TM strengths and weaknesses for the Asian Cup

[taremiscores]

The smartest move for GN to do due to our age and stamina is to rest taremi Ghodos Mohebi for next game...we need to do a rotation for easier games and let these guys play the big games for us...we have plenty people of to play...HK is not a big body team so smaller players like Ghaedi would be perfect for this game..

Our last group stage game is on Jan 23.

If everything goes to plan and we top Group C, we will play our Round of 16 game on Jan 31

That's a week-long break. But yes, we should manage minutes cause it gets tighter for our Quarter Finals encounter, if everything goes to plan.

[Pluto2000]

After watching South Korea, I'm convinced what will make us win or lose is going to be left back position. They rely on very individual quality type of players and lack a lot of team work. I honestly think we need to play Moharrami at left back and we have a solid chance to win. I just don't trust Milad or Haj Safi to defend against their star offensive players on left side.

[taremiscores]

After watching South Korea, I'm convinced what will make us win or lose is going to be left back position. They rely on very individual quality type of players and lack a lot of team work. I honestly think we need to play Moharrami at left back and we have a solid chance to win. I just don't trust Milad or Haj Safi to defend against their star offensive players on left side.

Ramin as RB and Sadegh at LB is the way to go. Hopefully GN sees this.

[DR Strangemoosh]

Mohammadi does well against speedy attackers eg guys like Mitoma where he matches them for speed but also out-muscles them

He must start against Japan and South Korea, otherwise bench for the other games

Moharrami at left-back hits me with the uncomfortable memory of Nosrati when he was switched to left back.

[Hosseini]

Mohammadi does well against speedy attackers eg guys like Mitoma where he matches them for speed but also out-muscles them

He must start against Japan and South Korea, otherwise bench for the other games

Moharrami at left-back hits me with the uncomfortable memory of Nosrati when he was switched to left back.

Beiro
Sadegh Kanaani Shoja Mohammadi
Eza Ghoddos
Ramin Torabi
Sardar Taremi

[Keano]

Seems like we are back to pre-CQ defensive struggles, conceding easy goals. Our defense looks very vulnerable and unreliable TBH. All my life since I started watching Football, Iran's defense was its weak point until CQ came aboard making it our utmost strength, which of course came with its consequence “lack of offensive performances”


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[AhuraMazda1]

Mmm was an interesting game for us!

Overall:

1. Happy that Ghaedi scored. He gives us a different option on the left wing
2. GN has a few faults, however, he wants us to play attacking football and I am all for it. Our weakness is our defence, however, this cannot be supplemented by having more defensive players on the pitch, against Uzbekistan in the second half we saw that this strategy does not work. I would rather play with more attacking players and with a more attacking formation than try to win defensively
3. Moharammi who I feel has been poor for TM had his best game for us and I hope this continues
4. Majid was so very poor when he came on. What on earth was that performance?!

Strengths after game one:

1. Moharammi appears to have improved
2. Ghaedi is on form having scored three goals in his last two outings for TM
3. Kanaani and Shoja were good for us

Weaknesses:

1. Jahanbakhsh can’t retain the ball against very poor opposition and takes us out of the game. We need to establish possession football if we have an attacking line-up and Jahanbakhsh prevents this from happening. His defensive and tackling abilities are very good however so I will bring him on when as a sub particularly when we are up against Korea and Japan as I feel with an attacking line-up "blitz" strategy early on we will score against them. Later when our players tire Jahanbakhsh can be a player to be brought on
2. Ezat and Ehsan towards the end of the game were very poor. Very strange from Ezat in particular. Scary
3. Taremi’s positioning when Mohebbi had the ball was very poor except on one occasion where Mohebbi could have found him
4. Beyranvand has mistakes in him. It’s a matter of time when he makes a sooti. He was on the verge of making a few and got away with it

[taha]

I don't always understand the 5hit that ARJ and Ezatollahi get. If you change the way you view them as players, your opinion will shift.

View ARJ as a defensive midfielder who breaks up play and constantly runs and nips at the opponent's heels which forces the other team back.

View Ezatollahi as an immobile player that becomes Pirlo against top opposition, his passing is phenomenal. I am yet to remember Ezatollahi having a poor game against good opposition. He is v much a big game player, but you can't just just play him in those games, he needs a run of games because he is a fat bas and needs to keep his fitness up.

