What a great match this was! From the entertaining aspect of the game, to the championship excitement, and mainly to the chess game on the bench, this match was a highlight of this IPL season.
Two important points that I noticed from the chess part of the game:
1. Daei showed Branko how he should have used Daei in WC; Last 20 minute of the match, the most critical part of the match, is when Daei should have been used.
Being as old as Daei is, when he comes in toward the last part of the game, especially a fast pace match like this, the tireness of other players makes up for his old age. Plus, when he comes in, he brings in the much needed emotional booster toward the end. With players tired and emotionally drained, Daei is very good on injecting fighting spirit.
Of course, he is now too old for TM, and perhaps even too old last year, but if there was a persistancy and a way to use Daei in TM, this was the only way that would have worked. Branko's mistake on this issue damaged his career as well as Daei's career among Iranian football fans.
I could see things are about to change when I saw Daei's face warming up. So Daei comes in, and previously frustrated Saipa players change the outcome of the match, and subsequently, the outcome of the IPL championship.
With Esteghlal's victory, Esteghlal could have closed the season with two relatively easier matches ahead. But, as soon as Daei comes in, a 1-0 victory changes to 2-1 for Saipa to take them to top of IPL, and put them in driver's seat for championship. Co-incident you might say? That brings us to part two:
2. Daei took Marfavi to school with his sub. How? From the start, Esteghlal was playing with 3 defenders against 2 forwards. Already with the players in from the start and their match up in Esteghlal's part of the field, Saipa had the upper hand with several runs through Esteghlal defense (which Saipa wasted due to horrible finishes). So, to take advantage of this weakness and capitalize, Daei shocks everyone with his sub. He takes out midfielder Sadeghi and comes in as a forward.
With this change, Saipa switched to 4-3-3; Three forwards, against 3 already weak and insecure Esteghlal defenders. This is a standard strategy in football: You have to defend with 4 defenders against 3 forwards, unless your team is superior in class, or has 3 world class defenders. Even in such cases, you would take chances for possible upset.
So Daei comes in, adds to forward line, takes advantage of huge hole in the middle, and Saipa scores within minutes, back to back. Coincident? I don't think so.
And what does Marfavi do when Daei is about to come in? Instead of waiting to see what Daei does with his sub to "possibly" adjust against it, he takes the opponent and Daei (as the coach) not seriously, acts emotional and without logic, and sends in Alizadeh for Quickeh(spell?) at the same time!? How terrible that sub was in itself was self-explanatory by referring to the rest of the match with terrible waste of scoring opportunities by Alizadeh, and taking the quickness of Quickeh out of the match. But the most critical move, and consequent mistake was with Daei's sub.
The school continued as Marfavi reacted with taking Fekri out and Navazi in to switch to 4 men defense and increase the offense from the wing, but less than 10 min before the end. Too late! By the time Marfavi reacted, Daei had already implemented his plan, scored two goals, and switched back to 4-5-1 to finish the game! He took Momenzadeh out, brought in a midfielder, and he himself moved back one step to top of midfield as the distrupting player to effect each position of Esteghlal. Now, he had the upper hand in midfield with 5 against 4, distrupting Esteghlal's midfield, and taking away the ball with superiority in midfield to control the match in last ten minute and protect the 2-1 advantage.
Well done by Daei in this chess match, great game by both teams to display exciting football.
Two important points that I noticed from the chess part of the game:
1. Daei showed Branko how he should have used Daei in WC; Last 20 minute of the match, the most critical part of the match, is when Daei should have been used.
Being as old as Daei is, when he comes in toward the last part of the game, especially a fast pace match like this, the tireness of other players makes up for his old age. Plus, when he comes in, he brings in the much needed emotional booster toward the end. With players tired and emotionally drained, Daei is very good on injecting fighting spirit.
Of course, he is now too old for TM, and perhaps even too old last year, but if there was a persistancy and a way to use Daei in TM, this was the only way that would have worked. Branko's mistake on this issue damaged his career as well as Daei's career among Iranian football fans.
I could see things are about to change when I saw Daei's face warming up. So Daei comes in, and previously frustrated Saipa players change the outcome of the match, and subsequently, the outcome of the IPL championship.
With Esteghlal's victory, Esteghlal could have closed the season with two relatively easier matches ahead. But, as soon as Daei comes in, a 1-0 victory changes to 2-1 for Saipa to take them to top of IPL, and put them in driver's seat for championship. Co-incident you might say? That brings us to part two:
2. Daei took Marfavi to school with his sub. How? From the start, Esteghlal was playing with 3 defenders against 2 forwards. Already with the players in from the start and their match up in Esteghlal's part of the field, Saipa had the upper hand with several runs through Esteghlal defense (which Saipa wasted due to horrible finishes). So, to take advantage of this weakness and capitalize, Daei shocks everyone with his sub. He takes out midfielder Sadeghi and comes in as a forward.
With this change, Saipa switched to 4-3-3; Three forwards, against 3 already weak and insecure Esteghlal defenders. This is a standard strategy in football: You have to defend with 4 defenders against 3 forwards, unless your team is superior in class, or has 3 world class defenders. Even in such cases, you would take chances for possible upset.
So Daei comes in, adds to forward line, takes advantage of huge hole in the middle, and Saipa scores within minutes, back to back. Coincident? I don't think so.
And what does Marfavi do when Daei is about to come in? Instead of waiting to see what Daei does with his sub to "possibly" adjust against it, he takes the opponent and Daei (as the coach) not seriously, acts emotional and without logic, and sends in Alizadeh for Quickeh(spell?) at the same time!? How terrible that sub was in itself was self-explanatory by referring to the rest of the match with terrible waste of scoring opportunities by Alizadeh, and taking the quickness of Quickeh out of the match. But the most critical move, and consequent mistake was with Daei's sub.
The school continued as Marfavi reacted with taking Fekri out and Navazi in to switch to 4 men defense and increase the offense from the wing, but less than 10 min before the end. Too late! By the time Marfavi reacted, Daei had already implemented his plan, scored two goals, and switched back to 4-5-1 to finish the game! He took Momenzadeh out, brought in a midfielder, and he himself moved back one step to top of midfield as the distrupting player to effect each position of Esteghlal. Now, he had the upper hand in midfield with 5 against 4, distrupting Esteghlal's midfield, and taking away the ball with superiority in midfield to control the match in last ten minute and protect the 2-1 advantage.
Well done by Daei in this chess match, great game by both teams to display exciting football.
Team of the people by the people for the people that fills up 100k stadium like its nothing.
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