Iran vs Uzbekistan player ratings

[Iranianarsenal11]

Post your player ratings for todays match:

Niazmand- 5.5

Mohammadi- 7

Shoja- 7

Kanaani- 6.5

Moharrami- 8

Nourollahi- 6

Hajsafi- 5

Amiri- 5

Gholizadeh- 8.5 (MOTM)

Taremi- 7.5

Azmoun- 7.5

SUBS:

Ghoddos- 7

Ghaedi- 7

Nemati- 5

Kaveh- 6

Noorafkan- 6

Ali Karimi- 6

[mattigil]

Niazmand - 4
Didn't have much to do but when he was called into action, he made quite a few blunders (eg. Guiding the ball onto the bar when it was going out anyway). Could have done a lot better positioning wise for their goal. Distribution was not great either.

Moharrami - 6.5
Looked decent going forward and looking to cross a few times.

Kanaanizadegan - 5
Putting himself into sticky situation at times with he slow ball work or decision making and passing was also poor at times.

Khalilzadeh - 5.5
Similar to his CB partner, not sure if they were both tired from ACL or what but both seemed slow when making decisions at times. Also making needless fouls in Iran's third. However wasn't afraid of jumping into headers and headed away when needed. Also him being made captain didn't sit well with me in all honesty, especially when Noorafkan who's captain the U23s was one the pitch at the same time (just a personal feeling and not to be taken too seriously as the manager obvs knows who's the leaders of the squad, not me).

Mohammadi - 6.5
Drifted in and out of the game but in the first half especially, he was able to control UZB attacks well. Hopeless clearances at times though which need to improve.

Nourollahi - 4
Hajsafi - 4
Amir - 4
Rating these 3 together as they were not good enough individually nor as a group today. They left massive gaps between their lines and our defensive lines (leading to UZB goal). No real structure in their positioning or play, giving away balls needlessly and playing hoofball at times rather than being comfortable to play on the floor and find their players along the floor.

Gholizadeh - 8
By far the man of the match today. Did everything right, gliding past players, finding passes effortlessly, assisting and also defending when needed. He managed to find space well enough despite his fellow midfielders poor display today.

Taremi - 6.5
Positioning was key today again and he did that well. His first or second touches today we're poor as he put the ball way too far in front of himself and ruined potentional chances. Well won penalty and converted it nicely.

Azmoun - 6.5
Linked well with Gholizadeh a few times and was able to find the space for his goal well. Good powerful shot to show he's capable of goals like that too. Could have done better on his missed efforts though.

Noorafkan - 5
Karim - 5
A bit better than what we had on the field before but both still made some sloppy passes and conceded possession, not bringing ball down as much as I would have liked. Although the game started to deteriorate when the subs were made.

Rezaei - 5
Didn't really have many opportunities so couldn't really be rated properly. Would be good to see how he does in the same line up as Gholizadeh in TM.

Nemati - 4
Going down too easily, wasting possession and giving away needless free kicks, game management wasn't really there from him.

Ghoddos - 6
Some good balls in via set pieces, but nothing more as the game was already in a poor state due to the number of subs. Poor shot but at least it made the keeper work and at least it showed intent and positivity.

Ghaedi - 5.5
Made some good runs and took the ball into the final third and in and around their box but no end product via shot nor decent cross.

Skocic - 6
Considering it was his first game in charge and dealing with the covid-19 worldwide situation, he had every right to experiment in this friendly and he did just that. His first game and his first win, even though the opposition aren't the best but still a challenge as always against UZB. Only negativity I have is blaming the poor midfield show in the first half on him as it seemed as though the 3 midfielders didn't know who was playing exactly where and they didn't seem to have a real tactic to work with. I would love to find out what his coaching philosophy is so that we can understand how he is going to take TM forward.


I know I'm being harsh on many of the ratings but once again, these are my personal ratings and only reason I'm being harsh is the fact I want TM to do well, especially with the two major games upcoming in the future.

[Karimi 8]

Niazmand- 2.0

Mohammadi- 7

Shoja- 7.5

Kanaani- 7

Moharrami- 8

Nourollahi- 6.5

Hajsafi- 3

Amiri- 4

Gholizadeh- 8.5

Taremi- 7.5

Azmoun- 7

SUBS:

Ghoddos- 6.5

Ghaedi- 6

Nemati- 4

Kaveh- 5

Noorafkan- 6

Ali Karimi- 6

[The]

Niazmand- 5

Mohammadi- 7

Shoja- 6

Kanaani- 6

Moharrami- 6 Uzbekistan's goal is equally his fault as it's Niazmans's. He wasn't marking his man (#13), who ended up assisting the goal. Nourollahi even called out the assignment in the lead up to the goal.

