Exit from ASIA CUP 2019 - End of an era?

[Doctor DOOM]

Just like after every failure we come here and discuss, curse, bitch and twist.
So I doubt we’d do anything different this time as well.

I doubt we'd have CQ as our coach after this.
We all shd recognize his services to Iran and TM and give him credit for whatever he's done, good or bad.


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Lets face it. For all our defensive, valiant games at the WCs that seem to be highlights of CQ’s tenure in Iran, when it came to games we’re supposed to play offensive and eventually WIN, we failed more than succeeded.



My opinion is if we keep this glossy, shiny cover of stats/ranking that hides the reality of our football aside, we simply are not what we think we are.
I seriously doubt Japan, Korea or even Saudis give a flying f**k about ranking in Asia, while they always have their eyes on the ball and aim to do well where it matters; on the pitch.







So before we change this guy or that system or …, first we must do a couple of other things:

1- We HAVE TO ignore such shiny useless objects (stats & ranking). No stats or ranking ever helped a striker score a goal or a defender time his tackle. NOT ONCE in the history of the game.


2- We also must acknowledge our failings at such moments are the result of wrong strategies by our own IFF and powers that be.
Those who hide behind the numbers and stats, while effectively DENY our TM’s from ever raising itself or becoming better.
I’m talking about money.
It takes money to bring in or play GOOD teams that push us, expose our weaknesses, beat us and force us to come back from behind.

Without money, we are forced to play Palestine and Syria and … who never ever help hone our teams. Even when we beat them, we’re basically pulling the wool over our own eyes.

We need the funds. The same funds that the gov and regime denies us, while it sends BILLIONS to Syria, yemen, Lebanon, … while pocketing the rest for their children living luxuriously in the west.

You fans who cry and feel depressed why our team is incapable of stepping up, better know who is behind this misery. Our players have the potential. But are never given the chance to reach it.

[Doctor DOOM]

Now, onto the game;
The result of keeping away from any decent opponents & being satisfied with playing the likes of Palestine and Kuwait : We NEVER know how to play against decent opposition. We also don’t know how to COME BACK from behind against good defenses.

If we concentrate on ranking and stats (to use as bragging rights), then this will be the result. Our weaknesses get exposed at the worst possible moments!



From the beginning of the game our approach was as if we’re facing the likes of yemen or oman, instead of a well organized, professional japan. I say this bcoz we relied only on HOPEFUL LOBS & HOOFS from defense to the single forward , who always was crowded by 3-4 capable defenders.

You may get lucky with this tactic against 30+ yr old Chinese defenders or amateurish Yemenis. But you shd know better, as a famous int’l coach that you cant afford to rely on opposition mistakes, while effectively taking out your midfield from the game.



We also shd learn how to lose like men. And not behave like little spoiled children and fight (referring to the last minute scarp). Which goes to show we are NOT professionals in our game as well as attitude.




The way our players reacted just before the 1st goal was absolutely horrendously amateurish, while the ball was still in play, they focused on their b*tching!
I doubt even Yemeni players would commit such mistakes! But hey, lets forget about that and concentrate on Asian ranking!!!



We NEED to face tough oppositions.
We NEED to get pressed and overpowered in prep games.
We NEED to get thrashed and beaten badly in test games.
We NEED to fall behind in friendlies to LEARN how to play in such situations.
Our players look lost against decent teams and games where we NEED to win.



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I see many fans say “this is the worst game I’ve seen from TM”.

Well, when you’re playing in asia and you’re SUPPOSED TO WIN, then those gladiator-like, bus parking and defensive wall tactics of World Cup games (that we all quote as our highpoints) is out the picture.
You’re supposed to win decent opponents. And defending like gladiators is NOT the approach.







Shd we blame CQ for all of this?
absolutely not.
while he has to bear responsibility for some of the failure (game plan, … etc), as stated in previous post, 80% of the blame lies elsewhere.
So I bid CQ farewell and wish him success, wherever he goes.
And hope against hope that we learn from our failures …. knowing that as long as this regime exists, we WONT.

[Dubxl152]

I can't argue with anything you have to say. It's [emoji817] accurate. Unfortunately it's the same conversation we have every couple years after a major disappointment.

At the end of the day unless there is meaningful investment in this sport hamin Ash o hamin kase.

I don't know what kind of coach we can get who will put up with IFF, late payment, sections hassles etc. I'm not holding my breath but as a TM fan do what we always do and that's hope. So drink some tea, love your family, get that blood pressure down and hope for the future no matter how bleak it seems today.

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[Doctor DOOM]

You bring in the best coach in the world, you still wont get far.

why? bcoz we wont provide the necessary tools and conditions for him to do his work.
for the reasons mentioned in the above posts.


and lets not fool ourselves.
quite a lot of our misery is also political and from outside purview of football/sports. Yes, it shd not be. But it's not a fair world.
with our regime as a paraiah & troublemaker, you wont find any friends among ppl. And dont fool yourselves, the heads of confederations, committees, referees, hosts, … etc etc are all human and definitely impacted by such things.

as long as IR exists, we WILL always face greater than necessary or fair opposition in ANY int'l arena we step in. NO DOUBT ABOUT IT.