[AhuraMazda1]

I don't always understand the 5hit that ARJ and Ezatollahi get. If you change the way you view them as players, your opinion will shift.

View ARJ as a defensive midfielder who breaks up play and constantly runs and nips at the opponent's heels which forces the other team back.

View Ezatollahi as an immobile player that becomes Pirlo against top opposition, his passing is phenomenal. I am yet to remember Ezatollahi having a poor game against good opposition. He is v much a big game player, but you can't just just play him in those games, he needs a run of games because he is a fat bas and needs to keep his fitness up.

I feel Ezat was one of our best players. However, during the last stages of the game he was miserably poor Taha jan. Call it complacency or whatever. And I am not referring to the assist he provided, I am discounting this. I am mostly referring to him not tracking players and jogging around without purpose at times towards the end of the game when our opponents had the ball.

Regarding Jahanbaksh, if you consider him a defensive midfielder what does that do to our line-up and to our strategy? Defensively we are poor, to add another player on defensive duty means you will arrange the team in a defensive manner which as the second half of the Uzbekistan game showed, makes us susceptible to further attacks. If you say, no but he will be a hybrid player that will also go forward, then you are giving up possession football as he loses the ball very frequently.

In summary, we have to play to our strengths, if the strength of our squad is a more attacking formation i.e. playing Azmoun and Taremi with one defensive (Ezat) midfielder and one creative midfielder (Saman) with Torabi/Ghaedi/Mohebbi and Gholizadeh/Ramin on the wings, then we have to play that way and accommodate that style of play i.e. possession based football to prevent counter-attacks and to ensure we are rewarded with service to our offensive players. Jahanbaksh prevents us from playing possession based football.

[taha]

I feel Ezat was one of our best players. However, during the last stages of the game he was miserably poor Taha jan. Call it complacency or whatever. And I am not referring to the assist he provided, I am discounting this. I am mostly referring to him not tracking players and jogging around without purpose at times towards the end of the game when our opponents had the ball.

Regarding Jahanbaksh, if you consider him a defensive midfielder what does that do to our line-up and to our strategy? Defensively we are poor, to add another player on defensive duty means you will arrange the team in a defensive manner which as the second half of the Uzbekistan game showed, makes us susceptible to further attacks. If you say, no but he will be a hybrid player that will also go forward, then you are giving up possession football as he loses the ball very frequently.

In summary, we have to play to our strengths, if the strength of our squad is a more attacking formation i.e. playing Azmoun and Taremi with one defensive (Ezat) midfielder and one creative midfielder (Saman) with Torabi/Ghaedi/Mohebbi and Gholizadeh/Ramin on the wings, then we have to play that way and accommodate that style of play i.e. possession based football to prevent counter-attacks and to ensure we are rewarded with service to our offensive players. Jahanbaksh prevents us from playing possession based football.

Yes, I can't deny that. Ezatollahi has 70 mins to give max.

Wrong choice of word, sorry. Not a defensive midfielder per se, but one of our more defensively minded midfielders, meaning if the other team has a break, or our back line needs someone to drop a bit deeper in order to pick up they're extra man in midfield, he's your guy. In the transition, he will then pivot to a more typical attacking mid, he has the legs to do it, for now...

You said it well in your closing paragraph, ARJ isn't a ball playing midfielder, the less time he has the ball at his feet the better, which is why against bigger teams when we don't absolutely dominate possession, he comes good.

[AhuraMazda1]

Yes, I can't deny that. Ezatollahi has 70 mins to give max.

Wrong choice of word, sorry. Not a defensive midfielder per se, but one of our more defensively minded midfielders, meaning if the other team has a break, or our back line needs someone to drop a bit deeper in order to pick up they're extra man in midfield, he's your guy. In the transition, he will then pivot to a more typical attacking mid, he has the legs to do it, for now...

You said it well in your closing paragraph, ARJ isn't a ball playing midfielder, the less time he has the ball at his feet the better, which is why against bigger teams when we don't absolutely dominate possession, he comes good.

Khahesh mikonam mashti.

