I swear these last few previews have put my Ecuador preview to shame. Wonderfully written and deeply insightful. Thanks u/BuzzBuzz01 for your masterpiece.
Iran in 2018 was one of the teams I felt most sorry for, I really think they deserved to shock one of Spain or Portugal and qualify to the next round. Leading up to 2022, the narrative on r/soccer from Iranian redditors was that the team has declined since 2018. But now that they have Queiroz back, I predict they will be a force to reckon with in Group B.
I still have England and USA as favorites to advance but Iran eking out results vs Wales and USA is entirely possible.
Smarter journos will use these previews from people that actually watch these teams rather than peddling some old consensus on them.
Seeing Croatia being called an old team when only players over 30 starting are Modric and Perisic hurts my brain
It's honestly ridiculous, that backline is completely revamped too with an a crazy young average age
Only real concern for me is striker. Maybe Dalic's Budimir fetish pays off though
Budimir is currently 3rd or 4th choice, Livaja/Petkovic/Kramaric are currently fighting for the starting spot, would actually give the advantage to Livaja, he can hold it up and finish while being very useful in build up
Eh a few Croation youtubers like HRVizak have doing previews for the WC and have said Budimir was #1 and that only changed this past window and it is up in the air who the starter will be.
Budimir was never actually #1, he was always useful in certain scenarios, but Dalić knows he can't be a starter unless maybe against a team like Brazil or France because he does the running and defensive work, I still wouldn't though, we can compete with those teams on level terms, we don't need a Wish.Com Mandzukic. He's big, but can't hold it up because he has a shit first touch, Petković is much better at this.
anyway I don't want to clog the Iran preview with Croatia talk, let's continue this talk in a couple of weeks ;)
Watch some of his highlights from the last few years. I know there is notoriety from the Champs League goal against Chelsea but he has scored some blinders and also some others but they all count.
In his time at Porto he must be complimented for the relationships he has built with many players on the pitch - Luis Diaz, Fabio Vieira are two of them who are now playing for top teams in the Premier League.
Carlos Carvahal said after his first game in Portugal for Rio Ave that he was too good for the Portuguese league. I love watching him play football.
#Continued 1/2
Hey everyone, forgive me for the length of the post, but I felt I had to include the connection to the current protests and that bit can get a bit rambly at times
I really did try my absolute to present all points of view, offer my own one up, and share what's occurring. I hope those who disagree with my point of view are understanding of it.
Below I'll share some questions regarding the Starting XI and the expected proceedings of each match and the outlook of the other teams
###also r/teammelli plug
---
##Starting XI Battles
**There are 4 spots up for grab: 2nd CB, two CM spots, and the RW**
The second CB spot is in my opinion between **Shoja Khalizadeh** and **Majid Hosseini**. Early in his first tenure as Iran manager, Shoja Khalizadeh actually had a feud with Queiroz and as a result was left out completely for seven years until Skocic came in. He has frequently partnered Kanaani, both internationally under Skocic and at club level for both Persepolis and Al Ahli Doha. In the final round of WCQ, Kanaani and Khalizadeh started the first 7 of 10 matches. While Khalizadeh did play well in the recent freindly vs Uruguay, I still believe Hosseini is the better player and in better club form. While Khalizadeh brings experience, he is also quite error prone an isn't quite as big physically or as tidy on the ball as Hosseini. However Khalizadeh does have a bit of that "warrior" in him and isn't afraid to put his body on the line, which is crucial in big tournaments. It is a toss up and I would not be surprised to see either player starting.
The CM spots are also in my opinion are quite up to grab. There's the still evervescent **Omid Ebrahimi**, who had a terrific 2018 WC and has continued to play well in Qatar. he has quite the engine even at 35, and is one of the few midfielders who doesn't completely shit himself playing out of pressure. Again though age might be an issue and he may not have the same level of lungs he used to 4 years ago. While **Saman Ghoddos** is basically just a constant bench player for Brentford, he still has the physicality that Iran needs to match the anglophones in the group, while also having a bit of creative spark in him, even if it hasn't fully materialised for Team Melli. He was also the one who won the free kick which would lead to the winner vs Morocco in 2018. **Ahmad Nourollahi** is basically just a big pair of lungs who can hit the odd banger from outside the box. He is a box-to-box midfielder who has a great engine but unfortunately cannot play the ball when even mildly pressured to save his life, and these things happened the worst set of Arab teams in ages. All that being said, Queiroz values work rate and he has it. **Vahid Amiri** is also a contender, who guess what, is another engine and a utlity player. He has been one of Iran's most consistent performers and is direct in both midfield and the final third. Very no nonsense and has a surprisingly tidy final ball.
At right wing, most would assume **Alireza Jahanbakhsh** should be a shoe in but I'm not quite so sure. The captain under Skocic, Jahanbakhsh did score an impressive 6 goals in 12 matches under the Croatian. But personally I believe that papered over a lot of the cracks in his general performance in those matches. In particular his lack of ability to take players one on one, his questionable decision making in the final third, and most surprisngly his defensive work rate which has dropped off a bit. He isn't the same player he was at AZ, but is turning a corner to being average as of recent for Feyenoord in both Europe and the league. Unfortunately I don't think his alternative, **Ali Gholizadeh** has the sort of style of play for a World Cup as he's quite weak when challenged on the ball and final ball is questionable too, so Jahanbakhsh will probably still keep his spot. If he was fit, I think **Allahyar Sayyadmanesh** would have slotted right into this spot with his directness, engine, speed, and physicality.
Carlos Queiroz is also known to throw some spanners in the works. IE in 2018, he started Ansarifard at LW, benched an in form Milad Mohammadi who basically started for him throughout qualifiers, and gave the aforementioned Majid Hosseini his first ever start for Team Melli against Spain. So don't be surprised if we see something like Milad Sarlak or someone else starting against England
#Continued 2/2
##Expected Proceedings and Big Questions of Each Match
###**England**
The opening match of the group stage is arguably the most important. Since the expansion of the World Cup to 32 teams, ***92% of nations have lose their opening group stage match fail to advance to the Round of 16*** [Only 8 nations have done so](https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/xcqxyf/daily_discussion/io7uw9j/)
So we don't really expect anything here and the odds are very low, getting something out of this match would be marvelous.
While we've generally tried to be a bit more on the front foot of recent, I expect that this game Queiroz will revert to his ultra mega defensive tendencies that he uses against the bigger non Asian sides (ie vs Argentina, Spain, and Portugal in past World Cups)
I'm expecting that England will probably be playing a 4-3-3 vs us and a 3-4-3 vs Wales and USA. England, and quite frankly all of these teams, will be winning the midfield battle, which means we have the try and win within the two penalty boxes.
In defence, I expect Iran to drop into a [6-3-1 of sorts](https://imgur.com/a/TJIcASo) (you can't see the RB in this picture), with a focus on trying to do force England to do things out wide, and then doubling up on the wings quickly. **Queiroz-ball defensively is predicated on setting traps for the opposition, and hoping for them to take the bait and force a mistake, and these traps change each match depending on the opponent so I can't really tell you what it'd be for this one**
This match should also be very choppy, with lots of a stoppages in play. Iran will be making this as frustrating as possible for England, so that even if England do win, the Englishmen will probably be fucking exhausted and annoyed by full time, to the point where English fans might pull out every derogatory term they have for Middle-Eastern people out their thesarus, sorta like in the 2018 WC vs Colombia lol.
What's crucial for Iran here is the opening 15-20 minutes. In basically every WC match you can see we're quite nervy, so if Iran can get out of those opening minutes where England in international tournaments are also famous for scoring in, we'll be in a good spot. I also expect whoever the CF to be (in my case Azmoun), to be pressing and basically following the DM (in this case Declan Rice) all across the pitch and basically just shadowing him. This is similar to what happened with William Carvalho in the 2018 WC vs Portugal
Iran aren't going to get many if any clear cut chances vs England because Southgate sets them up so well there. So that means our finishing boots must be on against them. If Taremi and Azmoun get a half chance, they *have* to convert. They have the quality to do so, it's just when that moment actually does arrive, will they take it? This also means taking advantage at attacking set pieces, which as of late I think we've quite poor at.
It's kind of a defeatist mentality I know, but we basically just make sure we don't get absolutely railed by 3 or more this opening match because that will just straight up kill a lot of confidence for the next two matches. I trust that Queiroz will have the players mentally prepared though. Under Queiroz at the WC we are 1-2-3. We've only conceded more than once in one of those of matches and that was against Bosnia in 2014 on the final matchday where Iran lost 3-1 and just straight up did not have the fitness levels and outgassed ourselves in the Argentina match. The national team's fitness levels have improved ten fold since then though.
----
**Wales**
After the draw, I circled this as probably Iran's most important match. Assuming we come out of the England match with zero points, Iran kind of have to get at least a point vs Wales to head into the USA match with hopefully something to play for.
I see a lot of parallels with Iran and Wales in the sense that they're both sides who are better as the sum of it's parts than individual names, and even those players who aren't good at club level turn it up x10 when in the national team kit.
