IRAN vs IRAQ

[Doctor DOOM]

Carbon copy of previous games. Solid in defense and sloppy in offense.
Again, it showed that how crucial Nouri-Ando combo is for our team. The goal was lose of concentration by Omran-zadeh for a moment.
Aside of dead balls, Mobali is non-existence. The golden question is whether we can afford to keep him for the sake of dead-balls? I would bench Heidari as well. His flashy appearance in the right flank is not convincing me to be in starting 11. Maybe as a sub, he can help in the last 20 min. Omranzadeh, is just a good sub, nothing more. We missed Aghili. Nosrati is just good enough. Nothing flashy about him. The three forwards we used today, were ordinary, nothing special about them.
The point is, we can not even have a simple combo passes to initiate a complex attack. The whole attack is getting the ball to the flanks and ask them to do some thing with the damn ball, either cross it, dribble, pass back or lose it there. No tactic, no plan. I don't expect such a physical team can do a better job any way.
That's about it. Defend from the midfield and wait for a dead-ball, opponent mistake or luck to score. That's the story of Qotbi's team. Last game against Oman, he benched Nouri-Ando and he was punished.
Cheers,

1- haji joon, I really dont see how we were solid in defense.

aside from the goal, we allowed another THREE one-on-ones with rahmati, plus another couple of other chances to the iraqis.
so I find it very hard to call that anything close to solid defending.

and if the goal was a "momentary lapse of concentration", then what were the other 3-4 occasions that were exactly similar to this one?

like it or not, I guess aghili's spot is now fixed in TM due to the lack of coordination bet omranzadeh and hosseini. perhaps becoz aghili and jalal have played a massive number of games and ARE quite coordinated ... even if they fumble and tumble once in a while.


2- Iman is more than a dead ball player, as his crosses and change of flank diagonals show it too.
yes, as I said, he ought to get back to his old self who used to do a lot of through passes and direct feeding of strikers too. but to say beyond dead balls he's non-existent is a bit unfair to him.


besides, I really doubt we could mount much of an attack in open play against the likes of brazil. and the way I see it, our only chance at getting something in that game IS the dead ball situations. so ....


3- again, heidari may not be his last year's self, but he's coming back (as he was quite poor in the beginning of the season and nowadays he's more comfortable w the ball and showing a lot of last year's brilliance)

[Paradigm]

Why not Beikzadeh instead of Omranzadeh as central defender along with Hosseini? They both play for Sepahan too so they should be coordinated.

[Hajagha]

1- haji joon, I really dont see how we were solid in defense.
aside from the goal, we allowed another THREE one-on-ones with rahmati, plus another couple of other chances to the iraqis.
so I find it very hard to call that anything close to solid defending.
and if the goal was a "momentary lapse of concentration", then what were the other 3-4 occasions that were exactly similar to this one?
like it or not, I guess aghili's spot is now fixed in TM due to the lack of coordination bet omranzadeh and hosseini. perhaps becoz aghili and jalal have played a massive number of games and ARE quite coordinated ... even if they fumble and tumble once in a while.
2- Iman is more than a dead ball player, as his crosses and change of flank diagonals show it too.
yes, as I said, he ought to get back to his old self who used to do a lot of through passes and direct feeding of strikers too. but to say beyond dead balls he's non-existent is a bit unfair to him.
besides, I really doubt we could mount much of an attack in open play against the likes of brazil. and the way I see it, our only chance at getting something in that game IS the dead ball situations. so ....
3- again, heidari may not be his last year's self, but he's coming back (as he was quite poor in the beginning of the season and nowadays he's more comfortable w the ball and showing a lot of last year's brilliance)

Jigar tala,

When they score once, it means we stopped the others, meaning solid. Besides, they had only one on one and that was Ando's mistake losing the ball in a very bad position. Again, we had Rahmati (as part of the defense) to be solid.

What I saw, was a strategy to defend, we didn't let the Iraqis who were very comfortable with ball and each other getting close to our goal too many times.

I do agree and mentioned it before that Omranzadeh and Aghili are not in the same class. We missed Aghili. But, what can we do? When there is no mammy, you should accept nanny. Maman keh nist ba zan-baba baiad sakht. The present combo is much better than introducing Beikzadeh and Heidari to the defense and send Nosrati to the center if you ask me.

About Mobali and his change of flank diagonals: once I saw them a couple of times, I got closer to see who the hell is doing that when the other flank is completely closed up. Well, not to my surprise, I saw it is this "shazdeh" doing it without thinking whether the other guy has any room to control and settle down such a long ball before the opponent gets to him. Watch the game again and you will see not even one ball got through. Furhter, where do you see such a ball in modern football, do you see Xavi doing it? No, nowadays, they prefer to have 2-3 insured passes to change the flank rather than one risky long ball.

Again, this team looks more like Wigan than Arsenal, so you need a player suits you that way. This team needs a sharp Siavash Akbarpour than Jabari or Navidikia. Mobali is not a defensive mid and his offensive work is also off.

