TM- List of 38 players-June 9 2016

[Amin_]

He's simply not TM material. He never was, despite being a versatile player. His crosses are useless, and his presence on the field doesn't bring anything special.

I am not saying Heydari should be in the squad. Actually it's quite a surprise that he's around this time as well despite being out for almost the entire season (again, this shows CQ's trust in him). Personally I wouldn't have picked him this time around if I was the coach. But he rightfully was around in the past when he was tearing apart the league and even ACL with Sepahan/Esteghlal with practically 1-2 assists in every game!
I'm just trying to clarify why he's probably always around and why most coaches love players like him.

It's funny that many people lick CQ's balls no matter what without questioning him and approve of whatever, but in case of picking a player they don't like they suddenly forget that he (CQ) has been the one who's been coaching and training these players for years and knows best!

Excuse me, but I trust CQ's judgement on a player he's been working with for years more than a random fan who has never been at a TM training and only bases his judgement on a few minutes that he's seeing from a player every other few months!

[Kiarash]

It's funny that many people lick CQ's balls no matter what without questioning him and approve of whatever

I'm actually one of the fewer persons who rightfully questions CQ's tactics and mentality from time to time.

but in case of picking a player they don't like

It's not about disliking Heydari. I said why he isn't TM material, so we were talking about his footballing abilities.

Excuse me, but I trust CQ's judgement on a player he's been working with for years more than a random fan who has never been at a TM training and only bases his judgement on a few minutes that he's seeing from a player every other few months!

OK, that's fine. In my opinion, one doesn't need to be an expert because he never attended any training of TM. I saw Heydari more than a ''few minutes'' throughout the time I started following TM, and based on that he is not TM material.

[Ando Teymourian]

I'm actually one of the fewer persons who rightfully questions CQ's tactics and mentality from time to time.

Lol, how presumptuous of you

[Kiarash]

Lol, how presumptuous of you

Lol, thanks. That was not meant to insult CQ, just to say that he makes mistakes too and can be criticised for that.

[IRAN300]

Heydari is the type of player every coach loves. A versatile player who can play at different positions. He can play the whole right flank if necessary and even in the middle of the field in worst case scenario like he did a couple of times in Esteghlal where he actually did a very good job, something no-one thought he could do.
The fact that he's always around in CQ's squads (although now it's not a final list yet), even this time despite having been out and injured for practically the entire season, says a lot about CQ's trust in him.
At the end of the day it's the coach who decides to pick him. No-one put a gun to CQ's head and forced him to call Heydari up! Let's not burn the player for being available for his country and doing his best everytime he's on the pitch and not making a scene when he's put on the bench!

He USED to be decent as RB, but there is no versatility in him today. He is usefull only as RB and to be honest he was pretty good back in 2009-2013 at this position, but his time has passed and he is useless today. As a right back he is probably choice 4th at best because of his experience, but he doesnt't play there anymore at EsEs. And as a midfielder it is a bad joke to consider him TM-material. He his far from this level, he doesn't match International football criterias anymore: too slow in decision and running which used to be his main quality, too old and small, he lacks creativity and his play is way too stereotyped which only works in PGL against poor teams. He is far from our other Midfielders both as Cm or RM/RW, and also as RB you can't compare him with the likes of Ghafouri, Rezaian, Mahini ... Beitashour
He contributed greatly to TM at once but now he is done for sure now and this is true from at least 2 years, ago you could see it against Nigeria, if CQ wasn't so defensive minded he would have played guys like ARJ or Rahmani in place of him. Thank you Mr Khosro for what you did in the past and good bye.

[shahname]

I am really worried about our DM positions. Pouraliganji is great. He is also young. But Seyed Jalal and Montazeri are 34 and 32. Even Pourghaz and Tayebi are old - 29 years old! Unless Kananizadegan improves a lot and can pair with Poualiganji in defense.

Are there any young prospects for TM DM positions in Iran?!!

[PSGman#19]

For which game is the list?

[Iran_19]

I don't see what is the point of inviting like Beikzadeh and Khosro? Also i was expecting to see Shoja Khalalizadeh in list of 38 at least, same as like Mehrdad Mohammadi, Mosalman and Alishah, Hadi Mohammadi and Nejad Mehdi of Zob Ahan.

[Kiarash]

I am really worried about our DM positions. Pouraliganji is great. He is also young. But Seyed Jalal and Montazeri are 34 and 32. Even Pourghaz and Tayebi are old - 29 years old! Unless Kananizadegan improves a lot and can pair with Poualiganji in defense.
Are there any young prospects for TM DM positions in Iran?!!

Let me introduce you to Saeid Ezatolahi then.

[The Farbod]

I am really worried about our DM positions. Pouraliganji is great. He is also young. But Seyed Jalal and Montazeri are 34 and 32. Even Pourghaz and Tayebi are old - 29 years old! Unless Kananizadegan improves a lot and can pair with Poualiganji in defense.

Are there any young prospects for TM DM positions in Iran?!!

Saeid Ezatollahi can play DM

[Nariman]

I am really worried about our DM positions. Pouraliganji is great. He is also young. But Seyed Jalal and Montazeri are 34 and 32. Even Pourghaz and Tayebi are old - 29 years old! Unless Kananizadegan improves a lot and can pair with Poualiganji in defense.
Are there any young prospects for TM DM positions in Iran?!!

