Team Melli squad (March 2016)

[Iran_19]

Is time to replace slowly guys like Ando, Shojaei and one of Seyed jalal and Montazeri or both. our central defense is really old.

[Karimi 8]

Is time to replace slowly guys like Ando, Shojaei and one of Seyed jalal and Montazeri or both. our central defense is really old.

Ando is our new captain, and Hosseini has been our most solid defender for years and the backbone of our defense lol. Only person that needs to be replaced is Masoud.

[Doctor DOOM]

I'd have dropped shojaei and kept pahlavan in the final 24 man list.
I know shojaei is more than enough for the likes of India. But India is not our aim and goal, nor are they a measure for what we'll face in next round. In fact India and the likes of India Rae the PERFECT opportunity to start new careers without risking much.
Anyway it is done. Let's hope the likes of shojaeian or others get the nod. Which makes calling up of shojaei a total waste of a spot!!!! But that's typical CQ call up we've become very familiar with!!

[PersianLegion]

^ CQ is going old school and his old approach won't help us qualify this time, if he uses all old timers. He needs to bring new blood and introduce replacement for our CM, DM, CB positions. Our LB is also with no back up. If Milad does not function well or gets injured HajiSafi is not a right choice specially for next round. We won't get lucky like the WC 2014 qualifiers. This time around we should go full force and no more match like that one vs Lebanon or Uzbekistan is acceptable. To achieve this we need to experiment right now with DM, CB positions and our void in CM and AMF. I doubt Ando, Khosro, Shojai and Husseini be around for more than a year. Husseini is already 34 and any fast attacking player in teams like Japan, Australia or S.Korea can pass him.

Watch the match between CSKA Moscow and Rostov. CSKA's defense are Russian national team veterans but they were overrun by Azmoun who was told by his coach to use fast pace and pass them in defense. It did work easy because of their age. This can happen to our national team if we use old CBs. We need a combination of experience and youth. I personally feel ease when I see Kanaani and Husseini at CB atm. PAG is not a good CB and he gets himself injured most of the time. PAG is better for DMF and possibly work with Ezattolahi to cover Ando's spot eventually.

[Z Joon]

I do agree with everyone saying Masoud should be dropped, but nevertheless one thing we probably cannot criticize CQ for is making TM much younger. We have very young players in basically all positions, I cannot see many national teams in the world that right now are in our state (except for Iraq who are all 17 years old players forever)

Is time to replace slowly guys like Ando, Shojaei and one of Seyed jalal and Montazeri or both. our central defense is really old.

You're definitely right about Masoud, and even Ando (although I would still definitely keep him in the squad for now, but benched). I said it before Omid Ebrahimi right now is the best Iranian CM surely better than Ando, Saeid Ezzatollahi is a great young prospect and it's not going to be long until Kamyabinia or even Cheshmi become better players than him that's just how it is, I love Ando as much as everyone else of course and as I said we still need his presence at least until the end of the qualifiers in my opinion.

Seyed Jalal is still the heart of our defensive system which nowadays is our strength, Montazeri still has it as well so I wouldn't drop them yet.

The ideal, what I would have predicted months ago and still do today as well is to have these replacements during the final round:


Hosseini ---> Kanaani, Hadi Mohammadi

Ando ---> Kamyabinia, Ezzatollahi, Cheshmi

Shojaei ---> Bakhtiar Rahmani, Rafiei, Shojaeian, Pahlevan


It will happen sooner or later

[lml]

1. You shouldn't care about young players or old players - only good players.

2a. Get some perspective. Over the years Carlos has brought in from the new generation the following: Azmoun, Torabi, Ezatolahi, Taremi, Pouraliganji, Kanaani, Beiranvand, Mohammadi, Jahanbakhsh, Rezaeian.

2b. This April will mark Carlos's fifth year as the head coach of Iran. In sport, 5 years is almost half a lifetime. Let's look at the players who he brought into Team Melli in the past: Dejagah, Ghoochannejhad, Amiri, Haghighi, Ebrahimi, Ghafouri, Mahini.

There are many others who got chances as well but I only wanted to highlight the players who debuted under CQ and significantly established themselves at one point or another within the national team. He clearly has shown he has a good understanding of what the right mix of youth and experience is, so stop poking and prodding and fretting about it.

[Ab-Gosht]

so basically all eses players cut so now they can go to sweden

[Martin-Reza]

Dariush Shojaeian is a central offensive midfielder, correct?

[Z Joon]

Dariush Shojaeian is a central offensive midfielder, correct?

Mainly, yes. Also plays left winger

[PersianLegion]

Up until now we were playing tile bazi, from next September the roller coaster begins to move and there is no room for experiment or error for our players. We have some old players who are getting worse and worse so if we want to replace them for WC we should do it now and then use them in friendlies to sync with the team. Using Shojai is a big mistake. We could bring a young and skilled player instead of him. Not inviting Kanaani is also wrong. These are two big errors that I can not agree with CQ no matter what.

[Iran_19]

Well said Z Joon, i was kind of expecting he invites Nejad Mehdi and Hadi Mohammadi and slowly give them taste of TM camps and it environment, I am not big fan of neither of Pourghaz and Kanani, i strongly believe both are overrated. I don't mind having one old central defenseman but two? The speed will be an issue against some fast speedy teams like Japan and Korea.
As i said i m really impressed with both NejadMehdi and H.Mohammadi and no wonder a team like Zob doing so well in defense in ACL or even in league, Zob allowed only 15 goals and that is mainly thanks to these two guys+ Rashid Mazaheri. This is some amazing stats consider Zob had a really slow start of season.
Other than that with Bakhtiar, Soroush being eligible to play soon for TM and with like Torabi and Shojaeian we should be Ok when it comes to CAM.
I just hope he include Shoja Khalilzadeh at some point.

[shahname]

Dariush Shojaeian is a central offensive midfielder, correct?

I guess so. He is supposed to be very technical.

[MR.S]

Dariush Shojaeian is a central offensive midfielder, correct?

I watched a couple of gostaresh foolads recent game and in those games he played for gostaresh foolad as a striker in a 4-4-2 . Seeing him play I understnd why he is listed az midfielder in TM he his a quick technical player.

[MR.S]

Here they mention Dariush Shojaeian in the pretalk of the game. he is wearing nr 23

[teammelli91]

Shojaeian is one of the most technically talented footballers of League Bartar today. Very good move on calling him up, it was time.