My line up for Kuwait after watching Iran-Bahrain game

[Hajagha]

If I want to spell out the last few games of Team Melli, I can only say “lack of fitness” mostly in midfield area. That’s why we lack of goal opportunity and then goal itself in the last 600 minutes or so.

I must say that I liked Daei’s approach for the game, his strategy, his formation and his substitutions, so I have no problem with the coach, however the coach and all his tricks are not going to play the game, it’s the players who are execute the game plan and in this situation are the subject of blame.

So, based on that, I have no problem with the defensive line-up in Bahrain game as I have no other better option. I specially liked the left D as he looked solid. Ka’abi still is not my favorite, but as I said, I know no one better.

In mid-field, I must mention that we badly miss Nekonam as the most significant player in TM in the last few years. Anyway, based on what I saw, I would definitely bench Teimourian, Nikbackt and Shojaei for good. I would give another chance to Sadeghi and Karimi (only for one half, max 50 minutes as his extra pounds don’t let him run any more).

This will be my midfielders:

Sadeghi----Jabari

Meidavodi----- Karimi-----Madanchi


For the forward, I will definitely pick Khalili as he showed his hunger for the goal-scoring. His presence in the near post in every ball was impressive. I know he lost a golden opportunity in the last game, but I don’t judge him just for that moment. Besides, we have no one better than him at this time.

I must admit again, this is the weakest TM I have seen in the last 14 years after 1994 and I have little hope they can come up from their group and I also regret Daei put his name on line for these players who learned nothing from professionalism but the money itself.

Cheers,

[Paradigm]

Zandi should have been in the line up, at least for the set pieces he is a big asset.

[maij]

Despite the loss to Bahrain , the team showed some positive moves and the fact that it was a friendly , it was the ideal opportunity for Daei to see how the players perform.

Te only thing I would be quite positive about is the benching of Andarnik. I doubt that in 4 days , he will have a significant improvement in his performance. Months after months of sitting on the bench and lack of competitive football usually makes a player like Andranik so rusty.

About Shojaei , I have lots of confidence in him and his ability, be it as a starter or as a substitute. He is the type of the player that can turn a game inside out , if he maintains a level-head and his discipline.

Jabbari is another class act that. He needs to be there and preferably as a starter. I never liked Nikbakht , and his omission won't be missed dearly.

I quite agree that Nekounam is sorely missed.

The defense line was OK but one significant error , which I have been even watching on weekly basis in the English league , cost them the game.
Positioning of defenders in set pieces has cost many teams 3 points , and unless Daei emphasizes on that part , he might regret it.

Madanchi ... I would prefer him as a starter in a wing role where he has immense accelerations and powerful shots.

Meydavoudi is going through some lean time but he could be lethal as a forward.

[Doctor DOOM]

1- in bahrain, our left side was quite impotent. so I'd bring in madanchi for niki. this way we not only add width to the team ( spreading the defense opens the space for strikers better ), we also add PACE for counterattacks and lobs.

2- on the right, I'd play kaabi, who among the present roster is best suited for the job, for his pace and attacking prowess, as well as crossing abilities from width. which .....


3- ... which means we can now use a taller and tougher defender on the right. since this is an away game and kuwait desperately needs the points, they WILL attack. for this, we need a good DEFENDER and also an opportunistic winger ( kaabi ) in front of him, who uses his pace to catch the defenders off guard.


4- TM HAS TO have a playmaker, if we want to score goals. Jabbari , in those few minutes showed he's a good candidate for the job. ( I'm afraid if I mention mobaali, ppl will say I'm gunning for him or something !! so lets say jabbari to start. if he doesnt get things done, then we always have mobaali w his freekicks )

5- ando is not in good form. he did some good interceptions, but then again, I'm sure zareh can do them as well. so I'm fine with any of the two.


6- khalili's style is a very european one and that has endeared him to me. I'd keep him as ONE OF THE FORWARDS. and ....

7- ....and add KARIMI ( a revelation ) as supporting forward just behind khalili. this way he can feed khalili better. also being closer to the 18, his efficiency increases many folds. this also means, he can get a penalty as well, being played that close. he can get some freekicks for us around the 18, too.


8- four tough defenders is a must in this game. for reasons mentioned already ( away game, kuwait on the attack, ... etc.).


9- Rahmati's form is on the way up. so I'd rather have him than roudi.
( would have preferred mohamadi. alas ..... ! )


10- I obviously advocate the two forward line up , so the formation could be the more simple and manageable 4-4-2. or even 3-5-2 for all I care !