I think you mean CB here, not DM. Well of course replacing Hosseini & Montazeri won’t be easy as these 2 have been the best and most consistent CB's of Iran for a long time now. Pool-aliganji was the main candidate to take over, until arab money made him a bitch. Pourghaz and Tayebi are not that old actually, not for a CB at least.

IMO right now we should worry more about LB & GK. With CQ finally starting to use Mohammadi instead of Hajsafi we are fixing the LB spot, now we just need to see who will be the best GK. We have good options, but mentally they are not ready. Haghighi needs to recover as he is out of form, Beiranvand might not withstand the pressure in Perspolis, Akhbari or Mazaheri also need to prove if they have the confidence...

[04041374]

For which game is the list?

Training camp in Armenia.

[Ali Doust]

Anyone know if Cheshmi is still injured? and if so when is he due to return. Also what the status is on Khalilzadeh. Was he not invited due to military issues?

[IRAN300]

Anyone know if Cheshmi is still injured? and if so when is he due to return. Also what the status is on Khalilzadeh. Was he not invited due to military issues?

He tore his ACL one months before the end of the league. He is out till end 2016 for sure, otherwise CQ would have probably called him. He is talented, physical, young and probably the only real n°6 we have right now.

[K. Nader]

Here are my thoughts on the new list (as well as a host of other relevant issues):

The list itself is great. It blends youth with experience while keeping the focus on the 'new wave' of Team Melli players. Like always, our fans are quick to criticize the inclusion of certain players (e.g. Heydari and Beikzadeh) without taking the time to ask 'Why'? While neither are x-factor players (e.g. Jahanbakhsh, Azmoun, etc.), they are experienced players who have adapted to CQ's system, have synergy with most of the players in the squad, and know exactly what is demanded of them physically and mentally if they are called up. When you have a squad list of 38 players - 15 of which must be cut - you need appropriate back-ups.

Focusing on Heydari for a moment, Ghafouri is currently injured, Mahini is inexperienced and needs time to adapt to international competition, and Rezaeian has been far from a standout player. At the current juncture, in the absence of Ghafouri, I would objectively go with Heydari (even though I'm not even a Heydari fan). Rezaeian - even with 10 caps - remains mentally unstable and lacks cohesion with his teammates. Mahini, as mentioned, still needs a few friendlies to gauge his abilities.

The LB position is another one of major discussion. Whereas most people say that CQ has a preference for Hajsafi, I disagree with this assessment. Rather, I think it's CQ's affinity towards Amiri which has put us in this predicament. In his first several matches, Amiri displayed fantastic qualities on the left side of the field. However, the more games that pass, the more we are seeing that he is incredibly inconsistent. CQ sees the value of Hajsafi, which is why he doesn't drop him to the bench in favor of a more defensive LB (even if Hajsafi's abilities are diminished in the LB position). What I'm personally hoping CQ will do is to replace Amiri with Hajsafi, therefore allowing for Mohammadi to slip comfortably into the LB role.

The GK situation isn't as bad as people make it out to be either. With our stable defense, a good goalkeeper will suffice. When all is said and done, the three that will be called in September will be Beiranvand, Haghighi, and Mazaheri. While we won't know for sure until the WCQ kicks off again, I believe Beiranvand is taking over as the #1 keeper. One indicative factor was his start against Macedonia. So long as Beiranvand continues to excel in the league and Haghighi remains a bench player in whatever league he is playing in, preference will gradually shift towards Beiranvand.

Moving on to the CBs. Should we qualify for the World Cup, I am certain Montazeri will play for the national team through the tournament. Like Nekounam, his greatest assets are not physical but rather mental. His positioning and ability to read the game will be extremely valuable going forward and unless he is held back due to a major injury, he's in for the long run. The same can be said for Hosseini but with less certainty. Being older and more reliant on his physical presence, Hosseini is at greater threat of losing his starting XI spot than Montazeri in the long run. The two deciding factors are:

1. Will he remain fit over the course of the next two years?
2. Are there any superior youngsters that can usurp him of his starting role?

So far, Hosseini hasn't shown any major signs of slowing down nor have there been any overly impressive young CBs. In contrast we have 1-2 reliable and older CBs that can be used if needed (e.g. Pourghaz).

This brings me to the topic of Pouraliganji. While he put in a valiant effort at the Asian Cup, he comes off as a player more suited to his natural DM role as opposed to his adopted CB role. With Ezatolahi exhibiting some of the best qualities of Nekounam, Pouraliganji can complement him well by playing the 'Ando' role. Regardless of his move to Qatar, Pouraliganji is a very energetic and aggressive player; someone capable of disrupting and breaking down the opposition's play in midfield. Ebrahimi is a better passer than Pouraliganji but is not as defensively (or offensively) imposing as Pouraliganji.

The last topic I want to talk about is Ando. He's been out of the frame for quite a bit due to injury which begs the question: Is there still a role for 33-year-old Ando in Team Melli? We haven't seen him since last November against Guam. Since then, it seems that Team Melli has moved on without him. While we're still searching for a permanent partner for Ezatolahi, both Pouraliganji and Ebrahimi have performed admirably when playing the role. I don't have an answer to this question but my objective thought is that CQ will keep Ando around for now - even if it's only to sit on the bench.