Tag: Sardar Azmoun

Iran vs Uruguay match preview.

Uruguay is a known quality Latin American team that depends on physical strength more than the finesse of the Brazilians.
Like the top footballing nations of South America, Uruguay has exported large numbers of footballers to Europe to enjoy the riches of the European leagues. Therefore, Head Coach Diego Alonso has a wealth of players at his disposal and can always field a strong side against any opponent.
However, Uruguay national team has recently suffered from aging players who tend to hang on despite their advancing ages. Players like Luis Suárez (35); Diego Godín (36) Edison Cavani (35) and Fernando Muslera (36) are still included in the squad.
Undoubtedly Alonso will use the match against Iran to give his younger players the chance to prove themselves as worthy of a place in the final list flying to Doha while putting them through their paces against a tough opponent. So, it is expected that Darwin Núñez (23), Federico Valverde (24), Matías Viña (24), Ronald Araújo (23) Lucas Torreira (26) to take the center stage.

As for Iran, it will interesting to see if Carlos Queiroz will stick to his old and trusted game plan and close all the gaps on the Uruguayans or perhaps be more adventurous with the likes of Azmoun and Taremi up front. Defense is one of the strong points of the Latin American team and the Iranians will it quite difficult to breach the defenses of Uruguay. With somehow a modest midfield that lacks creativity, most of the offensive moves by Iran are expected to be made from the half-backs with players Rezaeian, Moharrami, and Mohammadi doing the work.
Another interesting observation is whom will Queiroz pick for central defense, will he stay with the duo Khalilzadeh-Kananizadegan who were fundamental in Iran’s qualification to the FIFA World Cup and the two that Dragan Skocic religiously believed in, or will the Portuguese pick his own favorites from 2019 Majid Hosseini and Pouralganji?

Queiroz keeps the cards close to his heart and so far he has been following the same style. He is not going to reveal much to the press about his game plans and player selection either. However, it was interesting to notice some observers during Queiroz’s press conference that the Portuguese has slightly changed his attitude that he was well known in Iran. That venomous, tough-talking, and defying man has become a cooler and more settled character. Perhaps it is a sign of advancing age or it could be that Portugues no longer wants to open fronts against everyone and everybody, preferring to work quietly and avoid confrontations, especially with the press. Of course, officially he is only contracted to the bench of Team Melli until the World Cup with an option for extension.

For some players m this match is vital though. Saman Ghoddos needs to prove himself as this player has stagnated. He is one of the few players that can turn the team’s fortunes with his magical passes and vision. It is a crucial time for him and Team Melli.  Ansarifard‘s selection is because he is one of the Portuguese favorites but his performance has not been anything to shout about, the same can be said of Hajsafi. Both are capable players and can be useful for Team Melli but they really need to step up and be counted. There are more capable players who can claim a place in the team.

Beiranvand is another player on the edge. He had two bad seasons in Europe and Abedzadeh took the number one spot and showed quite a bit of class too. No doubt that Beiranvand is in the good books of the coach, but will he prove his worth against Uruguay?

Azmoun’s case is puzzling. The move to the Bundesliga so far has been a big-time flop. In European leagues, there is precious little time for a player to settle and Azmoun for one reason or another did not manage that with Bayer Leverkusen. He needs to play well against Uruguay and prove his worth for Team Melli at least.

Kick Off time is GMT +3
Iran Time: 20:30

Team Melli : Health check.

With less than 90 days to run for the start of the Team Melli World Cup adventure, the news of the Coaching Team, the Players, and the administration is far from encouraging.

THE COACH

Starting with Dragan Skočić. The off then On drama of his coaching Team Melli has left a bitter taste not in the mouth of the Croat but in many circles including the masses and the true fans of Team Melli. The hard-working Croat is actively planning and working as if nothing has happened, but down deep inside, he knows that these people cannot be trusted and he could be out of a job in no time especially now that Mehdi taj has robbed the presidency of the FFIRI.

This instability in Skočić added to the still lingering opposition to him by key players like Taremi will only serve to diminish Team Melli’s chances in Doha. No matter how sincere  Skočić is and how dedicated of a person he can be, there are enemies within that will destroy him and want to see him fail. These are the same lobbyists who are calling for the return of Carlos Queiroz as if he is the messiah and the savior of Team Melli who can create miracles in less than 90 days. Of course, the fact that in 8 years of Queiroz, he has not won anything for Iran, is irrelevant to this strong lobby.

Stability is important, and right now this whole squad lacks stability due to the coaching situation.

THE PLAYERS

With the World Cup fast approaching, there is much more bad news from the players than encouraging ones.  Perhaps Mehdi Taremi is the only paler that showed some promise this season in his matches with Porto. But Taremi is also the agent provocateur of the squad and his commitment to Dragan Skocic is suspect.. The player has proven several times that his attitude can be alarming on and off the field.

Saradr Azmoun , the golden boy of the squad has been having a tough time. He is a n=bench player with Leverkusen after being a star and a champion in the Russian League with Zenit. The horrendous drop in form can be attributed to several things including events outside the pitch and his involvement with a court case.

Alireza Jahanbakhsh is yet another disappointment with Feyenoord. He is also a bench warmer and has yet to score this season. His fall from grace after such a promising start with the dutch side is nothing but bad news for Team Melli selectors.

