal routine and bounce back stronger.” If we compare this behavior of the Real Madrid coach with the behavior of most Iranian coaches who blame everyone but themselves in case of defeat, it is an education and teaching that needs to be followed if Iranian coaches really seek success and respect. Iranian coaches usually blame the referee being their favorite targets, the federation, the Ministry of Sports, and other factors for the loss but never apportion the blame or even think of the possibility that they have misread the game, made the wrong substitution, used the wrong gameplan or simply they were outplayed by a better organized and coached team.

Certainly, with his experience, this coach can turn Real Madrid into the same good and invincible team again. The first step is for a coach to admit his mistakes, which Ancelotti has accepted, so there is a lot of hope that he will get his team back on track. “Unlike Iranian coaches, who do not take the first step, which is to admit their own mistakes and weaknesses.”

Beiravand in defiant mood

Team Melli and Antwerp’s goalkeeper was in a defiant mood when interviewed by a Dutch website. Here is the excerpt.

And then the sky cleared. He conceded seven goals in his first three matches, but in the past ten days, he collected three clean sheets. Alireza Beiranvand (28) is currently doing so well at Antwerp – last night he was Man of the Match against Eupen – that even an extra goalkeeper is no longer so urgent. ‘All the Iranian people are praying for me,’ he claims.

‘It was so difficult’ we could not describe the first months of Beiranvand near Antwerp any better. Months after his arrival was first announced, he still arrives at the Bosuil behind schedule. At a time when goalkeeper Jean Butez has been training for weeks with the team. Result: Beiranvand is warming the bench. ‘But the fact that I wasn’t playing meant that I had to train twice as hard. Leave? Didn’t think about it for a second. Never. I wanted to do my best to convince the coach.’  ‘You are two months behind,’ the coach told me when I arrived. But it’s not that I hadn’t done anything for two months, huh … It was frustrating that I didn’t get a chance. I was really angry. Watch out, that had nothing to do with Jean. He’s my best friend off the field. But on it, he is my nemesis. ‘

 

Casillas & Kepa

Ultimately, Beiranvand got his chance. Against Tottenham in the Europa League and afterward at home against Club Brugge. That did not go smoothly. Even more: Ivan  Leko was remarkably hard on Beiranvand after the match. Something Beiranvand and his 3 million Instagram followers could only accept moderately.

‘How could he say such a thing? You do not do that. I was mentally broken by those statements. A coach is like a father, then such a statement is a major mental blow. If a coach talks about you like that, you don’t think you will get a chance anymore of course. Look at the relationship between José Mourinho and Iker Casillas at Real Madrid at the time. He also put it behind him. But those things sometimes happen. Kepa, one of the best goalkeepers in the world, is now also on the bench at Chelsea. And somehow I knew that sooner or later I would get my chance. I’ve never doubted myself. Not a moment. And haven’t regretted signing here for a second, really. Every day I enjoy working more and more in Europe. And all the Iranian people are praying for me. That inspires me even further to work harder. I did not come to Antwerp to stay here for the rest of my life. From here I will go to one of the best clubs in the world, you will see. ”

Spain announces their squad for the World Cup 2018.

 Such is the abundance of talent available to Julen Lopetegui, that the Spanish boss has been able to omit a number of high profile players from his squad for this summer’s tournament in Russia.

High profile players left out the squad

Contents [show]

Premier League fans will be interested to hear that a number of players that ply their trade in the English top-flight will not be with La Roja this summer. Chelsea quarter Marcos Alonso, Pedro, Cesc Fabregas and Alvaro Morata have all missed out on the 23-man squad.

Manchester United counterparts Ander Herrera and Juan Mata join the Blues players in being snubbed by the Spanish boss, while unsurprisingly Arsenal full-back Hector Bellerin will miss out too. Barcelona’s highly-rated utility man Sergi Roberto will fell hard done by not to be on the plane, though.

Big decisions in attack

In terms of quality, Lopetegui is spoilt for choice, just like his France, Brazil and German counterparts. He can only name 23 players in his squad, while are likely to be players who have missed out that the Spanish boss will have wanted to take, but just could not fit into the squad. The Spanish bosses’ attacking selections are interesting.

The exclusion of Chelsea striker Alvaro Morata was particularly noticeable, as the Chelsea striker had been La Roja’s first choice forward at Euro 2016. Morata has endured a difficult for first season in English football, scoring just 11 Premier League goals after a big money summer move from Real Madrid.