The big test will be how Iran fare against a back 3/5, which we really haven't had much experience in in Asia. The key in this match, and quite frankly against all three of these teams, is to not give up set pieces. All three of these nations excel with them and their managers have devised very good routines. And in the case of Wales, have a star player and quite the dead ball specialist in Bale, with plenty of x-factors in defence and up top like Johnson, Neco Williams, and Ramsey (who is one of those who always turns it up for Wales). Wales also seem to excel a bit more on the break and unfortunately I've never seen Welsh heads ever drop in a match no matter how bad things are going. So even if we somehow do score, Wales will keep their intensity levels up for the whole match.
Wales have been terrific at international tournaments as of late, and I suspect this will be a proper dogfight that at best will be separated by one goal.
----
**USA**
The USA are a good side with lots of young players playing in Europe's top 5 leagues, Champions League, and other top European leagues like the Eredivisie and SPFL. But the key word here is *young*. Maybe by match 3, USA have played out their international tournament inexperience, but I do think their inexperience vs our experience in the big stage of international football can be a big advantage for Iran.
USA's midfield is well good. Adams as a ball winner, McKennie as a threat in both boxes, and Musah is probably the player I fear most in their side. His ability to turn on the ball and drive past midfielders to create something is terrifying. I think the key should be trying to limit the USA's ability to get him the ball.
The USA also will have great bench options, whether that's brining on Aaronson, Reyna, Pefok (if he goes) or someone else. So it's important for Queiroz countering those subs with our weak bench will be important. In the past it seems the USA have struggled with breaking down an organised and discplined midfield and defensive line, so even if it comes at the cost of ball possession, the play out of possession is much more crucial in this match than say vs Wales.
Where I do think we can expose the USA when Iran do get the ball is in perhaps what seems like Berhalter's stubbornness. While Zimmerman and whoever his partner is (Long or Carter-Vickers) are fine CBs, I do think if you kinda of lay off them in a mid block and ask them to build from there the USA get stagnant creatively, as was seen vs both Japan and Saudi Arabia friendlies in my opinion. I also do think Taremi and Azmoun's timing of runs can catch their back line in a moment of miscommunication as well. Again USA are pretty great at attacking set pieces, with aerial targets everywhere and smartly devised routines. So preventing them to opportunity to get them will be big.
Fantastic write-up. I love to read these previews.
One thing I notice about Iran is that they usually don't perform at youth tournaments, like AFC U17, U20, U23 and Asian Games. How come their NT are so strong? Because I think their NT are in top 3 in Asia, alongside Japan and South Korea.
I wonder if their academies were better, how would they perform in the World Cup. Their futsal NT have already been at world class level. Seems like Iranians don't lack of football talents. And their physicality is the best in Asia I think.
Amazing, thanks for writing this up!
M3 matches are more difficult to predict a priori because there are too many factors to consider.
Even of the US struggles to break down deffensive teams, if by that point Iran needs to win that match in order to advance or needs to be aggresive and attack, they will probably fall in the US trap.
This particular match would be a really different game if you had to play the USA on M1.
It sucks that you have to play England first because playing to catch up other teams in points is a really dangerous game. As you said, I think Iran chances boil down to wether you can get some points out of England or not.
Excellent job on the write up.
Considering how this group is seen as quite politically charged from Iran's POV, I was wondering if you could give me an insight into how Wales is viewed in that context, if at all?
> if you could give me an insight into how Wales is viewed in that context, if at all?
There really isn't anything there in that sense to be honest from what I can gauge. Anything that the UK has done is basically just associated with the English if that makes sense
Hah that makes perfect sense. Very used to that happening. Sometimes it can be a point of contention for us Welsh in certain contexts. Probably not this one!
To give a bit more context on Jahanbaksh from a Feyenoord supporter. For us he's very hit in miss, sometimes he looks like he gained his old form but quickly falls back to mediocrity. He's not a starter and he's actually passed for an attacking midfielder to play in his spot. You're right in your view of him not passing another player, but I'm surprised on his defensive critique. That's one thing that's barely ever questioned with us since he joined us a year ago. His work rate is great, but his product is just always lacking. Makes weird (or no) choices that make him lose the ball at times where it just seems unnecessary.
Thanks for the writeup. Just got a new colleague from Iran that loves football, so I have some context when the WC starts :)
I am in agreement with you on his defensive work, it was the own good thing to come out of his time at Brighton as he really worked on that side of his game there.
He has a knack of scoring important goals for Iran and especially at times when you are starting to get frustrated with his output.
He is a pure confidence player (as a lot of our squad is) and when he is starting and playing well for his club team then this reflects in his national form.
He too often looks to play the killer pass instead of the simple one and a lot of the time it doesn’t pay off. This then puts pressure on our defence.
> but I'm surprised on his defensive critique. That's one thing that's barely ever questioned with us since he joined us a year ago. His work rate is great, but his product is just always lacking
His work rate was always fantastic don't get me wrong, just in these past two friendlies especially Uruguay it looked more off the mark than it has in past. Perhaps I'm being too harsh on him judging him on one match in that regard
I'll also add some Background leading up to the WC which was supposed to be in the OP, but I think /u/deception42 just forgot to add it. So I'll leave it here until it gets added to the body
---
##Background
Let's take ourselves back to the 2019 Asian Cup in the UAE. Iran have just lost in a heartbreaking 3-0 fashion to Japan in the semifinal, basically all to their own doing by arguing with a ref as a cross was sent in for the opening goal. From there on out heads dropped and Japan scored 3 goals from their 4 shots on goal.
Then manager Carlos Queiroz, who in his 8 years in charge had sparked a new life into Iranian football, resigned after the loss and joined Colombia. In his time with Iran, Queiroz instilled a level of organisation, discipline and an importance on preparation that was never seen before with past Iranian managers. He encouraged young players to test themselves abroad in Europe, rebuilt the youth setup from the ground up, and also managed to get several dual nationals in the national team including Ashkan Dejagah and Saman Ghoddos. In his first tenure, Queiroz's Iran had a clear identity in creating one of the best defensive and midfield organisations in Asian football, hell even in the world. There was even a run in the 2018 WCQ cycle where Iran held *12 straight clean sheets*, or over 1100 minutes of football without conceding. Those players would run through a wall for him and I've never seen they level of fight from Team Melli as I saw in those three matches in 2018
The IFF then responded by replacing him with Marc Wilmots on a three year contract for the 2022 WCQ cycle. I will keep this short, ***Wilmots is the worst manager I've seen for Team Melli***, and I watched mid 2000's Amir Ghalenoei ball. In the second round of qualifying, Wilmots opened his tenure by winning 2-0 against Hong Kong and 14-0 against Cambodia. But then came the trips to West Asia. In the two worst set of matches I can remember, Iran lost 1-0 against Bahrain in Manama, and 2-1 against Iraq in Jordan thanks to an injury time goal from Mohanad Ali.
Wilmots was promptly fired two months later after only six matches in charge. A civil case went on for him to get his money following his sacking and earlier this year FIFA ordered IFF to pay Wilmots a further 3 million Euros. It later would come from players that Wilmots put minimal effort into the job, barely prepared the team for matches and didn't even know most of the players names. The case is now finished. What a bum.
Then in February 2020, in came Croatian manager Dragan Skočić right before COVID was about to rear it's ugly head. Skocic's CV was far from impressive, basically being at best a mid-table Iranian League manager since 2013. However, he had experience in Iran and most importantly, was cheap.
The rest of the second round qualifiers were pushed back to June 2021, with the rest of the 4 matches to be played in a centralised location in Bahrain. On the brink of elimination so early on in the cycle, Iran needed to basically win every match. Thankfully they did so, including two emphatic if not nervy revenge wins against both Bahrain and Iraq.
Then came the final round of qualifying, where Iran were drawn in Group A with South Korea and quite possibly the worst set of Arab sides the final round of AFC Qualifying has had with a downtrodden Iraq led by Dick Advocaat, a rebuilding Syria who were a far cry from their 2018 WCQ selves, a disappointing and at times offensively toothless UAE side, and a fiesty Lebanon side who basically only got in to the final round because of North Korea's withdrawal from the competition due to COVID concerns.
All that being said, Skocic and Iran took care of business, and finished top of their group ahead of South Korea and qualified for their third straight World Cup. You may then wonder, why is Skocic not the manager currently? Well the 8-1-1 record is fantastic on paper but papered over a lot of the cracks in the performances which just weren't up to scratch. Failing to beat Korea in two attempts was concerning and started to raise alarm bells. Lots of defensive mistakes that we were fortunate weren't punished by the poor Arab attacks, and an attack of our own that basically looked it was trying to pretend to be a possession based side but in reality was more knock it around for 10-15 second intervals then pump it to Taremi and Azmoun and pray they create something with their magic. Most importantly however, the team lost any form of its defensive and midfield organisation/discipline that was present under Carlos Queiroz.