The third choice forward is Karim Ansarifdard. The former AEK Athens player finally chose to join a Cypriot Team. After being on the bench for AEK, he needs to prove himself at Omonia and has a good opportunity to do so, especially as the team is involved in the Europa Cup and could be playing against the might of Manchester United and Real Sociedad else his selection for the World Cup is suspect.

Vahid Amiri, the dynamo of the team is still injured and in the recovery phase. His availability is vital for Skocic. Amiri has only limited days to find his form once again.

Saeed Ezatollahi the Marco Polo of Iranian football is currently without a club. He failed to impress in the middle of the table Qatari club and soon was released. He is a player who lacks stability changing teams every season. If his performance in Qatar Star League is to go upon, Ezatollahi is nowhere near World Cup appearance standard He needs to improve fast with whatever club.

Another player who is warming the bench is Saman Ghoddos.  His promising start with Brentford is all history now. Despite some positive games whenever he was given the chance to play, Ghoddos has failed to impress Brentford coach with his value as a starter.

There was an injury scare for Shojaa KHALILZADEH recently but he recovered well and is expected to be a key player in the World Cup

Hossein Kananizadegan has been a piece of rare good news for Team Melli. He is performing strongly in the Qatar league and even scoring for his club. So far his selection for the World Cup is more than assured.

Off some quite disappointing seasons in European Leagues, Alireza Beiranvand returned to Iran and Persepolis to regain the number one spot in Team Melli that Abedzadeh has won from him. With the domestic league already in the fifth week, Beiranvand is solid. It remains to be seen if Skocic still believes in him as number one.

Majid Hosseini had a good season with Kayserispor in TUrky and has started well this season too. He remains a strong contender for the central defense post that mostly was filled by Kanani-zadegan and Khalilzadeh.

Ahmad NOUROLLAHI , Ali GHOLIZADEH, Omid NOORAFKAN, and Sadegh MOHARRAMI have performed well this season and should have no problem being in the squad.

Yasin Salmani the young prodigy from Sepahn will have a strong case for inclusion so is Mehdi Ghaedi who has returned back from UAE to join Esteghlal. Allahyar Sayyadmanesh will probably miss the World Cup or not recover in time from his injury.

Omid EBRAHIMI, Mehdi MEHDIPOUR, and Milad SARLAK,  are also contenders and have been playing well for their respective clubs.

The rank outsider is Ramin Rezaeian. The current Sepahan Players have been playing well this season. His performance might very well mean a recall to Team Melli. He can perform in the midfield and at the back.

ffiri

The election of Mehdi Taj as head of FFIRI has created much instability in Iran football. The man has many cases open against him for mismanagement and even funds misappropriation s in relation to Marc Wilmots’ file, yet by the grace of the almighty, he returns back with the majority of votes, 51 to be exact, the same number of votes that he won his first election!

The man who has been a career industrialist working for government organizations and industries has great support from the government, after all, he is their man. He is a Queiroz advocate and he might just try to bring him back. Whether he succeeds or not, such moves are all negative points for Team Melli.

Taj is not a great leader either. He was involved in the embarrassing ceremony of revealing the World Cup Trophy in Milad tower that abruptly ended in embarrassment and shame for Iran’s football. Not much was expected from him in boosting Team Melli’s chances.

CONCLUSION

On Paper, Iran stands a moderate to a good chance of qualifying for the next round behind England the undisputed favorite. However, there have been lots of negatives that have affected team Melli recently

The picture is not too rosy for Team Melli’s chances. The reality is that many key players are suffering a dip in form particularly the European Legionnaires that Skocic so depended on. If the conflicts between the coach and some minority yet strong-voiced players are not completely sorted out, then it could end up as one of the worst performances of Team Melli in a World Cup.

Team Melli Squad: Who is going to make it to Qatar?

No doubt that the Croat Head Coach of Team Melli is experiencing the busiest and the most important days of his coaching career as he prepares the list of passengers to Doha comes November of this year.

Skocic has only one window and that is FIFA Day in September to decide his final list probably after the Uruguay and Senegal matches.  While some of the players automatically have reserved their names on board the flight to Qatar others who played in the qualification might not be so assured of a place.

In this article, we will discuss individual players’ chances and any reasons that the coaching team might find crucial to include the player while discussing the reasons why some are dispensable. Like always, not every justification for selection or not is pure football related. Other factors always weigh in and in a country like Iran with political and social sensitivity, the reasons for exclusion are aplenty.

GOALKEEPERS

  1. Alireza Beiranvand: His inclusion will all depend on his club form with Persepolis and whether Golmohammadi picks him to be his number one in Persepolis. His shaky foreign adventure does not augur well for inclusion in the World Cup squad. His work in Iran will determine his incusion  50%
  2. Amir ABEDZADEH: Despite one or two errors, Abdezadeh remains as the number one keeper. His good start in Spain should enhance his chances too. 80%
  3. Hossein Hosseini: Lacks consistency with a standard that can vary between the brilliance to the ridiculous clumsy. However, he remains a contender for the squad. 55%
  4. Payam Niazmand: A young goalkeeper who did not have a syuccesful trial in Europe and his short stint ended as he is back with Sepahan. Like Beiranvand, he really needs to excel to convince Skocic of his worth. 45%