[Dubxl152]

Exactly the guys who are out in the general forum either don't realize this exact fact, or they have too much Persian pride to realize it.

Iran is a praiah state, economy is in shambles, brain & wealth drain is real, and politics and corruption are rampant in every part of society.

So somehow TM / Football in Iran is supposed to transcend all this adversity and deliver?

The cards are stacked against us from the beginning. Players grow up in a structureless vaccume playing football in the streets and relying on individual skill to progress. They dont know how to play as a team, pass while looking up, one touch pass, keep compousre etc. We expect then to learn these skills at the pro / national team level and then we are suprised when they regress / forget those skills when they are down 2-0 like today.

Iran sends billions to Palestine and Syria but we can't get pay coaches or players on time. We have to fight tooth and nail or get a decent training center or a friendly. I don't see any of these things changing anytime soon... Heck I don't know if I will see it change in my lifetime.







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[Doctor DOOM]

^ fortunately change is coming and this evil regime will fall soon.
dont lose hope

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I've said all that stuff that was out of our (TM, players, coach) hands , but we also must talk about things that COULD have been and were within CQ's purview.

His use of the same tactics as that against lower, weaker team was a major major let down.
We expect him to understand this opponent would be extremely different and having seen the Japanese CB's repel millions of Saudi attacks, he shd have understood mere lobbing & hoofing from defense to single forward will NEVER work.

I expected far more from him.

but this is nothing new.
TM has shown this hoofing for quite a few years.
the thing is against 95% of our opponents that were weaker than us, this mostly worked. So we either didn't notice or bother or covered over this defect.

I truly an disappointed TM hardly showed sensible offensive strategies or plans against decent teams.

All I can hope is the next coach to concentrate on this, as our defensive game seems to be quite reliable. We have to come up with a couple of nice offensive plans

[faraz]

Hard to argue with any of this. You can't possibly know what to do when faced with adversity if you never...well, face adversity. That being said...

I don't think that would have changed today's result. We have to accept some facts about our people. We do not lack footballing talents, however we severely lack mental acuity in moments where we need it most - when expectations and pressures are high, we tend to fail. No single person, or tactic, will ever change this. In these moments, we are:

• Emotional and sensitive (as opposed to even-keeled and consistent...our highs are always too high, and our lows are too low...this forum right now being a prime example)
• Nervous and undisciplined (as opposed to calm and composed)
• Hurried and panicked (as opposed to assured and confident)

No better evidence of this than the first goal, and basically every minute after that. I still cannot truly comprehend what went through the minds of 6 of our players. Of course, Japanese culture is based on opposite characteristics ... carried play forward as if nothing had happened, scored a ridiculously professional goal, and that was basically it...we did not even muster a half-chance from that point, Sardar slapped some dude in the face, and bob's your uncle.

Hard not to want to find a corner and cry, but we move on...as always.

[Doctor DOOM]

seems CQ era is officially over, after reading his Instagram message.


As an often critic of much of what he's done in the past 8 years, I must say in the past couple of years he did plenty to win me over and I must be fair and say we became a better team (at least defensively, which we used to be pathetic) under his guidance. I still have a couple of bones to pick. But this is not the place nor time for that. and frankly no point to it anymore.


He brought professionalism and focus to TM. Both of which were missing from previous editions. I particularly appreciate this.


Ironically, …. tragically, … call it whatever, it was a sudden momentary lapse in that focus that did him and TM in finally! How's that for a Greek tragedy scenario?


I, personally wish him well.

[Adesor Vafaseya]

I think considering the facilities and the environment he had to deal with, he did the best out of them for sure.
Iran's defense (not the defensive players but team) has always been Iran"s weakest point since I remember, and he turned it into Asia's finest (save the moment of error in Japan game). At world stage, we played no weaker against first tier opponents such as Argentina, Portugal, and Spain at the World Cup, where he qualified us twice back to back!
On top of that, he was never shy or afraid inviting young and fresh players to TM!
All in all, in my books, he surpassed Ivic, as the greatest foreign coach or greatest coach TM ever had!
I am truly thankful to him for that, forever!

[IranJavidan]

It's unlikely that any other coach after him will be anywhere near his caliber. I'll always remember him particularly for his fists pumped against the Koreans. We totally dominated Korea during his reign. We also beat Chile and yes, lost to Sweden. The Argentina game could've went our way with the chances we created and the penalty that wasn't called. Even against Portugal...
CQ realized quickly how to adapt to the reality of our football. He could've easily left several times in the past eight years with his head held high and not deal with all the nonsense. Yes, there was a handsome paycheck, but for all he's done, nooshe joonesh.
He created a coherent team, even if it meant crossing off big names. He made JB and Azmoun the second and third highest valued Asian footballers. He took our best players in his opinion and elevated their football. He wasn't perfect, but was hardly wrong in his approaches given what he had at his disposal.
I would name a street in his honour and grant him Iranian citizenship instead of the farewell that he got. CQ will be remembered in the future as the best thing that ever happened to Iranian football post 79.