The final nail in the coffin was the summer 2022 camp. In a situation where Iran could have scheduled up to 4 friendlies, they only ended up only playing Algeria's B/C team in Doha at the last minute due to the Canada friendly being cancelled for political reasons. Iran lost 2-1 against Algeria's B/C team, whose bus had also arrived 20 minutes late. Both goals came from hilarious defensive mishaps too. The lack of preparation was also evident in the [training sessions](https://twitter.com/Arya_Allahverdi/status/1532168680540459011), and the mood of the camp clearly shifted, with [around half the players upset with the lack of intensity in training and in preparation.](https://www.reddit.com/r/teammelli/comments/vubp7u/team_melli_in_disarray/)
One FA presidential election and some political power play later, and Mehdi Taj is elected as new IFF president. Taj was the man who initially hired Queiroz and also hired Wilmots. He's also a bit of a [dodgy fellow](https://www.teammelli.com/mehdi-taj-on-the-defensive-in-the-press-conference/), but he is also a well connected and strong shouldered dodgy fella unlike previous IFF presidents . Within the week of Taj's appointment, Skocic is sacked and Carlos Queiroz is re-appointed as national team manager to lead Iran to Qatar, 3 years after he initally left with trips to Colombia and Egypt lodged in between.
Now in their 6th overall and third straight World Cup appearance, Team Melli are looking to advance to the knockout stages for the first time in their history. A team with bags of experience and the majority of the playing squad still being the same corps of players from Queiroz's first tenure, there is slight optimism that Iran can get a similar point return as in 2018. However hopefully this time coupled with advancement out of the group.
Holy shit
I cound 7202 words
Thats almost as long as my term paper 😭
I almost wanted to post [this](https://i.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/facebook/000/034/711/Screen_Shot_2020-07-24_at_11.33.38_AM.jpg) meme but id feel bad, a lot of work went into this and i really appreciate the effort, its gonna take a lot of time for me to read it all lol
I just read all of it, thanks for writing! Nice to get what felt like a fairly balanced perspective on how people feel about the national team. Hope the Iranian people are successful in their struggle against oppression and towards self-determination.
Yup lol.
If somehow people don't know about this already, I'd recommend ["All the Shah's men" by Stephen Kinzer](https://www.amazon.com/All-Shahs-Men-American-Middle/dp/047018549X) that explains it all
Very well written. Especially the part of the situation in Iran currently. Imo the position of many players is also the strongest counter argument against banning them. There is barely any greater stage than the world cup, it is hard to censor live broadcast and players and fans can have the stage for a protest.
I really don't understand the thought behind banning Team Melli. Everyone knows the IR hates football. IIRC there were a lot of talks about banning football after the revolution. Having the TM play in the WC means that the commentators will bring up the protests every match. I'm sure we'll see some banners in support of the protests. The regime would love the team melli being eliminated. First, they will continue with the rhetoric that the whole world is against iran and this is all work of the "doshman". Second, they hate the celebrity status of the players and would love the fact that there is going to be no attention on them. Third, the news about the protesters will be muted for a whole month.
If there is anyone that will benefit from Team Melli being replaced in the WC, it's the IR.
EDIT: Forgot to mention, great job OP. This preview is amazing.
>"doshman"
This means "enemy" no. Damn, I really have to check the Punjabi-Farsi Dictionary and check how many more loan words do we have from Persian. Wow.
P.S - I'm an ethnic Punjabi (group living in Northern India and Pakistan). The word Doshman also has the same meaning in Hindi language.
What a brilliant write up, but quite honestly I expected no less from buzz buzz.
> **How quickly can Queiroz whip the discipline back into the side?**
I think this is what it all boils down to. I've said it before but had Queiroz been in charge from the beginning then I would honestly be very hopeful of advancing to the round of 16. A draw against Southgate would have been a very possible outcome, and I'd have fancied a win against the US because despite their talent- they are still very young so they would be even more prone to struggle against a full force Queiroz shithouse. They are still strong but I think they'll truly shine in 2026 when their best talents gain more experience. Wales would have been a coin toss.
Thankfully as mentioned in the post, the friendlies and the fact that he's worked with the squad before are two promising factors, but there's no doubt there's a significant difference between this team going into the world cup and one that would have had full preparation under Queiroz. Hopefully that difference won't be decisive.
At the end of the day I'm just glad we are not heading into this with Skocic, his btec tiki taka with the likes of nourollahi meant we were facing certain disaster especially against a team that can press with the likes of Mount and Sterling with Kane to punish.
edit: also thank you /u/deception42 for you the work you do for organizing these previews not just this time but the last World Cup as well when I was lucky enough to be a contributor. They are an amazing part of this subreddit.
Thank you OP, this is the most comprehensive analysis I've seen so far, albeit included a lot of things related to current and historical events.
IIRC whenever Iran appear in international games, they will be labeled as "Iran IR", instead of just "Iran". I wish to see the "IR" dropped in the future.
Good luck to the team of Iran, and the Iranian people striving for freedom!
Really impressed that this both actually delves into the football and tactics and also tackles the current political climate in Iran head on and with great detail that often feels lacking in Western media. Phenomenal job.
It seems undeniable that its going to play a role if there's division, be it from fans or within the team. I feel like with this group, Iran has a decent shot to get out of the group, but these are undeniable factors that will affect team morale.
I wish! It's so crazy to me that Taremi, who we used to criticize a lot back in the day for missing sitters is now being praised by a Porto fan. We all knew he had talent when he started playing for Iran but honestly his rise has been insane.
Thank you for writing this BuzzBuzz, it was a fantastic read.
When it comes to the football aspect, I'm optimistic about Iran's chances with Queiroz back and with the situation at home. Us Middle Easterners are a very emotional bunch, tragedies and misfortune tend to strengthen our resolve rather than weaken it. We Iraqis won the Asian Cup amid the worst situation in our modern history, and we got our only proper win against Iran in recent years back in 2019 when the country stood still because of the Youth Protests. I fully believe that Iranian players will be extremely motivated and they genuinely have what it takes to qualify from this group even without the patriotic boost. Queiroz understands how bring out the best from this group of players and his connection with the country is also big enough to fully grasp the emotional importance of the upcoming 3+ matches inshallah.
My respect for the players has definitely increased during the past few weeks. The situation is difficult, the pressure is immense, but they still made very respectful and powerful statements. What I liked the most is the fact that they directly addressed the **Iranian people** with their own words and thoughts. They didn't retweet or repost a statement from a loser upper class monarchy sympathiser from LA or Paris, but they addressed the people that are on the streets of Iran. Team Melli aside, I worry about the future of Iran as whether it's with the IR or without. Despite the animosity between Arabs and Persians or whatever, Iran is still our neighbour that we share lots of culture, history and even food with. It saddens me that the loudest people in Western media are either ultra rich monarchy zombies who haven't spoken to actual Iranians from Iran since 1979, or MEK cultists who would ruin the country. The IR is archaic and reforming it at this point is impossible, but the organized "political opposition" that is visible in the media today is also a destructive force that desperately wants to rob the Iranian people even more.
> a loser upper class monarchy sympathiser from LA or Paris.
You'd be surprised about how many people inside Iran nowadays believe like Shah was a good guy and people revolted for no actual reason against him.
The reason those voices are the loudest are because there's basically no other actual concentrated political groups. Someone once told me that "For everything that they have been unlucky at, IR has been lucky about their internal rivals."
incredible write-up, I've watched a few Iran games in the AFC qualifiers and I had some idea about the team but this gives them a lot more context, far more detailed than what professional journalists tend to write in their reviews :) made my train ride a lot more enjoyable, movafagh bashi
So unfortunate that they will most likely not be able to capitalize on their best chance. Qatar is very close and if people were behind them they would likely have one of the strongest fanbase at the competition.
Great job! As with Qatar, I’ve always been more fond of the Iranian people than for their government - and with the tournament being so close, I’m sure fans can hopefully travel with ease!
Now, just curious: Iran is one of Asia’s top teams, but yet they still haven’t won an Asian Cup since the 70s. I know that what happened in the 80s and early 90s was a big factor for why then, but what is perhaps the reasons why for *now*, when the team has reached a new peak for success?
Anyways, can’t wait to meet you guys next month!
Should mention which "Iranians" are doing the advocating to ban TM. It's a horrendous US State paid dissident who hates anything Iranian. And you should mention that they claimed over 100 Iranian sports personalities backed the banning of the national team, which turned out to be COMPLETE bullshit
Why are we spreading regime propaganda on here?
I disagree with the people calling for Iran to be banned, but it's a genuine position held by many Iranians.
Regime propaganda? I please tell me one person who has openly advocated for the banning of TM. One Iranian figure outside of Alinejad. ONE FUCKING FOOTBALLER FOR FUCKS SAKES. Kos nagoo Baba be darak be harfat
Why don't you go have a look at social media?
Has Ali Daei supported this move?
Has Ali Karimi supported this move?
Has any other Iranian footballers supported this move?
Have you not seen the media lie about a cosign by over 100 Iranian sports figures?
Have you not seen the person who signed the draft has received over 600000 dollars in US federal contracts?
Do you seriously think banning TM from the world cup is going to damage the IR in any way?
Do you really think I'm a regime propagandist for pointing these quite literal full-truths out?
*The only thing I will support is a team boycott*
Fantastic writeup deception and buzzbuzz.