DEFENDER

  1. Aref AGHASI: Steady defender who defends with confidence. Lacks international exposure which is quite important for the World Cup. He has however many challengers for his post in Team Melli 45%
  2. Aref GHOLAMI: Similar to  Aghasi’s case with little international experience. He is a solid defender that can be a competent replacement when needed. 45%
  3. Danial ESMAEILIFAR: Although made his debut for Team Melli at a late age, his strong showing in last season’s league convinced the selectors of his value. The World Cup might be too difficult of a target for him. 35%
  4. Ehsan HAJSAFI: The long-serving versatile player has been ever present for Team Melli. However, as time passes and circumstances change Hajisafi’s chances of making his 3rd World Cup in a row is quite dim. Not only he is in the rebel group, but he has also been utilized less and less in recent matches.  It is difficult to see him included in the last 26 players list. 45%
  5. Hossein KANANI-ZADEGAN: Despite his off-the-field antics, which put him in trouble with the authorities, he remains a strong defender and reliable player for the team. His chances are enhanced with his good performance in the new season in Qatar. 85%
  6. Majid HOSSEINI: Improving with age and experience gained in the Turkish League. He might not be a fixed player in the lineup but quite an important bench that Skocic can call upon in case of injury to any of his defenders. 75% 
  7. Mehdi MEHDIPOUR: A good utility player that has impressed with his club. As a newcomer, he has little exposure at the international level so it is quite possible that he will not be on the list. 48%
  8. Milad MOHAMMADI: Perhaps the left-back did not have the best of time in the Greek League but he is still a solid defender with a pace that is important when facing the like of England. 75%
  9. Morteza Pouralganji: Has been absent for a long time due to injury. His return back to Iran from the Chinese league will only serve to enhance his chances for inclusion on the list. 67#
  10. Omid NOORAFKAN: One of the players who has solidified his place in the squad. Has performed strongly and remains one of the best players for his club Sepahan. 85%
  11. Sadegh MOHARRAMI: Limited time with Dynamo Zagreb but Moharrami has qualities that are needed for the team. His weaknesses could be troublesome but in the end, he remains a determined and highly motivated player. 78%
  12. Saleh HARDANI: The right-back is one of the players that have a great future. In the style of Kaebi, he has pace and agility that can surprise the opposition. His selection depends on the number of defenders Skocic needs in the squad. 55%
  13. Shojaa KHALILZADEH: One of the key players but injury prone. Not enjoying the start of the news season as his team is right at the bottom of the league in Qatar. His value for Team Melli though is undeniable. 80%

MIDFIELD

  1. Ahmad NOUROLLAHI: One player that keeps improving and should be in the squad without much doubt. He has enough experience to face the big teams in the World Cup 80%
  2. Ali GHOLIZADEH: Tacticsl, nifty and skillful dribbler. The qualities that are needed to break defenses. Has a tendency to disappear from the action at times in some games, but still a classy player 80%
  3. Alireza JAHANBAKHSH: has been nothing but disappointment in Europe, although his Team Melli games have not suffered. As one of the rebels, he might end up missing the World Cup, but Skocic will miss his experiences in case he is overlooked. 55%
  4. Mehdi Torabi: A player with so much promise but has not achieved his potential yet. He remains a fringe player in team Melli but also a player that enriches the bench. 60%
  5. Milad SARLAK: Good and solid midfielder who has not disappointed when he was asked to play for the Team. The only problem for selection remains the numbers that the selectors will decide for each of the lines. 45%
  6. Omid EBRAHIMI: A player that has been recently recalled to Team Melli after being overlooked. His undoubted skills, work rate, and dynamics are a delight to see and something that coaches always welcome from a player. 75%
  7. Ramin REZAEIAN: Another player that has been ignored mostly due to disciplinary issues. He has started very well with Sepahan and has shown much of his skills and abilities during the start of the season. A  strong contender for a place in Doha. 60%
  8. Saeid EZZATOLLAHI :  Another of the disappointing players who never achieved stability. Keeps changing clubs every season. His standard has been affected and shows a lack of consistency during the games, He does however has a physical presence that is quite useful at the International level. 40%
  9. Saman GHODDOS: A bench player for his club. Never achieved the grade with two seasons in the English Premiere league. Little Match time to check his standards 45&
  10. Soroush RAFIEI: The player is making a strong case for his inclusion. He is on the brink and stands a fair chance. 50%
  11. Vahid AMIRI: One of the key players for Team Melli. Suffered a long injury and has not played yet for Persepolis in the League. The progress of his injury is sketchy. He might not recover in time for inclusion but if he is fit and goes through the tough training then Amiri is a must for Team Melli. 70%
  12. Yasin SALMANI: This young player and leader is the talk of the town in Iran football. He has yet to make his debut for Team Melli but has played and captained the Omid team. Lack of international experience is his only weakness. Despite that, his chances are better than fair to be on the list. 57%