You will see what I mean by solid against Brazil. It's a very risky prediction, isn't it?

Cheers,

[Hajagha]

^salamon alaikom hajagha

va alaikom salam. if you want sigheh by saying such a hello, we finished today, come back tomorrow. Get to the line early though.

[toofan]

va alaikom salam. if you want sigheh by saying such a hello, we finished today, come back tomorrow. Get to the line early though.

ba salamon alaikome mojadad

fekr konam bayad niyyatamo avval dorost konam baad

[zzgloo]

When there is no mammy, you should accept nanny. Maman keh nist ba zan-baba baiad sakht.

I believe, what you are trying to say is : " AAdam Az Naalaaji,be Gorbeh migeh Khaanoom baaji " !

[zzgloo]

Here is what is good :

............................

1- Rahmati...( I would vote for him,for the best all time Goal keeper ).

2-In absence of our other midfielders, our midfield,has out played other side midfield so far.

3-The use of central backs to come all the way, and score on crosses, is nothing new,and other coaches had done it too, but for some reason, it seems, they are doing a better job,under Ghotbi.

4-10 man come back goal, against Oman, was to be credited.

5-Ando,is making himself, solid,in the TM.

6-Ando's long distance shots, were good news.

7-Mobali,has nicely replaced Mahdavikia,on dead-ball crosses.

8-For the first time, in long time, we have some forwards, who can actualy dribble in the opponant's Box.

9-The pasing game, has been better, more consistant, faster,and more fluid.

10-TM does not pull back, when ahead, and keeps attacking.

[Doctor DOOM]

Why not Beikzadeh instead of Omranzadeh as central defender along with Hosseini? They both play for Sepahan too so they should be coordinated.

ummm..... I dont think beikzadeh can do central defense. as far as I know he's never played central defense (the ss and sepahan fans who watch them all the time can correct me if I'm wrong)
we cant put players in wrong posts just becoz they are club mates.

btw, I am not belittling omranzadeh.
I think he is a good defender and has the perfect physical stature for central D (the bugger is MASSIVE). the problem is lack of coordination w hosseini.
here, the comparison bet hosseini-aghili and hosseini-omran is brought up where the former pair have had truckload of games to get used to each other's positioning, abilities and weaknesses.
but the latter pairing is a new one and I am sure with time this too will develop into a good one.

hell, I think we have another great CD like Farshid Talebi (zob ahan) who can be a strong contender for one of the spots. but he also will need time to get coordinated with others.

and I am happy ghotbi used WAFF to experiment with line ups and change of roster. I have got to give credit when it's due and this is realy appreciable.

[Doctor DOOM]

Jigar tala,
When they score once, it means we stopped the others, meaning solid. Besides, they had only one on one and that was Ando's mistake losing the ball in a very bad position. Again, we had Rahmati (as part of the defense) to be solid.
What I saw, was a strategy to defend, we didn't let the Iraqis who were very comfortable with ball and each other getting close to our goal too many times.

I do agree and mentioned it before that Omranzadeh and Aghili are not in the same class. We missed Aghili. But, what can we do? When there is no mammy, you should accept nanny. Maman keh nist ba zan-baba baiad sakht. The present combo is much better than introducing Beikzadeh and Heidari to the defense and send Nosrati to the center if you ask me.
About Mobali and his change of flank diagonals: once I saw them a couple of times, I got closer to see who the hell is doing that when the other flank is completely closed up. Well, not to my surprise, I saw it is this "shazdeh" doing it without thinking whether the other guy has any room to control and settle down such a long ball before the opponent gets to him. Watch the game again and you will see not even one ball got through. Furhter, where do you see such a ball in modern football, do you see Xavi doing it? No, nowadays, they prefer to have 2-3 insured passes to change the flank rather than one risky long ball.
Again, this team looks more like Wigan than Arsenal, so you need a player suits you that way. This team needs a sharp Siavash Akbarpour than Jabari or Navidikia. Mobali is not a defensive mid and his offensive work is also off.
You will see what I mean by solid against Brazil. It's a very risky prediction, isn't it?
Cheers,

lol.
asal tala,

blue section ;
exactly the kind of sweeping the problems under the rug that I always talk about, and the kind that rears its head at the most unkind and inopportune time (official tournaments) and lets us down!!!
this kind of thinking will NEVER solve our weaknesses

***************

red section-
only one? I'm tempted to ask which game you were watching as I can recall at least THREE:
the first one was when rahmati deflected the ball with his outstreched hand
the second was when rahmati was forced to come out and lash at the ball that even a tiny fraction of inches mistake would have left the ball to the oncoming iraqi who had left our CD in dust behind him
the third was another rahmati coming out to the right of our 18 box, and closing down the angle ... and getting lucky also as the iraqi's shot went mere inches wide our of left post.

and these are only one on ones. there were other dangerous moments too.