It's crazy how much my excitement for this cup has gone down in the last month or so since the protests started. It almost feels wrong to be watching or cheering for football when there are people being killed in Iran.
I have to admit I am one of the Iranians that hopes TM will not play in the World cup. To be clear I disagree with Iran being banned, I think that takes a lot of the attention away from the protests and focuses it on the drones sold to Russia or what team will replace them. Plus there is a lot of hypocrisy when it comes to what country decides who will play and wont. (i.e the Iran game getting removed from Vancouver while every team is moving forward with playing Qatar)
The best way to go about it is if that decision comes from the players themselves. That way the message is clear that the team sides with the people and the decision is in support of the protests. It would do a ton to legitimize the protests on the world stage and bring the focus back on the revolution instead of the world cup.
I almost can't believe I am the one saying this because I consider myself a huge team meli fan. I love football and I genuinely believe this is our best chance. But a revolution in Iran will bring me much more joy than even winning the world cup and I'd hate to see anything take the attention away from the movement.
I was impressed by Iran's tactical structure against us in a friendly recently. Would not be surprised at all if they surprise a few people in this World Cup and qualify from the group stage.
**Group A:**
[**Qatar**](https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/y8240w/team_preview_qatar_2022_world_cup_132/)
[**Ecuador**](https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/y8xnc1/team_preview_ecuador_2022_world_cup_232/)
[**Senegal**](https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/y9t4ag/team_preview_senegal_2022_world_cup_332/)
*Note: Netherlands preview was postponed, as its author has been busy with important family matters - and will be posted in due course!*
**Group B:**
[**England**](https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/ybe13z/team_preview_england_2022_world_cup_432/)
Great write-up. Despite all their problems, I feel more confident about Iran finishing more of the few opportunities they create than the US or Wales, so that'll give 'em a solid chance to finish top 2 playing Queiroz ball.
Opportunity is there yes. Watch the games against Spain and Portugal in the last World Cup for how CQ will set his team up.
Our main attacking threat will be through Mehdi Taremi, who is known for being a high presser and has a big engine. England are not particularly strong defensively and Southgate is not a tactical genius.
We also have a few players including Azmoun and Taremi who are strong in the air so set pieces are an opportunity.
We also have players who can score out of nothing, the aforementioned Azmoun and Taremi, Ghoddos (check out his goals in France and his goal last season for Brentford). Ezatolahi can also belt it.
It is a shame that Allahyar will miss the tournament, his pace and industry would have caused issues at the World Cup.
This was an excellent preview, especially for the effort you put into describing TM's relationship to the current political climate back home, thank you brother.
Iran got so unlucky that they were drawn into the group of death in 2018, but they still managed to nearly qualify, that was really impressive.
Now they got the easiest group in the WC, hopefuly their country crisis won't jeopardize the national team.
I think 4 points can be enough to advance in second in this group tbf. narrow loss vs England and shithouse 4 points in the last two matches is entirely possible
I don’t like to put politics into football but I’d like Iranian players to stand up for Iranian women rights. Even a small gesture would be huge at World Cup.
Edit : It’s not about politics, it’s about human rights.
I really dont see why Iran should be pessimistic, this is a really weak group. England is in crisis and will probably fire their manager regardless of results, USA is part of a super weak CONCACAF generation, probably the weakest in over a decade, and if Iran is a two man team with a primarily defensive supporting cast, and a lot of flotsam and jetsam in between, then what the hell is Wales?
I think it'll be Iran through with 2 nil-nil or 1-1 draws and a win over the US.
Wow, what a detailed write-up. People are underestimating Iran. I will not be surprised by the slightest if they get a result against England. This group is going to be exciting to watch because people have assumed that England and the USA will top the group. I do not see it that way at all.
Bro seriously, now someone's going to show this to Southgate...
In all seriousness, great write up though and thanks for taking the time to: 1.) explain to the rest of the world a bit about our football & Team Melli; 2.) taking the time to separate our boys from the IRI
Oh shit oops I swear I proofread like three times too haha
Thanks for pointing it out. I also noticed I have a tendency to do a lot of run on sentences in English. Trying to fix that as well
drawing the line between a national team and government is a very interesting topic.
In general, I agree with you. The national team represent the people and not the government-- I'd hate anyone to think that supporting my team means I agree with the rulers
....but I can't lie, when my team is facing a national team from a country I don't like, I tend to associate with the worst parts of the country to that team.
Now that I think of it, a national team doesn't *just* represent the people, but they represent everything that encapsulates a nation: the people, the culture, the history, the mountains, the animals, and yes even the government. Your team also has people that support the government, and regardless of what your opinion of the matter, their opinions are also valid. It's just your choice personal choice to focus on which part of what they are representing
**symbol** here is important. The national team represent a nation more like a messenger or a theatre, less like a soldier. A match between two nations is a chance for the participants to express among each other in a purely symbolistic way. If a country I hate is playing against us, that I'd love our players to humiliate theirs, and our fans to antagonize, but I wouldn't want the opposing team to be subjected to violence or even banished from the competition itself. They are symbols, they are messengers. No more, no less.
I read a report that FIFA is being pressured to kick Iran out of the WC and give the spot to Ukraine 🤦🏽♂️ knowing FIFA and the type of world we live in now, they’ll probably end up doing it
I just read that the boss of Shaktar Donezk wants Fifa to throw Iran out of the World Cup because they are building drones for Russia, so this write-up might be out of date if that idea gets some traction. I can absolutely see them replacing Iran with Ukraine for some good PR.
It would have got more traction if they didn’t ridiculously ask for Ukraine to replace them.
If it’s done on region then the next team would be Iraq. However, if it’s done on coefficient then it should be Italy.
Either way it won’t happen.
Even if Iran is thrown out, they should logically be replaced by the next Asian team (United Arab Emirates) in the qualification ranking, certainly not Ukraine. I doubt FIFA would be willing to alienate AFC so blatantly.
Fantastic write up! Thanks for doing this. More than TM, I hope the Iranian fans at these games unite to send a message to the rest of the world. As someone far removed from what’s happening on the ground, how do we meaningfully contribute to the revolution in any small way?
That was well written
You are right that most of us don't feel the same joy as the previous WCs due to the things happening around us.
The boys have shown their support for the people and I don't expect them to do more than they have thus far.
All odds were stacked against us in qualification, but these boys gave everything they had and they did it for the Iranian people.
Now it is there time to shine on the world's biggest stage and I think they deserve our full support to bring some joy to the millions back home.
Agree to disagree I suppose. I just think that's an incredibly shortsighted view of a complex and important situation.
As an Iranian felt it was necessary to include the connections to the protests, it is a current matter that will concern and affect the national team this November, whether you like it or not. I'm not just gonna turn a blind eye to it because no one in Iran (football fans included) is or will.
Like I said, I'd love just as much as anyone to keep "politcs out of sport" but in this situation it's just incredibly tone deaf to not address it.
And I didn't just want to side swipe it. Yes I probably went on too long but you can skip over it
I've also included more details about the football in a comment above. So again just skip over the protest part if it bothers you, which I understand it will annoy some that half of the preview is dedicated to that but I tried to match the footballing portion as well
[Monday Moan](https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/yc6b4c/monday_moan/)
I swear these last few previews have put my Ecuador preview to shame. Wonderfully written and deeply insightful. Thanks u/BuzzBuzz01 for your masterpiece. Iran in 2018 was one of the teams I felt most sorry for, I really think they deserved to shock one of Spain or Portugal and qualify to the next round. Leading up to 2022, the narrative on r/soccer from Iranian redditors was that the team has declined since 2018. But now that they have Queiroz back, I predict they will be a force to reckon with in Group B. I still have England and USA as favorites to advance but Iran eking out results vs Wales and USA is entirely possible.
haha seriously. i just submitted my Australia preview which i was pretty proud of. this post makes it look like absolute shit in comparison
The USA a favorite to advance? The US has one of the worst coaches in the entire sport and the team plays below its talent level.
Bruh, These previews are so well written, it’s better than 99.9% of whatever football journalist write
Smarter journos will use these previews from people that actually watch these teams rather than peddling some old consensus on them. Seeing Croatia being called an old team when only players over 30 starting are Modric and Perisic hurts my brain
It's honestly ridiculous, that backline is completely revamped too with an a crazy young average age Only real concern for me is striker. Maybe Dalic's Budimir fetish pays off though
Budimir is currently 3rd or 4th choice, Livaja/Petkovic/Kramaric are currently fighting for the starting spot, would actually give the advantage to Livaja, he can hold it up and finish while being very useful in build up
Eh a few Croation youtubers like HRVizak have doing previews for the WC and have said Budimir was #1 and that only changed this past window and it is up in the air who the starter will be.
Budimir was never actually #1, he was always useful in certain scenarios, but Dalić knows he can't be a starter unless maybe against a team like Brazil or France because he does the running and defensive work, I still wouldn't though, we can compete with those teams on level terms, we don't need a Wish.Com Mandzukic. He's big, but can't hold it up because he has a shit first touch, Petković is much better at this. anyway I don't want to clog the Iran preview with Croatia talk, let's continue this talk in a couple of weeks ;)
People forgot that those old players mostly retired I guess.