FORWARD

  1. Ali ALIPOUR: A player that is making a good case to be included in the squad. He started the season with a winning goal and if he continues his good form, it will force the selectors to include him. 50%
  2. Allahyar SAYYADMANESH: Another of the young guns that lay a claim for inclusion in the list. He has not been playing well at the start of the season for his club and that might put his chances in jeopardy. 55%
  3. Amir Hossein HOSSEINZADEH: Yet another young talent. The same rules and limitations apply here too. Simply lack of international exposure rather than anything else. 53% 
  4. Karim ANSARIFARD: A player that has failed to impress for many seasons now. Apqrt fpor cameo apperances for Team Melli, he is also unwanted by his club who are desperate to get rid of him. He did not endear himself to the head coach either being in the rebel group of players. 40%
  5. Kaveh Rezaei: Recently moved back to the Iranian league. Due to administrative issues, he is not yet registered to play and hence did not play yet. Difficult to see him on the plane unless he makes it good in the league this season. 40%
  6. Mehdi GHAEDI: Back with Esteghlal and strongly too. Ghaedi cannot be a starter for Team Melli for many reasons but specifically his weak physique. But as a substitute, he can be useful if he can stand the tackles of the English and Welsh players in particular. 68%
  7. Mehdi TAREMI: If there is any doubt about this player, it is his demeanor and attitude. He led the rebellion against Skocic and was outspoken about it. To be fair, that should exclude him from Team Melli automatically as he will be a disruptive element in the team that requires unity and harmony. It all depends on how SKocic will approach this big problem and whether Taremi maintains respect for the coach, especially behind his back. His chances for inclusion are neutral because of his attitude, else he is a key player on the field. 51%
  8. Mehrdad MOHAMMADI: Despite a good start for his team in Qatar, he has struggled lately in a league that demands a lot from foreigners. 45%
  9. Sardar AZMOUN: A key player and indespensible. He has been having off-the-field problems lately that have surely affected his concentration. Azmoun remains one of the best Team Melli players and a player that has scored crucial goals. 90%

We have picked 26 players that have the best chance of making it to the World Cup. We have excluded players such as Ansarifard, Hajsafim Ezatollahi, and Saman Ghoddos. The last word and decision are of course with Dragan Skocic and his coaching staff. There will no doubt be some developments,  circumstances, changes in priorities, and the usual interferences that will affect the issue. We believe that the biggest hurdle that Skocic needs to tackle is to regain the player’s confidence and minimize or completely bypass the disruptive elements. That is easier said than done. How he manages the rebels if and only if he decides to select them is crucial for Team Melli. chances

World Cup i is an arena where Men rather than boys perform and show their worth. The emphasis must be on the unity of the Team and everyone playing for Iran and the fans not to promote themselves and their interests.,

Progress of Team Melli legionnaires in Europe

As if the shambolic status of football is not bad enough, the disappointing news from Europe has cast a shadow on Team Melli with less than 100 days to go to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

Nine key Team Melli players are engaged in the European leagues plus a possible few more candidates for selection which Dragan Skocic has been keeping a close look at.

Jahanbakhsh, Azmoun, Taremi, Ansarifard, Hajsafy, Mohammadi, and Sayyadmanesh are the main squad players in addition to Alipour who is one of the strong contenders for selection.
Apart from Mehdi Taremi who has started the new league where he left off scoring a brace in the opening match, the news of the rest has been not encouraging and in many cases quite disappointing.

Alireza Jahanbakhsh, the Captain of Team Melli has been having a tough time since he moved to Feyenoord. His chances of continuing with the famous Dutch club are slim as he is turned from a promising start to a fringe player making cameo appearances for the club. It is safe to say that Jahanbakhsh has never fulfilled his potential with Brighton and now it seems that the story is repeating itself in the Dutch league with Feyenoord.

Sardar Azmoun is a similar story in the Bundesliga. Unlike his brilliant displays and goal-scoring traits in the Russian league, the leading forward of Team Melli is finding life tough in German football as he has been struggling with Leverkusen. It will not be long before Azmoun becomes a bench player with the way things are progressing unless he drastically improves.

Mehdi Taremi has no such problem as his country teammates and seems to be enjoying his time with FC Porto who are leading the Portuguese table with 2 wins out of 2. Despite the disappointment of not being sought by major European Clubs in the transfer market as some of his teammates have succeeded in, Taremi seems to be content with doing his job in Portugal and enhancing his reputation in the process.

Allahyar Sayadmanesh who plays for the second-tier English league club has shown enough promise for the club to buy him outright after a loan spell from Fenerbahce. Hull City is leading the Championship table with two wins out of two. Sayyadmanesh is hoping to make a real impression in order for Dragan Skocic to dislodge Ansarifard and pick the young forward for the World Cup.

Karim Ansarifard’s case is perhaps the most disappointing. The Greek club AEK Athens has been having difficulty finding a buyer for the unwanted Ansarifard. It seems that the much-traveled forward is on the move again after a disappointing in the 2021/22 season where he played 29 matches but scored 4 goals only.

Milad Mohammadi and Ehsan Hajsafy seem to have better fortune with AEK Athens. Although the new season has not started yet, it seems that the club intended to keep the two Iranians in their squad for 2022/23 season.

Amir Abedzadeh is experiencing his second season with the second-tier Spanish league club Ponferradina. Although the season has not started yet, Abedzadeh played well for the team and managed to make 35 appearances for the club.

Saman Ghoddos has been perhaps the most disappointing of the lot playing for Brentford, or at least trying to play. He was an unused substitute in his club’s brilliant performance in destroying Manchester United 4-0 on Saturday. All 5 Brentford were used in the demolishing of Man Utd but Ghoddos was nowhere to be seen. He was not even on the bench for the first match against Leicester City on the opening day of the English Premier League. It seems that his days in Brentford are numbered.