Spain does not have a great deal of choice in the central striking department. Atletico Madrid striker Diego Costa is back in the squad but has struggled for form with La Roja. The home-based players like Iago Aspas and Rodrigo have both been in good form this season for Celta Vigo and Valencia, scoring 22 and 16 respectively in La Liga. However, both have question marks over their quality at international level.

One of the favourites to win the World Cup

The sheer quality in La Roja’s squad makes Spain one of the favourites to win the World Cup. In the last decade or so, they have been there or thereabouts when it comes to challenging for the big titles.

La Roja seems strong in every area of the pitch, so they should definitely go far in the competition. Lopetegui’s side kick-off their World Cup campaign with a tough game against neighbours and European champions Portugal on 15th May. On paper, it is the Spaniards tough game of the group, with Iran and Morocco the other two teams in Group B.

Whatever squad the Julen Lopetegui picked, Spain were always going to one of the teams to watch. The players in La Roja’s squad have the potential to go all the way. Only time will tell if they will become world champions for the second time.

Spain squad for 2018 World Cup:

Goalkeepers: David de Gea (Manchester United), Pepe Reina (Napoli), Kepa Arrizabalaga (Atletico Bilbao)

Defenders: Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid) , Alvaro Odriozola (Real Sociedad), Gerard Pique (Barcelona), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Nacho (Real Madrid), Cesar Azpilicueta (Chelsea), Jordi Alba (Barcelona), Nacho Monreal (Arsenal)

Midfielders: Sergio Busquets (Barcelona), Saul (Atletico Madrid), Koke (Atletico Madrid), Thiago Alcantara (Bayern Munich), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), David Silva (Manchester City)

Forwards: Isco (Real Madrid), Sergio Asensio (Real Madrid), Lucas Vazquez (Real Madrid), Iago Aspas (Celta Vigo), Rodrigo (Valancia), Diego Costa (Atletico Madrid)

Has Julen Lopetegui chosen the correct squad for the World Cup?

Morocco announces FIFA World Cup 2018 squad

Morocco coach Herve Renard announced a provisional list of 23 players and three reserves that will make up the North African team, who return to the World Cup for the first time since 1998.

The team will begin their preparation in Rabat on 24 May before taking part in three warm-up matches, prior to the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™.

Renard’s Atlas Lions will play Ukraine on 31 May and Slovakia on 4 June (both games in Geneva, Switzerland) before taking on Estonia in Tallinn on 9 June.

Morocco’s match schedule at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

All squads are provisional until the final list of 23 players is announced by FIFA, following their submission by participating teams, on 4 June.

Morocco provisional squad

Goalkeepers: Mounir El Kajoui (Numancia, Spain), Yassine Bounou (Girona, Spain), Ahmad Reda Tagnaouti (Ittihad Tanger);

Defenders: Mehdi Benatia (Juventus, Italy), Romain Saiss (Wolverhampton Wanderers, England), Manuel Da Costa (Basaksehir, Turkey), Badr Benoun (Raja Casablanca), Nabil Dirar (Fenerbahce, Turkey), Achraf Hakimi (Real Madrid, Spain), Hamza Mendyl (Lille, France);

Midfielders: M’bark Boussoufa (Al Jazira, UAE), Karim El Ahmadi (Feyenoord, Netherlands), Youssef Ait Bennasser (Caen, France), Sofyan Amrabat (Feyenoord, Netherlands), Younes Belhanda (Galatasaray, Turkey), Faycal Fajr (Getafe, Spain), Amine Harit (Schalke, Germany);

Forwards: Khalid Boutaib (Malatyaspor, Turkey), Aziz Bouhaddouz (St. Pauli, Germany), Ayoub El Kaabi (Renaissance Berkane), Nordin Amrabat (Leganes, Spain), Mehdi Carcela (Standard de Liege, Belgium), Hakim Ziyech (Ajax, Netherlands)

“We Will Not Go to Russia as Tourists” Carlos Queiroz

John Duerden

Carlos Queiroz has been making history this week with Iran, and he wants to do so again next summer.

On June 12, Team Melli, as the national team is known, qualified for the World Cup — the first time they’ll be in back-to-back competitions — and now their sights are set on a debut appearance in the knockout stages.

Not long before midnight at the iconic Azadi Stadium in Tehran, the Mozambique-born manager was thrown into the air by his squad of Iranian players after they had defeated Uzbekistan 2-0. It was in recognition of a perfect World Cup qualification campaign and their being second only to Brazil in booking a berth in Russia.

“The atmosphere and excitement of the fans were great. They deserve this,” Queiroz told ESPN FC.