------------------------khalili (meydavoodi)------------
----------------Karimi---------------------------------



Madanchi -------------- Jabbari ------------------ Kaabi
------------------ando/zareh--------------------------



I'd work on:
A- set pieces.
we cant overstate this important aspect of football. have plans for all, corners, indirects and direct kicks. assign players before-hand, for various scenarios and sides, so there's no confusion during the game.

B- learn from the bahrain goal and remind the correct placement of players in set pieces and corners, especially the two posts.

[BehzadB]

My line up:

Calm the players down,
Bench Niki and Khalili,
-------
My prediction:

We will Beat Kuwait 2-0 (or 2-1)

[ardi11]

very nice post doctor jan. 100% agreed.

but who would you (namely) put in the D?

[Doctor DOOM]

thank you ardi jan.

I'd personally want proper DEFENDERS and not hybrids like kaab, beikzadeh, niki, kia, .... .
proper, no nonsense, career defenders like hosseini, bengar, sadeghi, montazeri, ...

something like :

-------------------- khalili (meydavoodi)------
--------------Karimi -------------------------

Madanchi ---------- jabbari ------------ kaabi

---------------ando/zareh -------------------

sadeghi ---- montazeri --- hosseini ---- bengar

----------------- rahmati --------------------


although I wish we had aghili and shakouri, who are more reliable and experienced than bengar and montazeri . alas ... !!!



but Haji is right. you could be ronaldinho mixed with zidane, with a dash of maradona and a slice of nesta for all I care. but as long as you cant run at high speed, and maintain your optimal energy for at least 95 minutes, you will be a let down and an under-achiever !

physical preparedness is of utmost importance.
no doubt about it.

[maij]

My line up:

Calm the players down,
Bench Niki and Khalili,

That is very important indeed , Behzad Agha.

Anxiety in TM players tends to increase with important games. Daei needs to cap such tendencies, especially with Arab teams using intimidating tactics. Simply said, TM players need to refrain from being drawn into conflicts and getting cards that they might regret at a later stage. Teymourian expulsion in Bahrain match was a typical example, and we are talking about a supposedly professional player in the English league!

People think that Team Melli is going through crises, but that is nothing compared to the Kuwaiti team. Similar problems in a much larger magnitude has been haunting Kuwait. No recognized Federation (transitional FA) , no election , FIFA threat of suspension , change of coach , a coach who has dual posts (coaching the national team and Kuwait Club), loss of form , lack of scoring , a bitter defeat in the first match....etc

So, it is not as if Kuwait is a force that is going to shake Iran, in contrast , the Kuwaitis are trembling already from what I read in their forums and the newspapers. They are already complaining that the Iranian fans will outnumber the Kuwaitis in the stadium!

But comes the match day, all these elements can be put aside.

I believe Team Melli has a very good chance to grab all the three points. If they do , they will take a huge step to maintain their confidence and lead throughout the qualifiers.

[yashar_fasihnia]

my formation is slightly different from doctor doorms..


i was thinking of khalili and karimi upfront.

4 midfielders in a diamond formation behind them with jabbari at the head just playing behind them, shojaei/mobali as right midfielder, madanchi (ideally zandi or even an inform nikbakht would be better) for left midfielder and ando as DM. i would prefer kazemi in the absence of nekounam and an out of form ando as DM since i dont consider maziar zare a "fighter" for a defensive midfielder.

defense i think we can play 3+1 meaning kaabi will be incharge of the attacks as a right full back while on the left, we can have sadeghi as a 3rd strong Center back of defender who has more of defensive duties and not much offense. so in this way, our team can smoothly change to a 3 back during the game when kaabi advances.
this makes our right side more potent in offense but at the same time, more vulnerable in defense.

in the absence of asadi who would be my ideal, my other option would be zare who has had previous experience in this post compared to beygzadeh and an out of form nikbakht, both of whom havent played much here before.

im in a dilemma to pair off montazeri or bengar with hosseini as CB. on one hand, bengar has more experience (both local and international with sepahan) compared to montazeri, but on the other hand, he is not as smart as montazeri and commits a lot of wreckless fouls in dangerous areas.
since montazeri has played as sweeper before as well and im considering 3+1 system meaning at times, we will play 3 back, he has a slight edge over bengar for me but anywayz.