Ali Alipour is another forward lurking in the shadow of the big boys of Team Melli.  The 26 years old forward has changed club this season moving to Gil Vicente in the Portuguese League. He started the new season well by scoring in the first match. Alipour is a real contender for a place on the plane to Doha comes the World Cup.

The Guardian reporting on Iran’s Team Melli fading hopes.

Iran’s World Cup hopes fading amid botched sacking and squad acrimony

Iran striker Sardar Azmoun
Striker Sardar Azmoun wrote a post on Instagram professing to speak for the squad and calling for Iran’s manager to stay on until after the World Cup. It swiftly led to angry reactions from other players. Photograph: Seokyong Lee/Penta Press/Shutterstock

Team’s star players at loggerheads over future of coach Dragan Skocic, leaving optimism and preparations for Qatar in tatters

The volte-face was welcomed by Sardar Azmoun, the Bayer Leverkusen forward who retired from international football at the age of 23 in 2018 after facing heavy criticism from supporters, only to return a few months later.

“We are members of the national team of Islamic Republic of Iran,” he wrote on Instagram. “We thank Iran for the efforts and support of the government officials in the direction of all-round support for the national team. We announce that in the current situation, we will work together with the technical staff to make the hearts of the Iranian people happy in the Qatar World Cup, and trust us and the national team in this critical and short period. The World Cup should be fully supported. @teammellifootball We, the players, ask you not to change anything, let’s leave everything for after the World Cup.”

Iran players Mehdi Taremi and Alireza Jahanbakhsh celebrate qualification for the Qatar World Cup.
Mehdi Taremi (left) and Alireza Jahanbakhsh, two of the senior players who came out publicly against Azmoun’s social-media post. Photograph: Mohammad Farnood/Sipa/Shutterstock

A few hours later, Mehdi Taremi – the Porto striker who scored a brilliant overhead kick against Chelsea that was voted Champions League goal of the season in 2021 – responded with an angry message that said Azmoun had spoken out “without consent” and “against our wishes”.

“It is disrespectful to the national team to issue statements in the name of the national team based on the personal interests of some players and causing the team to be divided,” he wrote. “Denying the current difficult situation that the national team is facing only increases the mountain of our problems.”

Taremi’s message was shared and liked by the captain, Alireza Jahanbakhsh, the former Brighton forward who plays for Feyenoord, and several other senior players. Taremi, Jahanbakhsh, and the AEK Athens duo Ehsan Hajsafi and Karim Ansarifard had been among a group of senior players who met the Iranian sports minister during their training camp in Qatar last month to demand that Skocic be removed from his post.

Iran’s manager Dragan Skocic
Iran’s Croat manager Dragan Skocic, who was sacked and then reinstated. Photograph: Getty Images

“They would never have dared to do something like that to Carlos Queiroz,” says Shaygan Banisaeid, a coach for Arsenal’s Football in the Community scheme who came to England from Iran in 2019, referencing the national team’s former coach. “After that, the team went into two groups. One led by Azmoun, with the younger players who have been given their chance by Skocic and are happy with him. Then there are the more experienced players with European experience who want to make a change. Unity used to be one of the team’s biggest strengths but we don’t have that any more.”

Elections for president take place on 30 August and Skocic’s position is expected to come under more pressure before the next training camp in September. Meanwhile, Ole Gunnar Solsjkær has been among those linked to the post along with Ali Daei, the former striker who saw Cristiano Ronaldo take his all-time international goalscoring record last year, even though Daei has not managed for three years and has said he is not interested in taking over.

Queiroz is Iran’s longest-serving manager after leading them to creditable World Cup campaigns in Russia, where they only just missed out on the last 16 after drawing with his native Portugal, and Brazil. He is available having left his post with Egypt despite leading them to the final of the Africa Cup of Nations in February, although many feel nationality could count against Sir Alex Ferguson’s former assistant.

“This is the opinion that some people have,” says Banisaeid. “They believe that the Iranian government wants to play at the World Cup against its political opponents England and USA with an Iranian coach so they can show that we are a proud nation fighting against our big rivals with our own people.

“It’s a big dilemma: can they continue with Dragan Skoic if he isn’t going to be able to unite the players? asks Banisaeid, who has also coached at Fulham and Middlesbrough. “This will be our third World Cup in a row and there was lots of optimism when we saw the draw that this could be a good chance to get through the group. Even though some people may have underestimated the USA and Wales, everyone thought we could do something in Qatar. But now everyone is so disappointed and there is not much hope among the public. It’s heartbreaking for the nation.”

Mehdi Taremi, from hero to villain!

From the moment it was announced that Adel Ferdosipour had interviewed Mehdi Tarimi and that this discussion was going to be broadcast in cyberspace, it was clear that some of his statements would become controversial, divisive, and might very well create friction in the team and fans for a long time. As much as Taremi’s value as a striker is undeniable, his controversial talking is harmful to himself! In this case, the predictions came true and some of the topics raised by Taremi became the center of attention, criticism, and various conflicting opinions. He has already managed to create divisiveness & sedition.

This player, who had taken a stand against Dragan Skočić, becoming the spokesman for some other players as well, questioned Skocic’s competence in a conversation with Ferdosipour. Taremi criticized the exclusion of and then the U-turn of Esteghlal players from the Team Melli camp and then claimed that in the past year, far too many players have been selected for Team Melli !, which is not a good thing to say. These statements had wide repercussions amongst the stakeholders in Iranian football, which were mostly negative.