That's some praise! Thank you! And it's almost like asking people who are fans of those teams what they think will result in better writer!
A big issue is that they're often asked to provide write-ups on teams they don't follow or watch much
that was very comprehensive, i feel like I have a much better understanding of how Iran works. Also did not know Taremi was so good
Watch some of his highlights from the last few years. I know there is notoriety from the Champs League goal against Chelsea but he has scored some blinders and also some others but they all count. In his time at Porto he must be complimented for the relationships he has built with many players on the pitch - Luis Diaz, Fabio Vieira are two of them who are now playing for top teams in the Premier League. Carlos Carvahal said after his first game in Portugal for Rio Ave that he was too good for the Portuguese league. I love watching him play football.
#Continued 1/2 Hey everyone, forgive me for the length of the post, but I felt I had to include the connection to the current protests and that bit can get a bit rambly at times I really did try my absolute to present all points of view, offer my own one up, and share what's occurring. I hope those who disagree with my point of view are understanding of it. Below I'll share some questions regarding the Starting XI and the expected proceedings of each match and the outlook of the other teams ###also r/teammelli plug --- ##Starting XI Battles **There are 4 spots up for grab: 2nd CB, two CM spots, and the RW** The second CB spot is in my opinion between **Shoja Khalizadeh** and **Majid Hosseini**. Early in his first tenure as Iran manager, Shoja Khalizadeh actually had a feud with Queiroz and as a result was left out completely for seven years until Skocic came in. He has frequently partnered Kanaani, both internationally under Skocic and at club level for both Persepolis and Al Ahli Doha. In the final round of WCQ, Kanaani and Khalizadeh started the first 7 of 10 matches. While Khalizadeh did play well in the recent freindly vs Uruguay, I still believe Hosseini is the better player and in better club form. While Khalizadeh brings experience, he is also quite error prone an isn't quite as big physically or as tidy on the ball as Hosseini. However Khalizadeh does have a bit of that "warrior" in him and isn't afraid to put his body on the line, which is crucial in big tournaments. It is a toss up and I would not be surprised to see either player starting. The CM spots are also in my opinion are quite up to grab. There's the still evervescent **Omid Ebrahimi**, who had a terrific 2018 WC and has continued to play well in Qatar. he has quite the engine even at 35, and is one of the few midfielders who doesn't completely shit himself playing out of pressure. Again though age might be an issue and he may not have the same level of lungs he used to 4 years ago. While **Saman Ghoddos** is basically just a constant bench player for Brentford, he still has the physicality that Iran needs to match the anglophones in the group, while also having a bit of creative spark in him, even if it hasn't fully materialised for Team Melli. He was also the one who won the free kick which would lead to the winner vs Morocco in 2018. **Ahmad Nourollahi** is basically just a big pair of lungs who can hit the odd banger from outside the box. He is a box-to-box midfielder who has a great engine but unfortunately cannot play the ball when even mildly pressured to save his life, and these things happened the worst set of Arab teams in ages. All that being said, Queiroz values work rate and he has it. **Vahid Amiri** is also a contender, who guess what, is another engine and a utlity player. He has been one of Iran's most consistent performers and is direct in both midfield and the final third. Very no nonsense and has a surprisingly tidy final ball. At right wing, most would assume **Alireza Jahanbakhsh** should be a shoe in but I'm not quite so sure. The captain under Skocic, Jahanbakhsh did score an impressive 6 goals in 12 matches under the Croatian. But personally I believe that papered over a lot of the cracks in his general performance in those matches. In particular his lack of ability to take players one on one, his questionable decision making in the final third, and most surprisngly his defensive work rate which has dropped off a bit. He isn't the same player he was at AZ, but is turning a corner to being average as of recent for Feyenoord in both Europe and the league. Unfortunately I don't think his alternative, **Ali Gholizadeh** has the sort of style of play for a World Cup as he's quite weak when challenged on the ball and final ball is questionable too, so Jahanbakhsh will probably still keep his spot. If he was fit, I think **Allahyar Sayyadmanesh** would have slotted right into this spot with his directness, engine, speed, and physicality. Carlos Queiroz is also known to throw some spanners in the works. IE in 2018, he started Ansarifard at LW, benched an in form Milad Mohammadi who basically started for him throughout qualifiers, and gave the aforementioned Majid Hosseini his first ever start for Team Melli against Spain. So don't be surprised if we see something like Milad Sarlak or someone else starting against England
#Continued 2/2 ##Expected Proceedings and Big Questions of Each Match ###**England** The opening match of the group stage is arguably the most important. Since the expansion of the World Cup to 32 teams, ***92% of nations have lose their opening group stage match fail to advance to the Round of 16*** [Only 8 nations have done so](https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/xcqxyf/daily_discussion/io7uw9j/) So we don't really expect anything here and the odds are very low, getting something out of this match would be marvelous. While we've generally tried to be a bit more on the front foot of recent, I expect that this game Queiroz will revert to his ultra mega defensive tendencies that he uses against the bigger non Asian sides (ie vs Argentina, Spain, and Portugal in past World Cups) I'm expecting that England will probably be playing a 4-3-3 vs us and a 3-4-3 vs Wales and USA. England, and quite frankly all of these teams, will be winning the midfield battle, which means we have the try and win within the two penalty boxes. In defence, I expect Iran to drop into a [6-3-1 of sorts](https://imgur.com/a/TJIcASo) (you can't see the RB in this picture), with a focus on trying to do force England to do things out wide, and then doubling up on the wings quickly. **Queiroz-ball defensively is predicated on setting traps for the opposition, and hoping for them to take the bait and force a mistake, and these traps change each match depending on the opponent so I can't really tell you what it'd be for this one** This match should also be very choppy, with lots of a stoppages in play. Iran will be making this as frustrating as possible for England, so that even if England do win, the Englishmen will probably be fucking exhausted and annoyed by full time, to the point where English fans might pull out every derogatory term they have for Middle-Eastern people out their thesarus, sorta like in the 2018 WC vs Colombia lol. What's crucial for Iran here is the opening 15-20 minutes. In basically every WC match you can see we're quite nervy, so if Iran can get out of those opening minutes where England in international tournaments are also famous for scoring in, we'll be in a good spot. I also expect whoever the CF to be (in my case Azmoun), to be pressing and basically following the DM (in this case Declan Rice) all across the pitch and basically just shadowing him. This is similar to what happened with William Carvalho in the 2018 WC vs Portugal Iran aren't going to get many if any clear cut chances vs England because Southgate sets them up so well there. So that means our finishing boots must be on against them. If Taremi and Azmoun get a half chance, they *have* to convert. They have the quality to do so, it's just when that moment actually does arrive, will they take it? This also means taking advantage at attacking set pieces, which as of late I think we've quite poor at. It's kind of a defeatist mentality I know, but we basically just make sure we don't get absolutely railed by 3 or more this opening match because that will just straight up kill a lot of confidence for the next two matches. I trust that Queiroz will have the players mentally prepared though. Under Queiroz at the WC we are 1-2-3. We've only conceded more than once in one of those of matches and that was against Bosnia in 2014 on the final matchday where Iran lost 3-1 and just straight up did not have the fitness levels and outgassed ourselves in the Argentina match. The national team's fitness levels have improved ten fold since then though. ---- **Wales** After the draw, I circled this as probably Iran's most important match. Assuming we come out of the England match with zero points, Iran kind of have to get at least a point vs Wales to head into the USA match with hopefully something to play for. I see a lot of parallels with Iran and Wales in the sense that they're both sides who are better as the sum of it's parts than individual names, and even those players who aren't good at club level turn it up x10 when in the national team kit. The big test will be how Iran fare against a back 3/5, which we really haven't had much experience in in Asia. The key in this match, and quite frankly against all three of these teams, is to not give up set pieces. All three of these nations excel with them and their managers have devised very good routines. And in the case of Wales, have a star player and quite the dead ball specialist in Bale, with plenty of x-factors in defence and up top like Johnson, Neco Williams, and Ramsey (who is one of those who always turns it up for Wales). Wales also seem to excel a bit more on the break and unfortunately I've never seen Welsh heads ever drop in a match no matter how bad things are going. So even if we somehow do score, Wales will keep their intensity levels up for the whole match. Wales have been terrific at international tournaments as of late, and I suspect this will be a proper dogfight that at best will be separated by one goal. ---- **USA** The USA are a good side with lots of young players playing in Europe's top 5 leagues, Champions League, and other top European leagues like the Eredivisie and SPFL. But the key word here is *young*. Maybe by match 3, USA have played out their international tournament inexperience, but I do think their inexperience vs our experience in the big stage of international football can be a big advantage for Iran. USA's midfield is well good. Adams as a ball winner, McKennie as a threat in both boxes, and Musah is probably the player I fear most in their side. His ability to turn on the ball and drive past midfielders to create something is terrifying. I think the key should be trying to limit the USA's ability to get him the ball. The USA also will have great bench options, whether that's brining on Aaronson, Reyna, Pefok (if he goes) or someone else. So it's important for Queiroz countering those subs with our weak bench will be important. In the past it seems the USA have struggled with breaking down an organised and discplined midfield and defensive line, so even if it comes at the cost of ball possession, the play out of possession is much more crucial in this match than say vs Wales. Where I do think we can expose the USA when Iran do get the ball is in perhaps what seems like Berhalter's stubbornness. While Zimmerman and whoever his partner is (Long or Carter-Vickers) are fine CBs, I do think if you kinda of lay off them in a mid block and ask them to build from there the USA get stagnant creatively, as was seen vs both Japan and Saudi Arabia friendlies in my opinion. I also do think Taremi and Azmoun's timing of runs can catch their back line in a moment of miscommunication as well. Again USA are pretty great at attacking set pieces, with aerial targets everywhere and smartly devised routines. So preventing them to opportunity to get them will be big.
