Fox Sports Asia: John Dykes’ World Cup XI to look out for [Alireza Jahanbakhsh]
(4 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading...Fox Sports Asia – HONG KONG, Ahead of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, FOX Sports’ John Dykes picks 11 players to keep a close eye on in the coming month in Russia.
A World Cup offers different things to different people. For me, it offers a refreshing break from the intensity of club football, mostly European, which has been the focus of my working life for nearly 20 years.
here’s to the World Cup! It’s an opportunity to enjoy different tactics, support underdogs, check out talent from leagues other than England’s and to cast a critical eye over players making big-money moves this summer.
I may be English but their major-tournament excursions tend to be painful affairs, so I’ll be investing my emotions in the teams from my adopted continent of Asia.
Hence, the presence in my “World Cup XI to Watch” of a couple of Asian players at the expense of proven stars, such as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, who really need no further praise, or rising stars like Mexico’s Hirving Lozano.
Right winger: Alireza Jahanbakhsh (Iran)
Carlos Queiroz’s Iran were seen as Asia’s best bet in Russia until they were handed a tough Group B assignment. Should they make it through, chances are AZ Alkmaar’s Jahanbakhsh will have something to do with it.
The winger had a hand in more goals than any other player in the Eredivisie this season: 21 goals and 12 assists. That output is a product of his dribbling skills plus the ability to cut inside and shoot powerfully. He can also supply the ammunition for the prolific striker Sardar Azmoun, giving Iran at least a chance of upsetting their favoured opponents.