Who are you, What position are you in?

Some of Tarami’s statements might be merited but some are not. But here, the criticism of the speaker is more important than the content of the speech. Basically, no player in the world’s professional football should give himself the right to openly and candidly take a position against the Coaching staff and particularly the Leader, the head coach.

If this issue becomes a normal procedure, no stone will be left unturned. It is really rare and rare that even the greatest players in the world of football have taken such positions against their coaches. You don’t see this behavior from Messi and Ronaldo either. Didn’t Paris Saint-Germain have a few failures? Have you ever heard Kylian Mbappe criticize his coach as the best player on this team?

The crossroads of Skocic.

Even if Tarami’s efforts to dismiss Skočić were successful, the story would not be over, because in this case, the next coach to take over, would have to be approved by him in order to survive. is that the correct thing for a football team? Skocic’s difficult dilemma is now on how to deal with the issue of Mehdi Taremi, and to a lesser extent Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Ehsan Hajsafi.  Dragan Skočić has now faced a big predicament. That he does not invite these players and significantly reduces the Team’s foundation in the World Cup, or that he pleads ignorance to the fact that there are players who don’t respect him and might spread the bad word in the camp.  in which case his authority will be questioned even more. All this could not exist if Tarami maintained his sense of responsibility and did not utter those unnecessary words.

Mehdi Taremi has proved through the few years that he has a behavior problem. His action on the field doesn’t reflect his age. His famous dismissal in the Champions League was when he kicked the ball away a few minutes after he was awarded a yellow card. This typified his immaturity and lack of emotional control. Despite his popularity amongst the Porto fans, Taremi is probably the most hated player in the Portuguese league. He is famous for his diving and deception of referees and is the subject of many reporters’ criticism for lack of sportsmanship.

Is Taremi an Asset or Liability?

Right now, looking at the picture, it looks like Mehdi Taremi is a risk and a dangerous element in the Team Melli camp. Thinking that he will change his attitude and mentality in a few days or months is simply impossible. He has a lot of grudge against Skočić starting from day one.  His exclusion from the team is not going to be disastrous for Iran with the presence of Sardar Azmoun to spearhead the offensive line. The problem is the exclusion of Jahanbakhsh.

In any case, Skočić must choose between discipline, values, and respect or act as if nothing has happened and call Taremi back in the hope of better things.

How is more valuable for team Melli?

A comparison table on the performance of Azmoun and Daei for reference

Sardar Azmoun Mehdi Taremi
Age 27 30
Club Bayer Leverkusen FC Porto
No of seasons in Europe 15 6
Foreign leagues Russia & Germany Qatar & Portugal
Games played 217 243
Goals scored 86 125
Yellow card 38 32
Red Cards 2 4
League title 3 1
TEAM MELLI
Matches 63 58
Seasons 9 8
goals scored 40 29
Yellow card 10 8
Red Cards 0 0

Sardar Azmoun: “Dismissal of Skocic was an act of cowardice”

Team Melli’s central forward and its top active scorer did not munch his word in support of Head Coach Dragan Skocic.

“The dismissal of Skocic was an act of cowardice by the so-called technical committee (laughing).  What can I say? This action (the removal of Skocic by the technical committee) was the bottom of cowardice. There was one camp left until the start of the World Cup and these things are happening. Why do we keep on lying?  When Queiroz eventually left the country, there was only one person who went to the airport to bid farewell to him; He was also his driver. If we want to fire him, let’s do it right. Don’t be ungrateful.”

“Skocic was the man who took the national team’s hand in Bahrain and led the team to the World Cup. Ok, even if he is a bad person as some claim; at least show some grace and gratitude toward the man. Let’s say that his tactics were below zero, how is that possible while he lead us to qualification to the World Cup without any problems? what kind of logic these people are using?. We have to treat people who come from outside the country well. Even if Guardiola takes over now, we can’t do anything either, there was only one camp left until the World Cup.

Whether it is Skocic or Queiroz at the helm, it does not make a difference to me, I am here to stay with Team Melli, I am me. We have eight days of camp next. Do you think Guardiola can overturn the team’s tactics in these eight days? This was cowardice. I look at it from the point of view of humanity; This was cowardice.

 

Don’t be like many snake players!

Azmoun also criticized many players who were lobbying. Don’t be like many snake players! We were born as men and we must die as men. I hope the young players have a clean heart; If your heart is pure, you will reach everywhere. Don’t be like many snake players and don’t go underwater. Your heart must be pure, otherwise, you will not get anywhere. I spoke with Mehdi (Taremi) last night. We are always in touch. I said that I don’t like people who change their words at a whim, whether it’s my family or strangers. That’s why it’s better to avoid them; Why take the risk?

90% of Iranian players are full of bragging

Even if my head is put down, I will still speak out. I have to keep my word and be honest. 90% of Iranian player only claims. do not doubt that. Some did nothing yet claim a place in Team Melli as their right !!. We have this player who was not been invited by two national team coaches. How long has he been playing? Now he thinks that he is technically the best player in his post; No, my dear, you must be honest with yourself first and know that you are “locked” out because you are not what you claim. During Queiroz’s time, when I had a row before the World Cup in Brazil, I was honest with myself and said that I had no right to go to the World Cup because I played badly. I said this also crying. Don’t pretend by showing your body on Instagram, I’m not saying like me, but be honest with yourself and don’t pretend to be a game and post on Instagram and show your body. These do not help. If you are a man, show yourself and help the national team for the World Cup. Personally, I will do whatever it takes to fight for my country’s national team in the World Cup, no matter who the coach is.