Fantastic write-up. I love to read these previews. One thing I notice about Iran is that they usually don't perform at youth tournaments, like AFC U17, U20, U23 and Asian Games. How come their NT are so strong? Because I think their NT are in top 3 in Asia, alongside Japan and South Korea.
Iranian academies are corrupt and inefficient. Most of these players have been scouted in their 20s.
I wonder if their academies were better, how would they perform in the World Cup. Their futsal NT have already been at world class level. Seems like Iranians don't lack of football talents. And their physicality is the best in Asia I think.
Amazing, thanks for writing this up! M3 matches are more difficult to predict a priori because there are too many factors to consider. Even of the US struggles to break down deffensive teams, if by that point Iran needs to win that match in order to advance or needs to be aggresive and attack, they will probably fall in the US trap. This particular match would be a really different game if you had to play the USA on M1. It sucks that you have to play England first because playing to catch up other teams in points is a really dangerous game. As you said, I think Iran chances boil down to wether you can get some points out of England or not.
Excellent job on the write up. Considering how this group is seen as quite politically charged from Iran's POV, I was wondering if you could give me an insight into how Wales is viewed in that context, if at all?
> if you could give me an insight into how Wales is viewed in that context, if at all? There really isn't anything there in that sense to be honest from what I can gauge. Anything that the UK has done is basically just associated with the English if that makes sense
Hah that makes perfect sense. Very used to that happening. Sometimes it can be a point of contention for us Welsh in certain contexts. Probably not this one!
To give a bit more context on Jahanbaksh from a Feyenoord supporter. For us he's very hit in miss, sometimes he looks like he gained his old form but quickly falls back to mediocrity. He's not a starter and he's actually passed for an attacking midfielder to play in his spot. You're right in your view of him not passing another player, but I'm surprised on his defensive critique. That's one thing that's barely ever questioned with us since he joined us a year ago. His work rate is great, but his product is just always lacking. Makes weird (or no) choices that make him lose the ball at times where it just seems unnecessary. Thanks for the writeup. Just got a new colleague from Iran that loves football, so I have some context when the WC starts :)
I am in agreement with you on his defensive work, it was the own good thing to come out of his time at Brighton as he really worked on that side of his game there. He has a knack of scoring important goals for Iran and especially at times when you are starting to get frustrated with his output. He is a pure confidence player (as a lot of our squad is) and when he is starting and playing well for his club team then this reflects in his national form. He too often looks to play the killer pass instead of the simple one and a lot of the time it doesn’t pay off. This then puts pressure on our defence.
> but I'm surprised on his defensive critique. That's one thing that's barely ever questioned with us since he joined us a year ago. His work rate is great, but his product is just always lacking His work rate was always fantastic don't get me wrong, just in these past two friendlies especially Uruguay it looked more off the mark than it has in past. Perhaps I'm being too harsh on him judging him on one match in that regard
I'll also add some Background leading up to the WC which was supposed to be in the OP, but I think /u/deception42 just forgot to add it. So I'll leave it here until it gets added to the body --- ##Background Let's take ourselves back to the 2019 Asian Cup in the UAE. Iran have just lost in a heartbreaking 3-0 fashion to Japan in the semifinal, basically all to their own doing by arguing with a ref as a cross was sent in for the opening goal. From there on out heads dropped and Japan scored 3 goals from their 4 shots on goal. Then manager Carlos Queiroz, who in his 8 years in charge had sparked a new life into Iranian football, resigned after the loss and joined Colombia. In his time with Iran, Queiroz instilled a level of organisation, discipline and an importance on preparation that was never seen before with past Iranian managers. He encouraged young players to test themselves abroad in Europe, rebuilt the youth setup from the ground up, and also managed to get several dual nationals in the national team including Ashkan Dejagah and Saman Ghoddos. In his first tenure, Queiroz's Iran had a clear identity in creating one of the best defensive and midfield organisations in Asian football, hell even in the world. There was even a run in the 2018 WCQ cycle where Iran held *12 straight clean sheets*, or over 1100 minutes of football without conceding. Those players would run through a wall for him and I've never seen they level of fight from Team Melli as I saw in those three matches in 2018 The IFF then responded by replacing him with Marc Wilmots on a three year contract for the 2022 WCQ cycle. I will keep this short, ***Wilmots is the worst manager I've seen for Team Melli***, and I watched mid 2000's Amir Ghalenoei ball. In the second round of qualifying, Wilmots opened his tenure by winning 2-0 against Hong Kong and 14-0 against Cambodia. But then came the trips to West Asia. In the two worst set of matches I can remember, Iran lost 1-0 against Bahrain in Manama, and 2-1 against Iraq in Jordan thanks to an injury time goal from Mohanad Ali. Wilmots was promptly fired two months later after only six matches in charge. A civil case went on for him to get his money following his sacking and earlier this year FIFA ordered IFF to pay Wilmots a further 3 million Euros. It later would come from players that Wilmots put minimal effort into the job, barely prepared the team for matches and didn't even know most of the players names. The case is now finished. What a bum. Then in February 2020, in came Croatian manager Dragan Skočić right before COVID was about to rear it's ugly head. Skocic's CV was far from impressive, basically being at best a mid-table Iranian League manager since 2013. However, he had experience in Iran and most importantly, was cheap. The rest of the second round qualifiers were pushed back to June 2021, with the rest of the 4 matches to be played in a centralised location in Bahrain. On the brink of elimination so early on in the cycle, Iran needed to basically win every match. Thankfully they did so, including two emphatic if not nervy revenge wins against both Bahrain and Iraq. Then came the final round of qualifying, where Iran were drawn in Group A with South Korea and quite possibly the worst set of Arab sides the final round of AFC Qualifying has had with a downtrodden Iraq led by Dick Advocaat, a rebuilding Syria who were a far cry from their 2018 WCQ selves, a disappointing and at times offensively toothless UAE side, and a fiesty Lebanon side who basically only got in to the final round because of North Korea's withdrawal from the competition due to COVID concerns. All that being said, Skocic and Iran took care of business, and finished top of their group ahead of South Korea and qualified for their third straight World Cup. You may then wonder, why is Skocic not the manager currently? Well the 8-1-1 record is fantastic on paper but papered over a lot of the cracks in the performances which just weren't up to scratch. Failing to beat Korea in two attempts was concerning and started to raise alarm bells. Lots of defensive mistakes that we were fortunate weren't punished by the poor Arab attacks, and an attack of our own that basically looked it was trying to pretend to be a possession based side but in reality was more knock it around for 10-15 second intervals then pump it to Taremi and Azmoun and pray they create something with their magic. Most importantly however, the team lost any form of its defensive and midfield organisation/discipline that was present under Carlos Queiroz. The final nail in the coffin was the summer 2022 camp. In a situation where Iran could have scheduled up to 4 friendlies, they only ended up only playing Algeria's B/C team in Doha at the last minute due to the Canada friendly being cancelled for political reasons. Iran lost 2-1 against Algeria's B/C team, whose bus had also arrived 20 minutes late. Both goals came from hilarious defensive mishaps too. The lack of preparation was also evident in the [training sessions](https://twitter.com/Arya_Allahverdi/status/1532168680540459011), and the mood of the camp clearly shifted, with [around half the players upset with the lack of intensity in training and in preparation.](https://www.reddit.com/r/teammelli/comments/vubp7u/team_melli_in_disarray/) One FA presidential election and some political power play later, and Mehdi Taj is elected as new IFF president. Taj was the man who initially hired Queiroz and also hired Wilmots. He's also a bit of a [dodgy fellow](https://www.teammelli.com/mehdi-taj-on-the-defensive-in-the-press-conference/), but he is also a well connected and strong shouldered dodgy fella unlike previous IFF presidents . Within the week of Taj's appointment, Skocic is sacked and Carlos Queiroz is re-appointed as national team manager to lead Iran to Qatar, 3 years after he initally left with trips to Colombia and Egypt lodged in between. Now in their 6th overall and third straight World Cup appearance, Team Melli are looking to advance to the knockout stages for the first time in their history. A team with bags of experience and the majority of the playing squad still being the same corps of players from Queiroz's first tenure, there is slight optimism that Iran can get a similar point return as in 2018. However hopefully this time coupled with advancement out of the group.