Nourollahi- 5

Hajsafi- 3

Amiri- 3

Gholizadeh- 8 MOTM, would be a 9 if that pass to Sardar early in the game was more accurate

Taremi- 7

Azmoun- 6 two instances where Taremi was in good position and he was selfish, plus dumb yellow card for arguing too much.

SUBS:

Ghoddos- 6

Ghaedi- 6

Nemati- 4 has no business being on the national team

Kaveh- 6

Noorafkan- 6

Ali Karimi- 5

[ABalls]

Niazmand- 5 - Didn't seem very secure or commanding of the defense, even though the latter is clearly not all his fault. Punched a ball that was a lob and catchable.

Mohammadi- 6
Shoja- 6
Kanaani- 6
Moharrami- 8 - Great going forward and some nice crosses

Nourollahi- 5
Hajsafi- 4 - was invisible for large parts of the game; not sure I've seen captain-esq leadership from him, although wish we did!
Amiri- 4 - hardworker, not the most talented and it shows
Gholizadeh- 8 - created so many opportunities and was flying around the pitch!

Taremi- 7 - got the penalty and converted. Wasn't the the disruptor he usually is
Azmoun- 7 - missed a bunch of chances, but was in position and scored

Skocic - 7 - great game to start with; solid opponent, solid performance given the circumstances, and we're all excited for the future. He also appears to have laid a good foundation for his relationship with his start players, which is always important. I'll be looking to see the team's chemistry, passing and coordination improved for Mali. Glad everyone has another five days together. Next international break is mid-November! Lets get those friendlies planned with other NTs, regardless of who it is with!

I'm not rating the subs, given how this game played out, but would like to see the squad rotated for Mali. We need many more camps and friendlies for TM and Skocic before qualifiers resume!

[inarsenewetrust]

Niazmand - 5. Wasnt particularly bad but I expected more from him considering his fundamental skills and form for sepahan. He was actually ok on crosses, couple good punches, but his positioning was off the goal even though he was unsighted. Also on the free kick he made correct choice to tip over but nearly fucked it up. Didnt really have a calming presence.

Defense :

Moharrami- 6.5- Offensively a big upgrade. Often when it became apparent our midfield was a total trainwreck we went through moharrami to play out. His speed with the ball just breaks offensive pressure lines. He had two fantastic crosses (out of I think just two attempts?) that made good chances for sardar. He had a couple crappy short passes and in general didnt look super comfortable but I think thats expected given new back 4. you could see how useful his recovery speed is too.

Kanaani-7. I saw very little wrong. He won everything in the box and his passing out of the back was sharp for the most part. Another who can break opposition pressure, but he does it with excellent, hard passes.

Khalilzadeh- 6.5. He would be a 7 or higher if not for a couple dumb fouls. That was him relapsing to shit that has lessened dramatically in his game. But besides that he dealt with dangerous uzbek cf super well and won everything in the air. Needed to close out the shooter quicker for the goal but wasnt helped by zero midfielders in sight.

Mohammadi- 7- great. Solid in possession and faultless on defense. Blocked countless crosses and locked down the left side. Im so happy he is in great form bc we have no backup.

Overall our back 4 as whole was our best asset. I was impressed that during period uzbeks were dominant in first half the defense stood firm with no midfield support. I think moharrami will be fix going forward, and kanaani imo is a starter with PAG. Shoja provides really good depth with Majid (who needs to really fix form+fitness to win back starting spot from kanani).

Midfield

Nourollahi- 4.5. Marginally better than the other two but passing was weak and too slow circulating ball. Did nothing to warrant starting spot when everybody is available.

Amiri-3. just terrible. He looked tired and as a result he couldnt complete two yard pass or even turn without falling down. Some stupid fouls too.

Hajsafi- 2. The worst. The absolute worst. Zero passing, zero defense, zero brain. People will keep defending him bc he is "experienced" but he is one of our shittiest players and needs to be disposed of with Shojaei and co.

Overall, the midfield means we played much of game with 8-9 players. Hajsafi and amiri in particular were shocking. Amiri and Nourollahi was partially expected frankly, they played AlDuhail, Sharjah, Al sadd, Pakhtakhor, Al nassr (120 mins). Total that and you get 480 mins not including stoppages in the past 2-3 weeks. These guys played nearly every minute. Im surprised skocic played both today and didnt sub them at HT. But Hajsafi just has no place in TM unless its as milad's backup and thats it.