Two players, claiming they are talking on behalf of the rest,  did not want Skocic!

The final part of the Azmoun talk was about allegations that one or two unnamed Team Melli players have spoken on behalf of the rest to officials regarding Skocic.  “I doubt that those two players talked about such a thing. But it is better to ask them directly so that there is no misunderstanding. I talked to one of those two people who doesn’t lie, He said that I didn’t talk about changing the coach at all. But there were other players who have spoken on our behalf, which is wrong and distasteful. One of our players said that the players don’t want this head coach, but we will speak our mind to him and solve this issue.”

Meanwhile, the executives of the Football Federation, in particular, the acting head Mirshad Majedi have yet to officially announce the sacking of Skocic. Majedi, who two weeks ago was talking about the extension of the contract of Skocic to beyond the AFC Asian Cup 2023 has remained tight-lipped and in negotiation with the Minister of Sports.

 

Team Melli instability continues to raise concerns.

The countdown to the start of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar has reached 134. While all the teams in the most important football tournament in the world have prepared their plans with the necessary support, resources, and detailed requirement in order to get the best performance tout of their teams, the case in Iran is quite different.

Team Melli is facing many challenges and struggling despite the fact that they qualified early and with many matches to spare. The crisis began after the dismissal of the Head of the federation, it is now embroiled in rumors of the impending dismissal of Dragan Skocic from his post as head coach of the national team.

“Behind the scenes, the intervention of people outside the football federation to bring about change has put undue pressure on the federation. Controversially several players of Team Melli are playing significant roles to push for change. Mirshad Majedi, the acting head of the Football Federation, entered the fray after seeing the two parties that had arisen among Team Melli players in stories supporting or criticizing Dragan Skocic, to end the matter for good by contacting them directly.
Majedi conveyed his displeasure about the behavior of the players to the senior members of the Iranian national team. He, who was surprised by the arrival of several new players in the recent camp of the team, postponed dealing with them to another time to show that he has decided to talk to the main players of the squad and calm the created atmosphere.

Among the strong supporters of Skocic, Azamoun and Taremi have been the most vocal. In an act of sedation, some new players, led by provocateurs are supporting the other side. The partisan is also clearly felt in the media which are taking sides, instead of encouraging stability and accepting the Croat.

The efforts of Majedi to change the atmosphere team’s dressing room have been counteracted by secret meetings in the corridors of the Ministry of Sports. Majedi, who no longer categorically dismisses Dragan Skocic’s departure, is now struggling with all kinds of demands to replace the Croatian head coach. The catalyst of these demands comes from the Ministry which has a long history of interference behind the scenes and applying all sorts of pressures to the extent of threats to get to their demands. In public, however, The Ministry always manitains the official policy of non-interference in FFIRI affairs and respect for the federation as an independent entity.

Some patrons of Carlos Queiroz have secretly held meetings with the officials of the Ministry of Sports during Majedi’s tenure as acting head and demanded the return of the Portuguese. Meetings that were supported and perhaps attended by several representatives of the Islamic Council (the Parliament) who demanded the explicit intervention of Hamid Sajjadi, the Minister of Sports in the affairs of the FFIRI. However, Sajjadi, aware of FIFA’s sensitivity to the subject and Iran being very close to being sanctioned because of several issues, including females attendance in stadiums, has announced that he will not get directly involved in the story, but an old Queiroz advocate who is closely related to Sajjadi has given strong indications of the return of the Portuguese man creating an atmosphere of insecurity and agitation.

 Will Skocic achieve his dream of sitting on the bench of the national team in the World Cup? Will Queiroz becomes the head coach of Team Melli due to external pressures? Will an Iranian option leads the national team? You have to wait a few more days to get answers to these questions

Squad announced for June training camp

Dragan Skocic invited 25 players to the upcoming training camp starting next Monday.

Team Melli will start the training in Tehran and then move over to Istanbul before flying to Canada in preparation for the friendly international with the host country in Vancouver.  A second match was planned but never materialized.

With the injured players such as Ghoddos, Khalilzadeh, Amiri, and Pouraliganji not available for selection, Skocic added the name of two former members of Team Melli to the list, Omid Ebrahim and Ali Alipour. Notable absentees due to loss of form mean the exclusion of Mehdi Ghaedi and Kaveh Rezaei from the list.

 

Team Melli Captain Karim Ansarifard and the current AEK Athens player is the major absentee from this camp and will not accompany the national team for a long time. While the current situation requires players to secure their place in the World Cup final list by performing well with their clubs and attending training regularly, Karim was severely injured in a freak accident in the national team’s previous camp on Nowruz 1401, during a birthday party when a cake was pounded on his face, Due to that eyes injury, he also missed the game against Lebanon. As a result, he was away from training for a while and on his return, he had to conduct his training with goggles. Since his injury, Ansarifard has not played in any of his team’s matches and usually plays for a few minutes, and has now lost his place in Team Melli

Skocic has replaced  Ansarifard with Ali Alipour so that the forward who plays in the Portuguese league with Gil Vicente can finally recover after a three-year absence from the national team and may be able to improve the national team’s offensive line.