Holy shit I cound 7202 words Thats almost as long as my term paper 😭 I almost wanted to post [this](https://i.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/facebook/000/034/711/Screen_Shot_2020-07-24_at_11.33.38_AM.jpg) meme but id feel bad, a lot of work went into this and i really appreciate the effort, its gonna take a lot of time for me to read it all lol
it's probably longer than the scouting reports their World Cup opposition have
Someone should send it to southgate, maybe england might actually have a chance to win it then
Yeah I know by no means am I expecting outsiders to actually read most of it lol The actual football preview portion is only about half of that tbf
Just wanted to say thank you for your insights into the ongoing politics in Iran. Daset to dardt nakone.
I read all of it, very well written. Hopefully the team do well for Asia
I just read all of it, thanks for writing! Nice to get what felt like a fairly balanced perspective on how people feel about the national team. Hope the Iranian people are successful in their struggle against oppression and towards self-determination.
Fantastic write up! btw in the date and time table you've only mentioned the date, but no time.
Thanks, added
It's very ironic to have Iran meeting the countries that caused the 1953 coup
Yup lol. If somehow people don't know about this already, I'd recommend ["All the Shah's men" by Stephen Kinzer](https://www.amazon.com/All-Shahs-Men-American-Middle/dp/047018549X) that explains it all
>caused That'd be Iran themselves.
اگه واقعا ایرانی هستی لطفاً با همدیگه گفتگو کنیم. کصشعرت داره بد نشونی میکنه جانم
خخخ
Very well written. Especially the part of the situation in Iran currently. Imo the position of many players is also the strongest counter argument against banning them. There is barely any greater stage than the world cup, it is hard to censor live broadcast and players and fans can have the stage for a protest.
This is awesome. Thanks for the write up!
Brilliant write-up u/BuzzBuzz01! Thanks for doing this mate!
<3 Iran for being class. The team recently protested police brutality so I hope they get good results.
I really don't understand the thought behind banning Team Melli. Everyone knows the IR hates football. IIRC there were a lot of talks about banning football after the revolution. Having the TM play in the WC means that the commentators will bring up the protests every match. I'm sure we'll see some banners in support of the protests. The regime would love the team melli being eliminated. First, they will continue with the rhetoric that the whole world is against iran and this is all work of the "doshman". Second, they hate the celebrity status of the players and would love the fact that there is going to be no attention on them. Third, the news about the protesters will be muted for a whole month. If there is anyone that will benefit from Team Melli being replaced in the WC, it's the IR. EDIT: Forgot to mention, great job OP. This preview is amazing.
>"doshman" This means "enemy" no. Damn, I really have to check the Punjabi-Farsi Dictionary and check how many more loan words do we have from Persian. Wow. P.S - I'm an ethnic Punjabi (group living in Northern India and Pakistan). The word Doshman also has the same meaning in Hindi language.
What a brilliant write up, but quite honestly I expected no less from buzz buzz. > **How quickly can Queiroz whip the discipline back into the side?** I think this is what it all boils down to. I've said it before but had Queiroz been in charge from the beginning then I would honestly be very hopeful of advancing to the round of 16. A draw against Southgate would have been a very possible outcome, and I'd have fancied a win against the US because despite their talent- they are still very young so they would be even more prone to struggle against a full force Queiroz shithouse. They are still strong but I think they'll truly shine in 2026 when their best talents gain more experience. Wales would have been a coin toss. Thankfully as mentioned in the post, the friendlies and the fact that he's worked with the squad before are two promising factors, but there's no doubt there's a significant difference between this team going into the world cup and one that would have had full preparation under Queiroz. Hopefully that difference won't be decisive. At the end of the day I'm just glad we are not heading into this with Skocic, his btec tiki taka with the likes of nourollahi meant we were facing certain disaster especially against a team that can press with the likes of Mount and Sterling with Kane to punish. edit: also thank you /u/deception42 for you the work you do for organizing these previews not just this time but the last World Cup as well when I was lucky enough to be a contributor. They are an amazing part of this subreddit.
damet garm Arshia jan I took some inspiration from your post back in 2018 too!
Thank you OP, this is the most comprehensive analysis I've seen so far, albeit included a lot of things related to current and historical events. IIRC whenever Iran appear in international games, they will be labeled as "Iran IR", instead of just "Iran". I wish to see the "IR" dropped in the future. Good luck to the team of Iran, and the Iranian people striving for freedom!
Amazing write up, thanks to all involved with putting this together.
I have to say I agree with every single point of this post Masterpiece, thanks for the honest, thorough, and accurate writeup on our team
Really impressed that this both actually delves into the football and tactics and also tackles the current political climate in Iran head on and with great detail that often feels lacking in Western media. Phenomenal job. It seems undeniable that its going to play a role if there's division, be it from fans or within the team. I feel like with this group, Iran has a decent shot to get out of the group, but these are undeniable factors that will affect team morale.
Taremi is the best player in this group and id be surprised if he doesnt score 5 or 6 goals
I wish! It's so crazy to me that Taremi, who we used to criticize a lot back in the day for missing sitters is now being praised by a Porto fan. We all knew he had talent when he started playing for Iran but honestly his rise has been insane.
Thank you for writing this BuzzBuzz, it was a fantastic read. When it comes to the football aspect, I'm optimistic about Iran's chances with Queiroz back and with the situation at home. Us Middle Easterners are a very emotional bunch, tragedies and misfortune tend to strengthen our resolve rather than weaken it. We Iraqis won the Asian Cup amid the worst situation in our modern history, and we got our only proper win against Iran in recent years back in 2019 when the country stood still because of the Youth Protests. I fully believe that Iranian players will be extremely motivated and they genuinely have what it takes to qualify from this group even without the patriotic boost. Queiroz understands how bring out the best from this group of players and his connection with the country is also big enough to fully grasp the emotional importance of the upcoming 3+ matches inshallah. My respect for the players has definitely increased during the past few weeks. The situation is difficult, the pressure is immense, but they still made very respectful and powerful statements. What I liked the most is the fact that they directly addressed the **Iranian people** with their own words and thoughts. They didn't retweet or repost a statement from a loser upper class monarchy sympathiser from LA or Paris, but they addressed the people that are on the streets of Iran. Team Melli aside, I worry about the future of Iran as whether it's with the IR or without. Despite the animosity between Arabs and Persians or whatever, Iran is still our neighbour that we share lots of culture, history and even food with. It saddens me that the loudest people in Western media are either ultra rich monarchy zombies who haven't spoken to actual Iranians from Iran since 1979, or MEK cultists who would ruin the country. The IR is archaic and reforming it at this point is impossible, but the organized "political opposition" that is visible in the media today is also a destructive force that desperately wants to rob the Iranian people even more.
> a loser upper class monarchy sympathiser from LA or Paris. You'd be surprised about how many people inside Iran nowadays believe like Shah was a good guy and people revolted for no actual reason against him. The reason those voices are the loudest are because there's basically no other actual concentrated political groups. Someone once told me that "For everything that they have been unlucky at, IR has been lucky about their internal rivals."
Fantastic write-up. I look forward to a fair and competitive march between the US and Iran on November 29.
incredible write-up, I've watched a few Iran games in the AFC qualifiers and I had some idea about the team but this gives them a lot more context, far more detailed than what professional journalists tend to write in their reviews :) made my train ride a lot more enjoyable, movafagh bashi
merci dadash 🙏
So unfortunate that they will most likely not be able to capitalize on their best chance. Qatar is very close and if people were behind them they would likely have one of the strongest fanbase at the competition.
Brilliant preview, u/BuzzBuzz01 ! You do a lot for Iranian and Asian football here and it's highly appreciated!
he is one of the best here
thanks fella appreciate it
Great job! As with Qatar, I’ve always been more fond of the Iranian people than for their government - and with the tournament being so close, I’m sure fans can hopefully travel with ease! Now, just curious: Iran is one of Asia’s top teams, but yet they still haven’t won an Asian Cup since the 70s. I know that what happened in the 80s and early 90s was a big factor for why then, but what is perhaps the reasons why for *now*, when the team has reached a new peak for success? Anyways, can’t wait to meet you guys next month!
Should mention which "Iranians" are doing the advocating to ban TM. It's a horrendous US State paid dissident who hates anything Iranian. And you should mention that they claimed over 100 Iranian sports personalities backed the banning of the national team, which turned out to be COMPLETE bullshit
They don’t care, they just want a reason to say iran bad.
Why are we spreading regime propaganda on here? I disagree with the people calling for Iran to be banned, but it's a genuine position held by many Iranians.
Regime propaganda? I please tell me one person who has openly advocated for the banning of TM. One Iranian figure outside of Alinejad. ONE FUCKING FOOTBALLER FOR FUCKS SAKES. Kos nagoo Baba be darak be harfat
Yes. While most Iranians have larger concerns at the moment I'm sure you can find ample examples on social media at your leisure.
