Five reasons why Iran could surprise at the World Cup

Persianfootball.com – SAO PAULO, Iran tops the Asian FIFA since last year, qualified for the World Cup ahead of South Korea and had the best defense and second best offense. Yet, most bookmakers and journalists don’t count in Iran when it’s about predicting who will advance from group stage.

But there some good reasons why Iran could prevail over Nigeria and Bosnia. Persianfootball.com is summing up the top five reasons why Iran might advance to the knockout stage of the World Cup for the first time in their fourth attempt.

Player quality

Many analysts seem to equal the number of players in top European leagues with overall quality of a team, assuming if a player does not play in Europe it is due to lack of ability. But other than many countries outside Europe, Iran has a quite attractive domestic league. Of course the quality is not compareable to the likes of EPL, Bundesliga or La Liga, but the sport is highly popular and players are extremely well paid. Although the players of course have some disadvanatges in comparison to players playing high paced football throughout the year, solely the fact that the players play in Iran does not mean they do not bring the talent and skill to play in Europe. Instead, many opt to stay in Iran as they are better paid as superstars at home than as talents in a smaller European club, where one would usually start a European career.

Fitness

In fact, playing in Iran brings at least one advantage in comparison to being part of a top European club – the players simply are much less exhausted and fatigued. Iran’s top league has been reduced to 30 teams last season, also because national coach Carlos Queiroz recommended to do so. Besides, the only Cup competition was won by Tractor Sazi Tabriz after playing just five games, as the top league’s teams only entered the tournament at a very late stage. The few AFC Champions League group matches, as the competition is held in a full year rhythm, also were easily manageable. The Iranian team will be one of the least exhausted sides of the World Cup.

Preparations

Iran’s preparations are never ideal. Misorganization, political isolation and financial problems due to the international sanctions make it hard to perfectly prepare. Western media is excited to pick up stories about cancelled friendlies, shortened camps and unhappy coaches and players. But in fact Iran were one of the first teams to start the World Cup preparations in mid-April already. After only 11 players initially travelled to a first training camp in South Africa, all other domestic players joined within a few days. In South Africa, the players were physically trained to increase their fitness to European standards. In the following Austrian camp in May, all foreign based players joined as well. Meanwhile Iran has played eight friendly matches since April and will be one of the most coherent national teams in the World Cup.

Environment

The weather conditions in Brazil are much different than what you find in Europe. Especially the climatic differences from North to South are huge and are not easy to cope with. Due to the size of the Asian continent, Iran is not only used to play in any sort of climatical environment, the team also is trained to quickly adapt to strongly changing conditions. In Asian qualifiers it’s not unusual to play a game in a cold and dry place on day, and another game in one of the hottest and most humid places on earth, just a few days later. Furthermore, the grass in Brazil is slowing the game down a bit and will not be wetted as it’s usually done in Europe. This will be to the benefit of Iran, who are used to and feel more comfortable with slow paced football.

Coach

Fortunately, Iran has one of the best coaches in this World Cup. In fact Carlos Queiroz is the only coach in group F with World Cup and Champions League experience. A tactical mastermind, he is also very squeamish and has formed a united and extremely disciplined team. Queiroz could be the difference between participating and setting a mark on the World’s second biggest sporting event.