Best Asian team in the world cup 2018

[DR Strangemoosh]

Japan and Iran have very different crops of players and styles of play.

If Iran did what Japan is doing, we would have lost 3-1 to the more technically gifted Morocco, probably drawn 1-1 with spain and lost 2-1 to portugal. Have you forgotten Bosnia 3 - 1 Iran when we opened up a bit in 2014?

Japan has more technically gifted players, especially midfielders, compared to Iran and they are all within the same age range 29-32 and know each other's game inside out.

However Iran has more physical (and younger) players who are tactically versatile and CQ had drilled them very well as a unit. He played the best results-orientated football this crop of players can get and the net result is that although we didn't qualify to the next round within a pretty tough group, every single damn person I've spoken to has said how impressive Iran was and hopefully this can translate to many different areas:

- Confidence for our team in playing with such teams in the future - to know that our tactical discipline is our forte.
- Transfers for some of our defensive players (Beiranvand, Majid Hosseini, Pourliganji, Ezatollahi, Mohammadi etc...)

* Some of the people I've spoken to who are in the game are particularly impressed with how disciplined our positioning was with corners. Compared to much bigger teams, we played like a club team.

[Pedram123]

And how many of our starters started in the 2014 world cup?
Hajsafi and who else? I can't remember.
Different team (same style), but can't compare.

Japan and Iran have very different crops of players and styles of play.

If Iran did what Japan is doing, we would have lost 3-1 to the more technically gifted Morocco, probably drawn 1-1 with spain and lost 2-1 to portugal. Have you forgotten Bosnia 3 - 1 Iran when we opened up a bit in 2014?

Japan has more technically gifted players, especially midfielders, compared to Iran and they are all within the same age range 29-32 and know each other's game inside out.

However Iran has more physical (and younger) players who are tactically versatile and CQ had drilled them very well as a unit. He played the best results-orientated football this crop of players can get and the net result is that although we didn't qualify to the next round within a pretty tough group, every single damn person I've spoken to has said how impressive Iran was and hopefully this can translate to many different areas:

- Confidence for our team in playing with such teams in the future - to know that our tactical discipline is our forte.
- Transfers for some of our defensive players (Beiranvand, Majid Hosseini, Pourliganji, Ezatollahi, Mohammadi etc...)

* Some of the people I've spoken to who are in the game are particularly impressed with how disciplined our positioning was with corners. Compared to much bigger teams, we played like a club team.

[Doctor DOOM]

now that all Asian teams have finished their stint, I can vote:

1- Japan
2- Iran
3- Korea

not difficult to decide. Japan did asia proud with their bold approach. If only they had a little more sense and patience to see off the full time at 2-2 and hunkered down, to resume in the extra time, they could have pushed Belgium to the brink.

Their only negative , imo, was this. too ambitious or un-professional.

[Mr Pouya]

I too think that Japan was the best Asian team, however I do also believe their results have been somewhat deceiving. They struggled against Columbia with 10 men for 80 mins, they lost against Poland (one of the worst teams in the WC) and pulled that unsporting stuff at the end of that game and with regards to the Belgium game, If you know anything about football and Roberto Martinez, you know how bad of a coach he really is and he proved it in that game.

[forzatm]

I too think that Japan was the best Asian team, however I do also believe their results have been somewhat deceiving. They struggled against Columbia with 10 men for 80 mins, they lost against Poland (one of the worst teams in the WC) and pulled that unsporting stuff at the end of that game and with regards to the Belgium game, If you know anything about football and Roberto Martinez, you know how bad of a coach he really is and he proved it in that game.

Japan totally dominated Colombia in the second half. They sucked in the Poland game but it was their B-team.

[OFFSIDE_1]

now that all Asian teams have finished their stint, I can vote:

1- Japan
2- Iran
3- Korea

not difficult to decide. Japan did asia proud with their bold approach. If only they had a little more sense and patience to see off the full time at 2-2 and hunkered down, to resume in the extra time, they could have pushed Belgium to the brink.

Their only negative , imo, was this. too ambitious or un-professional.

strictly looking at results, yes, but lots of caveats around Japan's results.

We'll see Colombia today against England, but I don't think Japan would have qualified if they were not given the gift of playing with one additional player for 90 minutes against Colombia. Colombia has not conceded a goal in this WC when playing 11 vs. 11

[OFFSIDE_1]

Japan totally dominated Colombia in the second half. They sucked in the Poland game but it was their B-team.

ofcourse. Naturally most teams will eventually tire down when playing with one less player. So "dominating" Colombia in the 2nd half was expected. Anything else would have been outright embarrassing for Japan.