----------------------------------rahmati----------------------------------
------------hosseini-------------bengar/montazeri-------sadeghi-------
---kaabi--------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------ando----------------------------
----------mobali/shojaei--------------------------------madanchi--------
---------------------------------jabbari----------------------------
------------------karimi-----------------------khalili-----------------

or just play 3-5-2 which im pretty sure daei wont

--------------------------------rahmati-----------------------------
------------------------------montazeri----------------------------
---------hosseini------------------------------------sadeghi-----------
---------------------------ando-----------------------------------
-kaabi------------------------------------------------madanchi------
------------------jabbari------------mobali/shojaei------------------
-----------------karimi----------------khalili-----------------------

i dont think we need 2 DMs against kuwait, but if u want more defensive action there, then play mobali instead of shojaei who is slightly better in defensive work compared to shojaei....

[zzgloo]

I believe, as a general tactics...........we should select TM players whom have been playing in the arab leagues ,in the game with Kuwait !
It seems, they are better informed , and better psycologicaly...and peform in a better manner......, specficaly with arab teams.

[Doctor DOOM]

exactly WHAT do we expect from this kuwait game ?

As majid jan said rightly, kuwait isnt having a great time themselves. they are also caught up in much controversy and troubles. And they've been in a slump for some years now. I dont see them climbing out of it overnight.
having said all that, I still think they will attack more than defend. simply becoz they , unlike us, are in a far worse situation and need the 3 points EVEN MORE THAN US.
remember , this is their HOME game. and teams need to get their HOME games' full points and hope for draws in away games.
also, remember, they LOST their first game and have NO points. which makes the situation even more dire for them.

based on the two points above, I feel they will play an offensive game.
now, how will this help us?

recently, we have been shown we cant penetrate compact defenses easily anymore. our teams, for the past 3-4 years have been finding it more and more difficult to cut through a packed team defending its 18. there are PLENTY of examples as proof for this.
Maybe that's one reason we've been not so successful in scoring goals.

with kuwait on the offensive, we will encounter a more open defense. and this provides the BEST opportunity for quick counter-attacks using flank runners ( madanchi, kaabi, ... ) to use the space on the flanks behind the defenders and attack the goal.

this offensive kuwait, also means a more porous defense, which is ideal for the likes of karimi and shojaei to cut through with the ball, or jabbari or mobaali to pass to strikers.

so this game is very different from the rest of our previous games where we faced a tighter packed set of players. ( it started with malaysia with their layered defense. then to korea's packed defense. then syria, .... )
So I expect different results from this game.


but what will I live with and what I wont ?

1- I can live with a draw.
definitely.
a point from an AWAY game isnt that bad, given the circumstances of our team.

2- I can live with a team that still doesnt show fluid movements, teamwork or much cohesion ( although whatever we get is quite welcome ). again due to late forming of the team, staff appointments, lack of practice, ... etc.

( hell, even a loss isnt the end of the road for us. but that's gonna be a real shame! )

so I guess Daei doesnt have such a high bar to measure up against, in this game.


but what I will NOT stand for:
silly, avoidable mistakes like those mentioned in bahrain game thread.
not covering the posts in set pieces and corners.
not having any plans for our own set pieces.
illogical subbing choices.



but I'm hopeful about the game.
I really think we have far more chances of WINNING this game than kuwait.
if we just display half of our potential even

[Hajagha]

Thanks guys for the input.

I don't think Daei will change the formation, so any line-up other than 4-2-3-1 would be un-realistic.

Cheers,

[maij]

I suppose Daei is aware of the shortcomings of the Kuwaiti team , he has seen enough matches of them to have a pretty good idea. Using madanchi as a strarter in my opinion will be a wise move. Kuwait coach is going for 3 forward attack , I think he is risking it all by employing such plan , but then again they are desperate than Iran. 1 point will not be enough for them.

The onus is on daei to rad their game and have enough capability to surprise the Kuwaiti team early in the game. A long period of goal-less match will benefit Kuwait more than Iran.

[Ali Chicago]

I think Kuwaities will come at us Strong the first 30 minutes at least. I expect to see a more defensive type of game from Iran. Hope I am wrong though. I think getting a single point from Kuwait at their home will be the goal. Again Hope i am wrong. Kuwait lost 2-0 to UAE in the last game, so they need all three points.

[zzgloo]

I would think....it will be Iran, with all out attack, not Kuwait.....
Daei, and TM are under major pressure, to end the drought of 750 minutes of not scoreing, and ,I would guess, in thier practices before the kuwait game, attacking was thier number one agenda......
how ever, if we end up and not scoreing again.......it will be known to all, that something fundementaly wrong with TM, not doing it again, even against Kuwait,after so long......
That is why, I think, daei will in fact change the set up, to more aggressive posture !, at least with two forwards. possibly, 4-4-2