I agree, Jahanbakhsh should play a part against in the big teams. But I would gamble against Korea and Japan. I would play the following formation to get an early goal through a high-press blitz strategy, THEN bring him on to prevent them from moving forward:

---------------------Beiro-------------------
----Moharami---Kanani--Shoja----Milmo (Unfortunately because Ehsan was so poor we have no choice)
---------------------Ezat---------------------
----Ramin-------Ghoddos----------Ghaedi
---------------Azmoun------Taremi------

Then after we go ahead towards the 60 min mark (if we are ahead)

---------------------Beiro-------------------
----Ramin---Kanani--Shoja----Milmo (Unfortunately because Ehsan was so poor we have no choice)
---------------------Ezat---------------------
---Jahanbakhsh----Ghoddos--------Mohebbi
---------------Azmoun------Taremi------

70 Min:

---------------------Beiro-------------------
----Ramin---Kanani--Shoja-----Ehsan
---------------------Omid---------------------
---Jahanbakhsh---Ghoddos------Mohebbi
--------------Shahyrar----Taremi------------

80 min:

---------------------Beiro-------------------
----Ramin---Kanani--Shoja-----Ehsan
--------------Omid----Cheshmi-------------
---Jahanbakhsh---------Mohebbi--------
--------------Shahyrar---Taremi---------

Even towards the end of the game we need to have some attacking players in the squad as if Korea or Japan score and we need goals we will be screwed. Furthermore, Taremi has to stay on in case of penalties.

During the group games I will play Gholi and Torabi on the wings. If they start scoring goals and providing assists then I would consider having them play a part during the Korea and Japan games too

[taha]

Khahesh mikonam mashti.

I agree, Jahanbakhsh should play a part against in the big teams. But I would gamble against Korea and Japan. I would play the following formation to get an early goal through a high-press blitz strategy, THEN bring him on to prevent them from moving forward:

---------------------Beiro-------------------
----Moharami---Kanani--Shoja----Milmo (Unfortunately because Ehsan was so poor we have no choice)
---------------------Ezat---------------------
----Ramin-------Ghoddos----------Ghaedi
---------------Azmoun------Taremi------

Then after we go ahead towards the 60 min mark (if we are ahead)

---------------------Beiro-------------------
----Ramin---Kanani--Shoja----Milmo (Unfortunately because Ehsan was so poor we have no choice)
---------------------Ezat---------------------
---Jahanbakhsh----Ghoddos--------Mohebbi
---------------Azmoun------Taremi------

70 Min:

---------------------Beiro-------------------
----Ramin---Kanani--Shoja-----Ehsan
---------------------Omid---------------------
---Jahanbakhsh---Ghoddos------Mohebbi
--------------Shahyrar----Taremi------------

80 min:

---------------------Beiro-------------------
----Ramin---Kanani--Shoja-----Ehsan
--------------Omid----Cheshmi-------------
---Jahanbakhsh---------Mohebbi--------
--------------Shahyrar---Taremi---------

Even towards the end of the game we need to have some attacking players in the squad as if Korea or Japan score and we need goals we will be screwed.

During the group games I will play Gholi and Torabi on the wings. If they start scoring goals and providing assists then I would consider having them play a part during the Korea and Japan games too

Interesting.

I don't think anyone will be able to second guess GN and this is a plus as our opponents won't be sure either vs CQ who always went with the expected in the big games with the exception of Morocco (worked) and England (did not work + external factors).

[AhuraMazda1]

Interesting.

I don't think anyone will be able to second guess GN and this is a plus as our opponents won't be sure either vs CQ who always went with the expected in the big games with the exception of Morocco (worked) and England (did not work + external factors).

Yes, GN has an attack minded philosophy which I love. Shame about not inviting Hosseinejad but I will forgive him if he goes all out against Korea and Japan. If we don't and try playing defensively we will quite simply lose. We have world-class forwards and many forward options full of hungry physically dominant players. Let's utilise them!

[IRAN_TILL_I_DIE]

--------------Beiro

Moharemmi----Hosseini--Shoja---Milmo


------- -Ezat----Hajisafi----


Ramin------ Ghoddos-------Jahanbakhsh


---------------Taremi



Attack minded:

--------------Beiro

Ramin----Hosseini--Shoja---Milmo


------- -Ezat----Ghoddos----


Jahanbakhsh------ Azmoun-------Torabi


---------------Taremi

[IRAN_TILL_I_DIE]

Taremi needs to stay up front and stop dropping back so much and trying to do too much.

He knows he is head and shoulders above the rest of the team and oppostion so trys too much and a bit cocky, doing flicks,cute passes dropping deep and doing the job of the other players etc.

if he stays up top and does what he does best and score goals, it will benefit us