Iran deserve it too, and have been dominant in the third round of qualification, doing the job with two of the ten games still to play. Not only are Iran unbeaten, but not once has the defence been breached. Perhaps most impressive was that all knew a win at home to Uzbekistan would be enough for a ticket to Russia, and all expected exactly that would happen. This is a team that delivers.

“We tried not to think about the World Cup, not to play two games in the same game,” said Queiroz who was appointed in 2011. “We just wanted to focus on Uzbekistan, just win the game and collect the points. No doubt we were the best team on the pitch and fortunately we won. Someone needs to win in football, and it was us.”

After four years in which Iran was Asia’s highest-ranked team according to FIFA, few would argue that this team is the best on the pitch, the only one of any of the traditional continental powerhouses to shine consistently in qualification.

Despite that, Queiroz believes Iran still has work to do.

“I think that, honestly, there are two competitions in Asia,” said the former Real Madrid and Portugal boss. “The stats and the real competition. From a data point of view, the numbers show that we are the No. 1 and there is no doubt about that. We did not concede one goal, did not lose and qualified with two games left.

“But overall, we are far away from the international level. In that sense, I believe that South Korea and Japan are one step ahead of us. They have more experience and football closer to European standards. This is the gap we need to close during our preparation.”

Carlos Queiroz’s Iran became the second team to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, after Brazil.

Preparation is key. There is a year until it all starts. In the past, Iran have struggled to arrange training camps and friendlies, watching with envy as Asian rivals play all around the world.

“Not many [understand] as to the right amount of credit we deserve for this qualification,” he said. “It is hard to explain to the world our problems and that it is hard to find a place to train or teams to play.”

Queiroz has had numerous run-ins with bosses at the Iranian Football Federation and various clubs in his six years in the position. Now he wants total support in the 12 months leading to Russia.

“I will try to make a statement similar to a famous statement made by a famous old and great president: The question is not what Team Melli can do for Iran, but what Iran can do for Team Melli.

“In order to progress, we need better infrastructure and financial support for camps and friendly games.If we don’t do that, the result will be stagnation. This is not the expectation for Iran fans and not what they deserve.

“It is time to say that the national team has been doing everything for Iranian football, now it is time for the authorities to step up. The passion is there and we need to implement a different program in order for different players to progress. In Portugal we were producing good players 26 or 30 years ago, but in Portugal we did not sleep and kept producing players. This is what Iran misses — a master plan with an infrastructure and individual support.”

If all goes well, the next stage of the plan is within reach. Iran has appeared in four World Cups but has yet to survive the group stage.

Iran performed well in 2014, but this is a different team now — more cosmopolitan, confident and consistent. Young stars like striker Sardar Azmoun and midfielder Saeid Ezatolahi are already in Russia but ready to make the jump to the big leagues and expand further the country’s growing pool of players who are active and impressing in Europe.

“We have built a team and a squad of 26 and more players and I have more options,” he said. “I have three goalkeepers, three right-backs and so on. At the next World Cup, I can rest people and keep them fresh for the games while keeping the same standard.

“This is due to our players being brilliant. I have never saw in my life players who made such sacrifices.”

Now is not the time to stop.

“My goal and dream is to get to the knockout stage at the 2018 World Cup. I am fighting against this satisfaction disease. We should not be satisfied with the first round. We need to be ambitious. We need to think big. We will not go to Russia as tourists.”

John Duerden covers Asian football for ESPN FC. Follow him on Twitter: @JohnnyDuerden.

 

 

The difference between Football laws of Spain & Iran.

While Iran’s Ali Karimi is appointed as the assistant coach of National Team without any training credentials  , in Spain the legendary Zinedine Zidane  is banned from coaching a reserve team because he does not hold the right qualification.

The former France international did not possess the necessary certificates to train the Blancos’ second-string side and, as a result, cannot return to the bench until 2015

Real Madrid reserve team boss Zinedine Zidane has been banned from the bench for three months over missing coaching qualifications.

There was a complaint made against Zidane’s position as Real Madrid Castilla head coach in August, a position he had taken during the summer after choosing to step aside as Carlo Ancelotti’s assistant with the club’s first team.

The former midfielder has a Uefa A Licence – equivalent to Level 2 qualifications in Spain – but needed Level 3 badges to hold the position to take charge of the Blancos’ second string.

Zidane’s deputy, Santiago Sanchez, has been handed the same ban as he used his qualifications to shield Zidane from being pulled up on his lack of coaching badges, which the Champions League winner now must obtain before early April to avoid further sanctions.

Obviously , Iran Football Federation does not believe in such unnecessary Spanish bureaucracy which mars the progress of football in the Iran !