[Z Joon]

Best Asian team in the world cup 2018

Iranian fans are overreacting again as usual. One day we are world class, another day “Japan would rape us”.

Japan would’ve ended last with 0 points in our group with their style.

[Roozbeh-G2006]

Either some people here jave gir sodan or this thread is under Jap Siber Army attack! lol

[Philosophy_King]

Actually its good that Japan peformed so well. Now Iran is
not the only top favorite to win AC which takes
the pressure from our players.

We have enough time to work on our passing game.
If CQ get what he wants to prepare TM for AC
i am sure we will succeed.

[sarbaz]

Guys
Let’s not over exaggerate ok.
Japan is a very good team,did Asia proud and plas very fluid style of football but I still rank Iran slightly above them.
Iran was the best Asian team with the least amount of preparation vs good quality teams.
Japan played the best top teams in the world in the last year since qualification.
JFF’s annual budget is $250 million vs IFF’s $25 million.
Let’s not forget when Japan played Colombia they had a one man advantage for 80 minutes and they got lucky to qualify for the
Second round because of less yellow cards.
I am not trying to make excuses or be unfair but I mean we got lucky too, however you are gona see how good we will do when we will play Japan in Tokyo
In September for that friendly game.
Here is my ranking for Asia
Iran
Japan
Korea
Australia
Saudi Soosmars Arabia

[elnino99]

I love our TM and our players and am proud of their effort and fight and passion and heart they showed....BUT

if you seriously think Iran's quality of football is better than Japan's quality of football, then well, maybe you're watching the wrong sport.

I do have to say though...a cool playmaker like Kagawa who isn't rushed with the ball and can calmly and confidently plays forward passes...What I'd do for such a player in our team

[forzatm]

ofcourse. Naturally most teams will eventually tire down when playing with one less player. So "dominating" Colombia in the 2nd half was expected.

Football isn't that simple. Playing with 10-men isn't necessarily a big disadvantage. The fastest red card in the WC was given to an Uruguayan player after just 56 seconds in the match between Uruguay and Scotland in 1986 and Scotland couldn't beat Uruguay.

Anything else would have been outright embarrassing for Japan.

They almost beat 11-men Belgium. Some of our fans are a little jealous lol.

[Babak agha]

'Japan invested x years x amount of money in their football'
- What has that to do with anything? Did you read the title?

'Japan won against 10 men Colombia'
- Iran needed a own goal in the extra time to win from Morocco.

'Japan lost to Poland'
- It was their B-team.

'Japan defense is bad'
- If we don't park the bus our defense is even worse, see Turkey game.

'Spain is the best team in the world'
- They only won against Iran (barely) in 4 games. Only their game against Portugal they had some right to win the game. Didn't survive the group stages last time around and lost to the 'weak' Russia now in the second round.

'Portugal is the European champion'
- So was Greece, both with all the luck in world. Also Portugal only won 1 out of their 4 matches and didn't even deserve that win. Hasn't done shit on world stage for ages now and won't be getting results anytime soon either.

'Colombia sucks compared to Spain and Portugal'
- They still did a better job than both those teams against a tougher opponent, without their star player.

'Iran/CQ would never give a away a 2-0 lead like that'
- Iran/CQ will never lead 2-0 against a world class team like Belgium.

'Iran had everything against them, sanctions/Nike/IR/poverty/no friendlies'
- Again please read the title! It doesn't say who has the most potential!!

'Japan's team is old'
- See above!

'No Japanese player can ever grow a mustache like Daei and Bagheri'
- This is true actually, I have to give you that.

All this said, Iran did AMAZING, we almost topped our group!! We did the best we could and it almost had the desired answer.
However, Japan played a better football, reached further and almost knocked out one of the biggest teams with excellent football. Japan was better in this World Cup. End of discussion, please close thread now! :P

[GolfePersique]

They certainlyplayed a more beautiful and fluid football, but they had a wrong strategy.

They had a 2-0 lead against Belgium, but instead of controlling the game, they kept on attacking, leaving spaces behind.

Football is a 90+ minute game which requires 90+ minutes of discipline and tactical awareness. From this point of view we showed a lot more maturity and discpline than Japanese.

Having said that, It will take us decades to build the infrasturcture and the grassroots system which is in place in Japan. Ifhe had their system/development netwrok for 10 years, we would be a WC contender in every single world cup without any exageration..