Offense:

Gholizadeh - 8. MOTM, excellent. Got one great assist and could have had 2 or 3. Technique, weight of pass, decision making, energy levels all fantastic. He is a joy to watch and should always start for TM. He was playing CAM for much of the game and is the solution moving forward there. I would encourage him to drop even deeper at times , get on the ball and build our game bc he can do it very effectively.

Taremi- 7. Movement was excellent, not always picked out by our useless midfielders. Also him and sardar werent on same page every time tonight, but still linked well. Got his classic PK that even uzbek ref could not deny and dispatched clinically. Missed a good 1v1 and a couple good breakaways could have executed better.

Azmoun- 7. Solid game, Ran into the channels well, solid linkup. Missed two chances, second one gk saved well. But he kept going and scored a nice long shot. Thats something he has been adding to his game slowly with zenit this season, although hasnt resulted in many goals yet. He went very close with long shots vs benfica, lyon, spartak last season and its adding a new dimension to his game if he perfects it. Super smart that he looked up and saw amiri in great position, but noticing it was amiri decided to shoot it himself instead.

the offensive trio were excellent. with everybody available these 3 should start + one of ARJ/Ghoddos, depending on form and opposition and tactics.

Subs:
Ghoddos - 6.5- he just oozes class. Sharp and already tested GK in his short time. must start vs mali.
Ghaedi - 6. Nice cameo, great layoff for nemati after good dribbling. I like his profile in TM and can be a useful option to have in the squad.

Ali Karimi - 6 . Smart pass for taremi that he missed. in general looked clean technically as usual and a bit more mobile than before
Noorafkan - 5.5. Not bad from him. Covered ground well and looked aggressive in midfield. Much more effective and better presence than hajsafi, nourollahi, or amiri. I like his energy as a potential squad player. He can just replace hajsafi as dual backup CM/LB.
Kaveh - 5. No service to really judge him tonight and team was disjointed at end of game with many subs.
Nemati - 3. First and last callup for TM please. Not at the level required.

Skocic - 6.5. A decent debut given circumstances. He seems very hardworking and picked a good 11. I disagree with 4312 scheme tried playing in first half and then 442.
This team needs to play 433 bc the midfield line is weak. I think he knows this was experimental midfield and there were no other options so I cant fault him for how bad they were. Overall we deserved win so credit to him for that. Uzbek is not easy opponent for first match. He needs to remind shoja every time they talk to not make dumb fouls in TM. He needs to remind azmoun before each match not to argue with referee ever even if he gets the worst call against him.

happy to have tm back!

[Ghermez Agha]

Gholizadeh - 7.5

Mil Mo - 6

Mohrammi 6.5

Shoja - 6

All other starters: 5

Subs: not really enough time to rate, ghaedi and saman did decent after being brought on good energy and dribbles and passing. Nemati REALLY sucked.

[Karimi 8]

I just don't understand how Hajsafi has managed to play as a starter, since 2008, under every single TM coach we have had for 12 years...

He has had 110 games, maybe 10 good-great ones, and 100 average or poor? I understand that for years he was forced into the LB position which we never grew into, but even in midfield, he doesn't add anything. He can't cross, he for sure can't shoot, his freekicks are poor, corners aren't special, can't defend, can't dribble, can't attack, he just has pace, holds onto the ball and decent passing...

I hope we phase him out and Ezatolahi regains his form and fitness to replace him permanently.

[inarsenewetrust]

I just don't understand how Hajsafi has managed to play as a starter, since 2008, under every single TM coach we have had for 12 years...

He has had 110 games, maybe 10 good-great ones, and 100 average or poor? I understand that for years he was forced into the LB position which we never grew into, but even in midfield, he doesn't add anything. He can't cross, he for sure can't shoot, his freekicks are poor, corners aren't special, can't defend, can't dribble, can't attack, he just has pace, holds onto the ball and decent passing...

I hope we phase him out and Ezatolahi regains his form and fitness to replace him permanently.

Ebrahimi+Ezatolahi should be starting midfield duo. Nobody comes close to them in terms of quality in possesion, defensive awareness, etc. OR athleticism. Nourollahi can phase out omid slowly, but not yet. MAybe Asadi could push for that too depending on euro progression.

