3 of 4 teams from Asia made it to the next round time for reflection

[Rooyintan]

One of Japan's goals vs Spain should not have been counted. The ball was out of line not on the line when the player was trying to pass it to another player. Japan got helped.

A draw would have got Spain 1st place with 5 Pts, Germany would be 4 Pts and +1 Goal Difference, Japan would have been eliminated with 4 Pts and 0 Goal Difference.

Germany, Denmark, Belgium were the biggest anti-Qatar World Cup and none of them made it past the group stage.

Having said all this, I have to admit that Team Melli is falling behind.

Japan, Korea, Australia, Saudi Arabia are all stronger than Team Melli.

[milad_b]

He’s not playing, he’s warming the bench. Big difference.

bro he had more games than ali karimi . So the logic doesn't really work. Also we all can agree that saman is more fit than most of our players including ahmadnoor and ali karimi

The truth is that CQ messed up big time!

[Babak agha]

Yet another slap in the face to the mental gymnast God King worshippers. If the fact that both Spain and Portugal getting eliminated in the first knock out stages last WC wasn't enough, now we see that both of them lose to Asian teams. On top of that Argentina also lost to the Saudies. I'm looking forward to the mental gymnastics to make the Iran performance (loses) look God like.

Let's also not forget the fact that the God like achievements were based on pure luck (except Argentina). This time around the luck wasn't there and it showed what the master plan 'parking the bus' usually gets you.

[Babak agha]

One of Japan's goals vs Spain should not have been counted. The ball was out of line not on the line when the player was trying to pass it to another player. Japan got helped.

A draw would have got Spain 1st place with 5 Pts, Germany would be 4 Pts and +1 Goal Difference, Japan would have been eliminated with 4 Pts and 0 Goal Difference.

Germany, Denmark, Belgium were the biggest anti-Qatar World Cup and none of them made it past the group stage.

Having said all this, I have to admit that Team Melli is falling behind.

Japan, Korea, Australia, Saudi Arabia are all stronger than Team Melli.

The ball had not crossed the line. See this article for further explanation:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.the...-cup-ball-line

(Last video in the article clearly shows the ball had not crossed the line)

All of the above teams you mentioned have themselves to blame for not advancing. They had all the opportunity yet failed miserably. There was no injustice done to them.

Also Engeland and the Netherlands are part of the OneLove movement. Both of them topped the group.

Just look the truth in the eyes: 12 years of CQ has brought us 0 silverware and eventually resulted in us being the number 5 or 6 team in Asia.

Thanks a lot CQ!

[PSGman#19]

There needs to be a distinction b/w advancing once in a blue moon and doing so consistently. Japan is advancing to the Round of 16 (+ performing excellently in Asian Cups) because they invested heavily in their football since the early 1990s and also have a clear identity which they play with (and has been integrated into their youth academies). The same is similar in South Korea - albeit not to the level of sophistication as Japan.

If the goal is to make the Round of 16 for the sake of it, then yes, I believe it will eventually happen for Team Melli but I don't necessarily understand what the point of it is? Yes, you get your occasional North Korea (1966), Saudi Arabia (1994), Senegal (2002), Ghana (2006/2010), Costa Rica (2014), Algeria (2014), and others but none of these nations sustain these performances consistently because they're not really investing properly into their systems.

If Japan is in the R16, it's because they aspire to start consistently making the QFs and onwards until they can actually WIN the World Cup itself (much as they already have with their Women's team).

With Iran making the R16, aside from the short-term 'feel good' factor, I don't see what it does for our football? Our investments won't increase. Corruption won't be rooted out of our league nor will the quality increase overnight. This same Japan team has also qualified for every Olympic tournament with their U23 team since 1996 and placed 4th twice. The same with South Korea since 1992 (having placed 3rd in 2012). In contrast, we have not even qualified once for the Olympics since the revolution.

I admire that our players are talented enough to semi-consistently qualify for the World Cup and are now starting to accumulate a decent # of points. However, the Round of 16 really is a moot point. I want to see a TM that will one day be a consistent threat on the global stage, much as we are in Futsal, for example. But if all people want is to check off the box of the R16, then yes, I believe it will happen even under these circumstances if we throw spaghetti on the wall enough times.

R16 even once will get Iran be noticed while currently we just one team among 32 other teams and will get forgotten in 2 months. It will help us attracting better offers from euro teams than what we have.

I can understand people are disappointed, but we have to admit we have an inferior squad compared to other teams, even with players that weren't in the list, a terrible situation in Iran. We shouldn't expect miracle

[PSGman#19]

It is far from the strongest. Taremi is the only player who has been successful for a decent European team. Our midfielders, defenders and goalkeepers are pretty mediocre. Look at Japan. Most of their players are starters for EPL, La Liga, Bundesliga, Ligue 1, Sporting, Celtic etc. I live in Germany and Japanese players are farrrr more successful than Azmoun in Bundesliga. Kamada is the highest rated player by Kicker in Bundesliga, Endo is Stuttgart's captain, Doan is a key player for the 2nd placed team (Friburg) and Itakura is the best defender for Borussia Monchengladbach. Ito and Yoshida are also starters for Stuttgart and Schalke. In my opinion, our players are simply not good enough to succeed at the WC level. We should focus on the lack of talents before criticizing a coach.





It was a correct call. Even a German referee (Patrick Ittrich) said it was a right decision in an interview with Bild.

Finally someone who is realistic about Iran quality.

[Damavand]

If that ball did not cross the line completely as they say then from now on they have to use VAR to see if the ball has crossed the line completely on every play.

Which they don’t. Every time the ball goes out of bonds like this the ref or the linesman calls it out.

[Azmoun_shireh]

Japan also had speedy players. Our players couldn't even run in the 3rd game.

