Difference between Khalili and other forwards

[Doctor DOOM]

If you’d noticed many of our forwards waste time, play too much with the ball, try to get inside their marker, or try to dribble or just plain, touch the ball too many times. And that reduces their chances as markers and GK’s cover them better.

What sets Khalili apart from many of our strikers is that he doesn’t wastes time on too many touches on the ball or unnecessary dribbling. He also doesn’t wait to get the perfect angle or perfect line. He gets the ball, most of the time, he takes the shot immediately.
And that makes him much closer to the European style of football than majority of our strikers.
perhaps this is the reason he was successful last season and this season he's the leading scorer of the league.

and seeing that he’s worked with daei the previous season and perhaps ghotbi’s advises this season, I think if he keeps it up, he’ll be a force to reckon with in our football. I just hope our other forwards also would take note and try to play a more direct and quicker game.

[KasraKhan]

I just wish he wasnt as old as he is

[Doctor DOOM]

I doubt he's older than 24-25.
so there's nothing wrong with his age.

[yashar_fasihnia]

he is around 28 if im not mistaken..

[Kaveh]

he has to be considered for TM if he continues his recent performances.

[khabalood]

Not just our forwards but our midfielders, and defenders also need to play a more direct form of football.

[gol_kuchik]

He has been very impressive. I have noticed in every game they have at least one guy that covers Khalili exclusively. You can see this, by how when he gets the ball the defender is either fouling him or when he does his quick release the defender is right on him. Still the goals he has scored have been very pro. For instance in the game against EsEs his goal was scored with one defender right next to him.

I dont know how old he is, but he is one of the better finishers I have seen in Iran in years. As he has the combinition of good header, low (diving header) long shot and good techique to dribble in the box and create situations.

[Doctor DOOM]

Not just our forwards but our midfielders, and defenders also need to play a more direct form of football.

mate, I understand what you mean.

but this is especially needed for a forward.
there are forwards that "make" the goal. that means they create the chance themselves and then finish it off. like henry or ronaldinho or messi, or ... .

we also have some strikers who need the right position, right pass, right situation and space and to score their goals.

then there are those guys like Kluivert who pounce on half chances or the smallest of openings, to simply toe it in, or get a knee to connect even or ... ! anything is fine with such forwards. any mili-second of opening is enough for them to throw themselves or stretch their feet or ... . they used to call such forwards "OPPORTUNISTIC poachers". ( I think farshad piyus was such a striker too ).
they dont wait to get the right angle or right line or enough space so they could prepare themselves to take the bloody shot !
the moment the ball reaches them, they attempt the shot. ( many times that surprises the defenders and keepers and a goal is scored ).

Khalili has shown some of such characteristics.

and that , in our "laas baazi football" is quite refreshing and welcome.

[Doctor DOOM]

this post is after the first half of sepahan-alwahda in uae:

if any of you have watched the first half, you'd know near the end, karimi gets a lucky ball ( that slipped through the keeper's hands ) on the 6 yard line.

being asn IRANIAN striker, he tried to control the ball ( touch one ) , then push it to a wider angle ( touch two ) and then tried to shoot ( intended touch three ) ... at which point the defender had already come in front of him and the keeper covered his feet and the ball and he fell down.

now, had this been a european striker, he'd have at best hit the ball as soon as it'd come down , first time.
or some may have attempted the shot after the first touch/control.

why cant our striker think in such simple ways?
why the extra laas baazi ?
why?
and more importantly, why cant our coaches dictate, remind and continue to shove this down the strikers' throats to "hit the ball first time" ? "dont do too many touches" ?

why shd a ball that comes to you on the 6 yard line need THREE F**KING TOUCHES for you to score?

why?
I find our coaches to be at fault too.
and not only the players.

[gol_kuchik]

why cant our striker think in such simple ways?
why the extra laas baazi ?
why?
and more importantly, why cant our coaches dictate, remind and continue to shove this down the strikers' throats to "hit the ball first time" ? "dont do too many touches" ?

why shd a ball that comes to you on the 6 yard line need THREE F**KING TOUCHES for you to score?

why?
I find our coaches to be at fault too.
and not only the players.

you obviously haven't play football or any other sport in Iran It all boils down to
controlling the ball. No, not controlling as in having control over directing the ball, we
suck at that, control over posession of the ball.

You see, when I was a kid, there were plenty of kids and few balls, so whoever
got the posession, wanted to keep it as long as he could (maxium pleasure).
Once you passed the ball, then someone else got to enjoy it. I used to play a lot
of basketball and we all used to take the ball and drive it the entire length of the field
to finish with a lay up. Seldom we passed the ball, for someone to take the shot.

I think same more or less applies in football.

Another issue that helps here is in our mentality we are not accustomed to team work which requires *trusting* your teammate. This is best seen, in another urgent situation
(I saw it many times today), when we are under attack, our defenders just kick the ball
aimlessly as hard as they can, even if there are 3 other teammates in the vicinity. That simply
tells me, they much rather take it into their own hand (foot) rather than trust their teammate to get them out of trouble.
Our players are rather unique in this regard

[Doctor DOOM]

no. I have played a lot and actually I always valued passing more than dribbling ( unless I was playing table tennis, which makes passing kind of a moot point ) !
But I know what you mean. we had this other peyman in our street ( we had 3 peymans !!! imagine that ! what are the chances ?) who just couldnt let go of the freaking ball !

I used to kick him whenever he did that .... and half those times he was on MY team


============

on defenders' "bezan ziresh" mentality:
actually sepahan's defenders are doing quite a good job ( for asian standards ) of holding the ball and passing it properly, rather than kicking it away.
so there's still hope there.