Today look at goal we conceded...Hajsafi is right there for 15 seconds and doesnt even jog back! Literally stood still. He was maybe 5m away. Pathetic effort level from our "captain" and "leader". He is not only deserving of bench spot, but deserving of not spot AT ALL. Noorafkan can take his place as the reserve LB/ emergency cm/one gooz player on TM until a proper LB emerges who can challenge milad. At least he has some physique and can move.

[_Navid_]

Gholizadeh stood out for me. The rest had their average game.

[Bladsville]

I just don't understand how Hajsafi has managed to play as a starter, since 2008, under every single TM coach we have had for 12 years...

Im guessing its because of that ONE great free kick he made for TM.

The rest have been for the Iranian Space Program.

Im surprised he was chosen over Dejagah as our token "O.G." of the squad. But like someone else said, our new guys are so good, they dont need a chaperone.

These old guys are just a waste of space now.

[Pouya]

Biggest worry for me is lack of chemistry between our 2 main forwards Taremi and Azmoun. I feel like they one up and yell at each other too much and this can be worrying. I hope we don't go back to the years losing unity in the team after Queiroz fixed that.

[inarsenewetrust]

Biggest worry for me is lack of chemistry between our 2 main forwards Taremi and Azmoun. I feel like they one up and yell at each other too much and this can be worrying. I hope we don't go back to the years losing unity in the team after Queiroz fixed that.

theyre best mates on and off the pitch. Being slightly out of sync after 1 year of not playing together in new formation for new coach with no midfield behind them and only gholi to combine with, they didnt do bad at all. Look how happy they were for each other to score in celebrations.

[PrinceAli]

theyre best mates on and off the pitch. Being slightly out of sync after 1 year of not playing together in new formation for new coach with no midfield behind them and only gholi to combine with, they didnt do bad at all. Look how happy they were for each other to score in celebrations.

yeah for once I have no worries about our front line both in terms of talent and chemistry. The real issues are in the midfield which will be solved hopefully when we get Saeid back and hopefully Asadi can develop into someone we can depend on

[Nokhodi]

Despite my scores I think TM actually played well considering this was our first game in almost a new year, we have a new head coach and we have 4 starters who have had no rest (Persepolis core).
I've only graded low, simply because I think there were too many mistakes.

We are going to have a heck of a time fitting ARJ back into the squad if everyone keeps form.
Also Ezatollahi can't come back soon enough. He is really class and I think people here really underestimate him. He is really important in TM's spine.

Niazmand- 5 - Way too nervous. Almost scored an own goal.

Mohammadi- 7 - Did alright, but was late to get back at times.

Shoja- 7.5 Pretty good for his debut. A shame he had issues with CQ.

Kanaani- 7 - Well coordinated with Shoja, but I'm still hurt by his stupidity versus Japan nearly 2 years ago.

Moharrami- 6 - Great attack, but gave away the ball too many times. He recovers well, but a more lethal opponent will punish us badly.

Nourollahi- 6.5 - Did a good job considering he was tired and Hajisafi wasn't helping at all.

Hajisafi- 3 - Respectfully please leave TM. I know every TM coach has loved you, but what are you doing? You lose your man constantly, can't shoot, couldn't pass and have poor leadership abilities. Just another in a long list of bad games for him.

Amiri- 6 - Yes he was mistake prone, but keep in mind he is not a playmaker and was not playing as one. The guy was tired but hustled and played physical. Again, him and Nourollahi had to cover alot for Hajisafi. I don't get the really low marks for him today.

Gholizadeh- 8.5 (MOTM) - Wonderful breath of fresh air. Brave and drives forward with purpose. Haven't had someone like him in a long time in that position in TM. God keep him healthy.

Taremi- 7 - Great positioning all game, but seemed stiff and wasn't lethal.

Azmoun- 7 - Great goal and had some nice chances, but finishing was poor.

SUBS:

Ghoddos- 6 .5 - Had a few good runs, but didn't really have much to do.

Ghaedi- 6.5 - Same as Ghodoos

Nemati- 4.5 - Not good. Don't know if it was nerves, but not exciting.

Kaveh- 6 - Poor guy wasn't fed at all. The number of subs really slowed the game down.

Noorafkan- 6 - Was ok.

Ali Karimi- 6 - Was ok as well.

Other:

Skocic: 7/10 - did about as good as you can for such a game
Uzbek FA: 10/10 for the wonderful free HD stream on youtube.
Uzbek fans: 9/10 - great music in the stands. Bahrain and other Asian countries - take note.