[taremiscores]

Simple. They are part of progressive, democratic societies that have good governments - Iran has IR. No need to look deeper than this.

[GoIran]

Talent wise, we were better in the past than now. TM in 2006 had guys like Mahdavikia, Hashemian, Karimi, Nekounam, Zandi, Teymourian etc. When was the last time we had a successful player in a top 4 league?

Japan, Korea, Australia and even Saudi did well against world powerhouses. Only Iran was destroyed. I'm depressed.

[PSGman#19]

Talent wise, we were better in the past than now. TM in 2006 had guys like Mahdavikia, Hashemian, Karimi, Nekounam, Zandi, Teymourian etc. When was the last time we had a successful player in a top 4 league?

Japan, Korea, Australia and even Saudi did well against world powerhouses. Only Iran was destroyed. I'm depressed.

I don't agree. We had some stars but the rest was really trash. And these 6 stars weren't at their prime at the same time.

Now we have less stars but our average/ipl player are better than before (ipl clearly progressed)

[Rooyintan]

The ball had not crossed the line. See this article for further explanation:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.the...-cup-ball-line

(Last video in the article clearly shows the ball had not crossed the line)

All of the above teams you mentioned have themselves to blame for not advancing. They had all the opportunity yet failed miserably. There was no injustice done to them.

Also Engeland and the Netherlands are part of the OneLove movement. Both of them topped the group.

Just look the truth in the eyes: 12 years of CQ has brought us 0 silverware and eventually resulted in us being the number 5 or 6 team in Asia.

Thanks a lot CQ!

Yes, indeed Denmark and Belgium have themselves to blame. Their heart and soul were not into this World Cup. They just did not want to participate in a World Cup hosted by a Muslim Arab nation. Belgian fans even set cars on Fire and caused some damages in Brussels after their humiliating loss to Morocco.

However, Germany I meant was robbed of reaching the knockout stage. The call in favor of Japan is still not convincing for me that it was a legit call. The way I so it crossed the line. Now I see use of VAR being very controversial. Gholizadeh's disallowed goal was just because of his knee!

England and Netherlands are strong teams, while Germany has got weaker in comparison to 2014 World Cup. I no longer see Germany a giant in World Football. Only Bundesliga is still among the top 3 or 4 leagues in the World.

[Scooter]

CQ made USA look like world giant. Same shitting the bed strategy happened vs England.
Sorry folks, but this guy have zero optimal strategy when his team is behind and he even admitted that in his press conference after losing to USA(when you score first goal you usually win).

I am not saying ok lets attack like headless chicken but being scared, bezan ziresh strategy and going with wingers which are not fast in ultra defensive system which rely on fast attack, was suicide.

He played 4-3-3.
Non of 3 midfielders were fast, neither of Taremi, Sardar and specially Gholi, JB are known for their speed..
He refused to start Torabi and didn't play Amiri at all.
He refused to even take a guy like Mohebbi with 2 spots available. A guy which his style could have helped us in second half.

I know we were limited in level of talents in midfielder, Azmoun was clearly not a 20 min player., JB is done and Gholi can not put up 2 consistent performance together, and Taremi was trying to do too much by his own but that was too pussy way of playing in 3rd consecutive WC despite what was going on, on and off the pitch

Sent from my MAR-LX3A using Tapatalk

Sometimes I read the posts of regulars here, and wonder what games they have been watching, or what substances they have been taking while watching games.

I can't agree with you concerning his strategy. He clearly had a Plan A and B, as seen in the difference in the first and second halves. We dominated second half, just as USA dominated the first half. You can hate his strategy, but overall, CQ has been a huge boon for TM. Furthermore, he didn't have much time with the team, or even to determine which players were appropriate to select for the team.

I can agree that he had the incorrect personnel and substitution pattern, especially as pertains to the first half lineup. It was wrong.

Taremi and Sardar don't have speed? Compared to whom? Have you seen either of those two play in their respective club matches? Taremi regular torches defenses with his intelligent runs, and Azmoun just sits on the shoulder of an opposing centerback waiting for a good long ball to him, so that he can get into a foot race and score. He did it against Wales, and even stretched England when he came on in the second half. He had USAs centerbacks on their heels; if he had received a good pass out of the back in the first half, he absolutely would have left Ream and/or their other CB in the dust. Come one man.. and Azmoun wasn't even fully fit.

Furthermore, you have to acknowledge that Taremi had to drop back soooo often in these WC matches, to midfield, to help build the attack. Heck, just to receive some touches, especially against England and USA (1st half). He wore himself out, but we had no choice but to play him almost every minute. For you to say he was a "pussy", is ridiculous. If you've played at a decent level, you'd know that is ridiculous talk.

I won't speak on Gholi and JB.

[Scooter]

Ghoddos was terrible in the playing time he received

No, he wasn't. He was great against the USA. He pressured them, won back balls, dribbled around them, created his own shot.. if you think all of that is "terrible", then you are unrealistic.

[PSGman#19]

Yes, indeed Denmark and Belgium have themselves to blame. Their heart and soul were not into this World Cup. They just did not want to participate in a World Cup hosted by a Muslim Arab nation. Belgian fans even set cars on Fire and caused some damages in Brussels after their humiliating loss to Morocco.

However, Germany I meant was robbed of reaching the knockout stage. The call in favor of Japan is still not convincing for me that it was a legit call. The way I so it crossed the line. Now I see use of VAR being very controversial. Gholizadeh's disallowed goal was just because of his knee!

England and Netherlands are strong teams, while Germany has got weaker in comparison to 2014 World Cup. I no longer see Germany a giant in World Football. Only Bundesliga is still among the top 3 or 4 leagues in the World.

Correction : Morocco fans caused damage and fire in Brussels, not belgian fans! They even took off belgian flags from balcony