******************

green section
"strategy" you say?
I'm slowly believing we watched two different games.

I dont call allowing the same scenario to happen time and time again in the course of one game as "strategy".
I call it lack of attention by the coach or inability to come up with a solution for the recurring danger

*****************

black section
now, I know we were watching 2 different games


*****************

brown
I didnt say omran and aghili are not in the same class.
in fact I say they are, along with others like talebi of zob.
the problem was lack of coordination ....
(plz read my reply to paradigm, above)


******************

orange

...... Okay ......
surely you jest. mobaali's long balls are perfect or near perfect ... especially in recent games. he has the least number of turn-overs even in such balls. these diagonals help relieve the pressure on the team as we get pressed in one flank, and usually can and do lead to attacking options.
but the dislike of him is so much that now we introduce the "readiness" of the receiver (when in reality most ARE pretty much ready )???


*******************

(come on mate, ... i'm running out of colors here )
second blue

umm ... bro, I wouldnt have said that one, if I were you.
we see them EVERYWHERE
and yes, even Xavi does them too




cheers back to you too

[Doctor DOOM]

Here is what is good :
............................
1- Rahmati...( I would vote for him,for the best all time Goal keeper ).



3-The use of central backs to come all the way, and score on crosses, is nothing new,and other coaches had done it too, but for some reason, it seems, they are doing a better job,under Ghotbi.


4-10 man come back goal, against Oman, was to be credited.

5-Ando,is making himself, solid,in the TM.

6-Ando's long distance shots, were good news.


9-The pasing game, has been better, more consistant, faster,and more fluid.

1- kind of agree

3- the difference may be in inclusion of a certain player who supplies & provides these opportunities. the player who was perhaps missing in previous rosters ???

4- if we want to win the asia cup, we BETTER be able to get the better of the young oman team even with 10 men.
not accepted.

5- true. and this is despite sitting on the bench for 2 whole seasons! admirable how he has maintained himself and his form.

6- one shot's not enough. we need to see at least 7-8 GOOD quality (not those that hit the stadium clock) shots in each game from our team.

9- slightly agree. but needs much more work if we want to do something worthwhile in asia cup.
those opponents are way above the class of what we see against TM these recent months (with the exception of south korea and iraq). we need to step it up in this front

I even believe the south korea we'll see in asia cup will be far more difficult and serious than the one we just met in that friendly game. food for thought

[Paradigm]

By the way others in the AFC have just arranged big profile friendlies: Japan is playing with Argentina, and Australia with England (not sure if finalized).

Also Doc, I have to disagree with FIFA rankings not being important. They help us get a better seeding for the tournaments. For instance avoid being in a group that includes two other big teams.

Also if we have better FIFA ranking, we can generally invite stronger teams for friendlies.

[Doctor DOOM]

By the way others in the AFC have just arranged big profile friendlies: Japan is playing with Argentina, and Australia with England (not sure if finalized).


Also Doc, I have to disagree with FIFA rankings not being important. They help us get a better seeding for the tournaments. For instance avoid being in a group that includes two other big teams.
Also if we have better FIFA ranking, we can generally invite stronger teams for friendlies.

1- this shd answer those who say other asian teams dont play world biggies often.


2- you are correct that fifa ranking does have bearing on seedings. but imo what matters the most is HOW WE PLAY.

to me our quality is the priority and what matters the absolute most. and when we're facing tough opponents our fifa ranking amounts to a perfect turd, whereas the quality of our performance, teamwork and tactics is what gets us through.

so we could be fifa #1 and get seeded first in tournaments, but when the ref blows his whistle, it is ONLY our abilities that helps us. same thing if we're fifa ranked #200.

so it's a matter of priorities



so while fifa ranking can help just a little bit, it also can hurt us tremendously.
we've had many coaches quoting this ranking as justification for their poor, insipid performances and they expect ppl to close their eyes to poor opposition, bad performances, bad tactics and weaknesses only becoz according to the lousy system of rating, a team can rise by beating a few sh*tty teams here and there!
so those incompetent coaches remain in power and as nature has it, our shortcomings and weaknesses come to bite us in the arse in major tournaments!!!

all in all, the harmful impact of this ranking is more than its benefits

[Paradigm]

Well the new fifa ranking is a lot more indicative of the abilities of the teams, just look to see who is in the top 15. I don't think we could get in the top 20 and stay there if we had not played well and won against quality opponents. Prior to 2005 Branko was able to get team melli into the top 20 for a while, mainly by wins against Asian opponents. That sort of thing can't happen again by merely playing versus the other Asian teams.

By the way interesting piece of news from the ISN, Hajiloo says the whole stadium in Amman were supporting Iraq:

تهران - اصغر حاجيلو سرپرست تيم ملى فوتبال ايران گفت: در جريان مسابقه تنها بوديم و تمام ورزشگاه هوادار عراق بودند