Dragan Skocic has exceeded expectations: Morteza Mohases

Tehran Times – TEHRAN, Iran football pundit, Morteza Mohases, believes that Dragan Skocic and Iran national team have exceeded expectations with their successful run.

Iran will face Syria at the King Abdullah II Stadium in neutral Jordan on Tuesday.

With four wins and a draw from five games, the ‘Persian Leopards’ are well-placed to reach Qatar’s 2022 World Cup Finals.

“Every game has its special conditions and needs a different strategy. The caching staff must have a ‘game model’ for every match,” Morteza Mohases explained in his interview with Tehran Times.

A 2-1 dramatic win against Lebanon on Thursday, left them at the top of Group A in the Asian qualifiers with 13 points.

“Iran started with one forward in the first half of the game against Lebanon, and it caused difficulties for our national team. I am sure that the technical staff learned a valuable lesson from the match against Lebanon, and we will have a different first half against Syria. The first half in each game is a crucial time that we should not waste with risky decisions,” Mohases said.

“Dragan Skocic has done a great job with the national team so far, and he exceeded the expectations. It is also true about the national team players who have been amazing, stoking talk that they are the best team and best players in Asia.

“I also agree that in terms of intelligence, physical strength, game reading, and technical abilities, the Iranian players are among, if not the, best in Asia,” added the member of FIFA and AFC Panel of Coaching Instructors.

Speaking about the game against Syria, he said: “As I mentioned earlier, the first half will be significant to get the desired result. If we dominate the game in the first half, then the breaks at halftime will allow the head coach to improve the situation. The coaches have three tasks for the second half: determining or changing the strategy, changing the players, and changing the players’ tactical behavior.

“Skocic made smart substitutions during the past games and could create tactical changes that helped the team. I hope Iran national team continue their successful run to reach the 2022 World Cup with ease,” concluded Mohases.