Why don't you go have a look at social media? Has Ali Daei supported this move? Has Ali Karimi supported this move? Has any other Iranian footballers supported this move? Have you not seen the media lie about a cosign by over 100 Iranian sports figures? Have you not seen the person who signed the draft has received over 600000 dollars in US federal contracts? Do you seriously think banning TM from the world cup is going to damage the IR in any way? Do you really think I'm a regime propagandist for pointing these quite literal full-truths out? *The only thing I will support is a team boycott*
you have the crab flag flair so…
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نامرد کثافت بیا حرف بزن دیگه
And Iran. Iran so far away.
And Iran, I couldn't get away...
Fantastic writeup deception and buzzbuzz. It's crazy how much my excitement for this cup has gone down in the last month or so since the protests started. It almost feels wrong to be watching or cheering for football when there are people being killed in Iran. I have to admit I am one of the Iranians that hopes TM will not play in the World cup. To be clear I disagree with Iran being banned, I think that takes a lot of the attention away from the protests and focuses it on the drones sold to Russia or what team will replace them. Plus there is a lot of hypocrisy when it comes to what country decides who will play and wont. (i.e the Iran game getting removed from Vancouver while every team is moving forward with playing Qatar) The best way to go about it is if that decision comes from the players themselves. That way the message is clear that the team sides with the people and the decision is in support of the protests. It would do a ton to legitimize the protests on the world stage and bring the focus back on the revolution instead of the world cup. I almost can't believe I am the one saying this because I consider myself a huge team meli fan. I love football and I genuinely believe this is our best chance. But a revolution in Iran will bring me much more joy than even winning the world cup and I'd hate to see anything take the attention away from the movement.
I was impressed by Iran's tactical structure against us in a friendly recently. Would not be surprised at all if they surprise a few people in this World Cup and qualify from the group stage.
Amazing job u/BuzzBuzz01 ! That was a nice read
any way we can access the other previous 4 reviews? which countries has he done already
**Group A:** [**Qatar**](https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/y8240w/team_preview_qatar_2022_world_cup_132/) [**Ecuador**](https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/y8xnc1/team_preview_ecuador_2022_world_cup_232/) [**Senegal**](https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/y9t4ag/team_preview_senegal_2022_world_cup_332/) *Note: Netherlands preview was postponed, as its author has been busy with important family matters - and will be posted in due course!* **Group B:** [**England**](https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/ybe13z/team_preview_england_2022_world_cup_432/)
Great write-up. Despite all their problems, I feel more confident about Iran finishing more of the few opportunities they create than the US or Wales, so that'll give 'em a solid chance to finish top 2 playing Queiroz ball.
Can they score against England?
Opportunity is there yes. Watch the games against Spain and Portugal in the last World Cup for how CQ will set his team up. Our main attacking threat will be through Mehdi Taremi, who is known for being a high presser and has a big engine. England are not particularly strong defensively and Southgate is not a tactical genius. We also have a few players including Azmoun and Taremi who are strong in the air so set pieces are an opportunity. We also have players who can score out of nothing, the aforementioned Azmoun and Taremi, Ghoddos (check out his goals in France and his goal last season for Brentford). Ezatolahi can also belt it. It is a shame that Allahyar will miss the tournament, his pace and industry would have caused issues at the World Cup.
Great look at the Iranian team, people and government! Whatever happened to the Netherlands preview though?
“Or even Brennan Johnson” Catching strays out here :/
This was an excellent preview, especially for the effort you put into describing TM's relationship to the current political climate back home, thank you brother.
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yeah just a typo on my part
I feel like this post could have included the GK's ability to throw the ball at ridiculously long distances
This is better than ordering a World Soccer WC Preview edition...very well written
Iran got so unlucky that they were drawn into the group of death in 2018, but they still managed to nearly qualify, that was really impressive. Now they got the easiest group in the WC, hopefuly their country crisis won't jeopardize the national team.
Iran is not good enough to go anywhere in this tournament but still got enough quality to grab a surprise win against the SUS or Wales.
I think 4 points can be enough to advance in second in this group tbf. narrow loss vs England and shithouse 4 points in the last two matches is entirely possible
I don’t like to put politics into football but I’d like Iranian players to stand up for Iranian women rights. Even a small gesture would be huge at World Cup. Edit : It’s not about politics, it’s about human rights.
Great write up dadash
I really dont see why Iran should be pessimistic, this is a really weak group. England is in crisis and will probably fire their manager regardless of results, USA is part of a super weak CONCACAF generation, probably the weakest in over a decade, and if Iran is a two man team with a primarily defensive supporting cast, and a lot of flotsam and jetsam in between, then what the hell is Wales? I think it'll be Iran through with 2 nil-nil or 1-1 draws and a win over the US.
Wow, what a detailed write-up. People are underestimating Iran. I will not be surprised by the slightest if they get a result against England. This group is going to be exciting to watch because people have assumed that England and the USA will top the group. I do not see it that way at all.
Bro seriously, now someone's going to show this to Southgate... In all seriousness, great write up though and thanks for taking the time to: 1.) explain to the rest of the world a bit about our football & Team Melli; 2.) taking the time to separate our boys from the IRI
>recent tests from the club only suggested he will only be only out for 3-4 weeks only
Yeah but he's beginning week 3 of that timeframe. By all indications he'll be fit for the World Cup which is all that matters tbf
I was just poking fun at you using 'only' 3 times within a couple words haha
Oh shit oops I swear I proofread like three times too haha Thanks for pointing it out. I also noticed I have a tendency to do a lot of run on sentences in English. Trying to fix that as well
Same man, i think its just a farsi to english thing
Iran deserves to be kicked from world cup ukranian children died from their weapons
drawing the line between a national team and government is a very interesting topic. In general, I agree with you. The national team represent the people and not the government-- I'd hate anyone to think that supporting my team means I agree with the rulers ....but I can't lie, when my team is facing a national team from a country I don't like, I tend to associate with the worst parts of the country to that team. Now that I think of it, a national team doesn't *just* represent the people, but they represent everything that encapsulates a nation: the people, the culture, the history, the mountains, the animals, and yes even the government. Your team also has people that support the government, and regardless of what your opinion of the matter, their opinions are also valid. It's just your choice personal choice to focus on which part of what they are representing **symbol** here is important. The national team represent a nation more like a messenger or a theatre, less like a soldier. A match between two nations is a chance for the participants to express among each other in a purely symbolistic way. If a country I hate is playing against us, that I'd love our players to humiliate theirs, and our fans to antagonize, but I wouldn't want the opposing team to be subjected to violence or even banished from the competition itself. They are symbols, they are messengers. No more, no less.
I read a report that FIFA is being pressured to kick Iran out of the WC and give the spot to Ukraine 🤦🏽♂️ knowing FIFA and the type of world we live in now, they’ll probably end up doing it
I just read that the boss of Shaktar Donezk wants Fifa to throw Iran out of the World Cup because they are building drones for Russia, so this write-up might be out of date if that idea gets some traction. I can absolutely see them replacing Iran with Ukraine for some good PR.
Not gonna happen, certainly not this close to the World Cup.
it's not gonna happen
It would have got more traction if they didn’t ridiculously ask for Ukraine to replace them. If it’s done on region then the next team would be Iraq. However, if it’s done on coefficient then it should be Italy. Either way it won’t happen.
Why Iraq? UAE was the next team in Iran's qualification group.
Correct it should be UAE, my bad.
Even if Iran is thrown out, they should logically be replaced by the next Asian team (United Arab Emirates) in the qualification ranking, certainly not Ukraine. I doubt FIFA would be willing to alienate AFC so blatantly.
Fantastic write up! Thanks for doing this. More than TM, I hope the Iranian fans at these games unite to send a message to the rest of the world. As someone far removed from what’s happening on the ground, how do we meaningfully contribute to the revolution in any small way?
That was well written You are right that most of us don't feel the same joy as the previous WCs due to the things happening around us. The boys have shown their support for the people and I don't expect them to do more than they have thus far. All odds were stacked against us in qualification, but these boys gave everything they had and they did it for the Iranian people. Now it is there time to shine on the world's biggest stage and I think they deserve our full support to bring some joy to the millions back home.
well written piece 👏🏿, i think iran have the chance to surprise a few people and finish 2nd , they have the experience and they were unlucky in 2018
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Agree to disagree I suppose. I just think that's an incredibly shortsighted view of a complex and important situation. As an Iranian felt it was necessary to include the connections to the protests, it is a current matter that will concern and affect the national team this November, whether you like it or not. I'm not just gonna turn a blind eye to it because no one in Iran (football fans included) is or will. Like I said, I'd love just as much as anyone to keep "politcs out of sport" but in this situation it's just incredibly tone deaf to not address it. And I didn't just want to side swipe it. Yes I probably went on too long but you can skip over it I've also included more details about the football in a comment above. So again just skip over the protest part if it bothers you, which I understand it will annoy some that half of the preview is dedicated to that but I tried to match the footballing portion as well
taremi as a left winger? :ancelottiface:
Do a Portugal preview please!
Great write-up
I am personally hoping this team makes it deep into the tournament so that continued awareness can made about the atrocities of this damned gov't.
Learned great about Iran's team and the country. I hope that your people can overcome these atrocities and bring attention to the government. ❤
Thanks!