We couldn't beat the offside trap

[police in helicopter]

I don't understand how some of our players (especially Khatibi but there were others too...)can't beat the offside trap.

The bad timing between midfielders and forwards was flagrant. How many times did our forwards get caught offside???

Khatibi and co paid no attention to the defenders positionning and just run. This was clear from the first match, but it never got better. Khatibi broke his own record against South Korea who obviously were aware this.

I mostly blame our strikers, but midfielders also had a hard time with it. For exemple, Andranik couldn't get his passes throught, despite having time to get his head up and find a runner and space. It worked on Kazemian's goal but too many of his attempt did not work.

Talking about strikers, we are in big big trouble for the next years...

[kaz]

I'm not sure what Khatibi's excuse is/was? He has so much speed he could start a metre behind the defenders and still get there earlier.

Also, a few of our offsides, weren't offside at all. The linesmen really did us in in the beginning. We could have been 2 up if not for iffy/close calls.

[Ali Chicago]

A combination of two things. Our forwards don't know how to do this. There are a few ways to do that. One is for the forward to run a few yards back and then turn around and run forward. This is the most complex way of it, Or they can run lateral and then forward, if the other team's defesne isn't as good and doesn't push up for the offside trap. Or forwards don't make teh run adn the wingers start the run from behind. But our offensive force didn't do any of these.

Second element is our players love to lass with the ball. They get the ball, one touch, turn around, and then make a pass. In our team only Zandi is the one who plays one touch.

This combination is lack of tricks on forwards and midfielder and hanging too long by the mids, kill our deep threat.

[zzgloo]

It is just not the fault of likes of Khatibi.....................it is the fault of the players who pass the ball to a off-side players.....

[KasraKhan]

TM's striker situation is very worrying. Vahid is getting old, Enayati and Khatibi are obiviously not the answers. Who else is there?

[Dubxl152]

TM's striker situation is very worrying. Vahid is getting old, Enayati and Khatibi are obiviously not the answers. Who else is there?

We have options that must be tested and cycled in order to prove themselves. players such as:

-Borhani ( who i think stinks he had one goal in the UAE but we need to look at him again)
--Motevaselzadeh ( played d.2 in austria and scored quite a few goals, came from a IPL reserve team..... i think he deserves a chance to show what he has)
as i recall Rezaei was a striker and was converted into a defender, perhaps the same could be done with players such as kolahkaj, Shapourzadeh or other excess midfeilders. lets face it TM's midfeild is nothing to worry about with ando & nekounam we have two soild core midfeilders to buld on with shojaei, kazemian, moabli etc.

any and all young strikers within Iran & outside of Iran.

We are a country of 70 million there are untapped unkown players within iran . Unfortunatly with the current state of IFF i doubt any thing will come to fruition prior to 2010, or if any long term planning will be done. For 2010 we could try a patch job by hiring a competent coaching staff foreign or domestic, but it would only fix a portion of the problem. the real problem lies within the organization itself, The so called "fifa comittee" that has done noting and the IR nokare's that trickle down into a IFF position through association "parti bazi".

[yashar_fasihnia]

I'm not sure what Khatibi's excuse is/was? He has so much speed he could start a metre behind the defenders and still get there earlier.

Also, a few of our offsides, weren't offside at all. The linesmen really did us in in the beginning. We could have been 2 up if not for iffy/close calls.

true, in the first half an hour, khatibi was onside a few times but referees called it offside

[The-Red]

i just think it was all about lack of focus on Khatibi's part.

[Doctor DOOM]

I think both strikers and mids are at fault here . apart from the coaching staff who SHD have explained and reminded them of different ways to beat it.

1- strikers, as ali jan said, can do many things to beat it.
lateral runs, coming back and then switching , being 2-3 steps INSIDE the line, ... .
these are the straight forward stuff that we see everywhere.

but there are other ways to gain advantage too:
keeping one man IN the offside to give the defenders complacency, and having a runner on either side to make the run while defenders think the call will be made.
this is done by many coaches and usually it pays off well.
I dont know why, for all the euro football shown on iranian TV, our coaches dont apply this more often !


2- the second thing is the mids either take their time to pass, or dont actually see ( or look for ) the runners.
this , to some extent, is not the duty asked from def mids, who were the central mids deployed by GN.
this is asked from PLAYMAKERS of a team, who didnt really get to play for GN , as he insisted on having ando & neku play !

a playmaker's vision and understanding & assessing a run is much higher than a destructive player who usually doesnt recognize a run until it is made ... which by that time, is moot, as the runner is already in the offside !

this is why many wanted a playmaker in the team instead of oen of the 2 def mids.
we just didnt use all we had at our disposal, and that is OUR OWN FAULT.

[RaginG Inferno]

true, in the first half an hour, khatibi was onside a few times but referees called it offside

Exactly so! Additionally, Khatibi got in a great position, passing the goalie and was hacked down in a red card worthy tackle by the Korean defender.

[Dubxl152]

Exactly so! Additionally, Khatibi got in a great position, passing the goalie and was hacked down in a red card worthy tackle by the Korean defender.

I agree Khatibi had a good first half but he was completly invisible for the rest of the match right up till his PK which he took as if he doesnt know that you shoot soft when you go for the center of the goal on PK's. Yes the refs screwed us a few times but we screwed ourselves more than any ref.

[yashar_fasihnia]

I agree Khatibi had a good first half but he was completly invisible for the rest of the match right up till his PK which he took as if he doesnt know that you shoot soft when you go for the center of the goal on PK's. Yes the refs screwed us a few times but we screwed ourselves more than any ref.

[purple_haze]

We always do

[Adesor Vafaseya]

well said Dubxl152

[RaginG Inferno]

I agree Khatibi had a good first half but he was completly invisible for the rest of the match right up till his PK which he took as if he doesnt know that you shoot soft when you go for the center of the goal on PK's. Yes the refs screwed us a few times but we screwed ourselves more than any ref.

You won't find me disagreeing....