 

No. Pos. Player Date of birth  Age Caps Goals Club
GK Alireza Beiranvand 12-Sep-1992   29 50 0
 Royal Antwerp
GK Hossein Hosseini 30- May-1992   29 4 0
 Esteghlal
GK Amir Abedzadeh 26 -Apr-1993   29 9 0
 Ponferradina
DF Sadegh Moharrami 24 -Mar-1996   26 18 0
 Dinamo Zagreb
DF Aref Gholami 23-Apr-1997   25 1 0
 Esteghlal
DF Milad Mohammadi 29-Sep-1993   28 45 1
 AEK Athens
DF Hossein Kanaanizadegan 23-Mar-1994   28 32 2
 Al-Ahli
DF Saleh Hardani 14-Sep-1998   23 2 0
 Esteghlal
DF Majid Hosseini 20-Jun-1996   25 16 0
 Kayserispor
DF Omid Noorafkan 09-Apr-1997   25 12 0
 Sepahan
DF Aref Aghasi 02-Jan-1997   25 0 0
 Foolad
MF Ehsan Hajsafi (Captain) 25-Feb-1990   32 118 7
 AEK Athens
MF Saeid Ezatolahi 01-Oct-1996   25 44 1
 Vejle
MF Alireza Jahanbakhsh 11-Aug-1993   28 61 12
 Feyenoord
MF Ahmad Nourollahi 02-Jan-1993   29 23 3
 Shabab Al-Ahli
MF Milad Sarlak 26-Mar-1995   27 8 0
 Persepolis
MF Omid Ebrahimi 15-Sep-1987   34 52 0
 Al-Wakrah
MF Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh 30-Oct-2000   21 2 0
 Esteghlal
MF Mehdi Torabi 10-Sep-1994   27 34 6
 Persepolis
MF Ali Gholizadeh 10 -Mar-1996   26 23 6
 Charleroi
MF Mehdi Mehdipour 18-Feb-1994   28 2 0
 Esteghlal
FW Mehdi Taremi 18-Jul-1992   29 57 27
 Porto
FW Sardar Azmoun 01-Jan-1995   27 62 40
 Bayer Leverkusen
FW Ali Alipour 11-Nov-1995   26 3 0
 Gil Vicente
FW Allahyar Sayyadmanesh 29-Jun-2001   20 6 1
 Hull City

Iran Criticized for Slow Preparations for Qatar

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — While Japan and South Korea will start fine-tuning for the World Cup with high-profile warm-ups against Brazil next month, there are concerns in Iran that Asia’s top-ranked team has been slow off the mark with its preparations.

Iran is in Group B with England and the United States at the World Cup, which kicks off Nov. 21 in Qatar. But while there have been reports of a June friendly with New Zealand and talk of a potential match with Canada, so far Iran hasn’t confirmed its warm-up commitments.

“There appears to be no concrete plan,” Afshin Ghotbi, head coach of Iran’s national team from 2009-11, told The Associated Press. “Time is of the essence and preparation is vital to the success of Iran.

“Most teams have already arranged matches and many good opponents are not available anymore. Iran needs to urgently set up appropriate fixtures in the build-up to the World Cup.”

There has been criticism within Iran about the lack of movement so far, with a Tehran Times editorial last month headlined: “Iran wastes golden chance as always.” The editorial hoped for greater urgency when the soccer federation meets to choose a new president on May 10.

Interim president Mirshad Majedi has said no games will be announced until details are finalized.

As the country is under international sanctions, attracting teams to Tehran or traveling overseas can be more complex for Iran than its Asian rivals.

Ghotbi wants to see Iranian players such as Medhi Taremi at FC Porto and Sardar Azmoun, with Bayer Leverkusen of Germany, given every chance possible to succeed in Qatar.

Iran, No. 21 in the FIFA rankings and currently coached by Dragan Skocic, has qualified for five previous World Cups but has never progressed past the first round.

“I faced many of these challenges during my tenure, as did those who came before and after me,” Ghotbi said. “It is frustrating as Iran has a golden generation of players and if they have the best support and preparation then they can reach their true potential on the world stage.”

Carlos Queiroz, Ghotbi’s successor as head coach, complained about the quality of opposition that Iran faced leading up to the 2018 World Cup when it prepared with games against Turkey, Lithuania, Sierra Leone, Algeria, Tunisia, and Uzbekistan.

“If you copy the preparations of the last four World Cups, you don’t go anywhere. It’s a simple conclusion,” Queiroz said in 2017. At the same time, seven Iranian players took to social media to ask that the country to emulate South Korea when it came to preparations.

This time around, South Korea, drawn in Group H along with Portugal, Uruguay, and Ghana, will take on Brazil in Seoul on June 2 and then meet Chile four days later and Paraguay on June 10.

Japan will start preparations for Group E — containing Germany, Spain, and either Costa Rica or New Zealand — by taking on Brazil and Paraguay in the first week of June.

Saudi Arabia has also qualified from Asia and Qatar gets an automatic spot in the tournament as host. Australia and the United Arab Emirates will meet in an Asian playoff for the right to take on the fifth-place team from South America for another place in Qatar.