We should win this game if Turk Ali Daie pulls his head out of his ass . There are rumors that he wont be inviting Kia, Hashemian , or Andariak . I would understand if he didn’t invite Termourian or even Hashemian but there is absolutely no justification in not inviting Mahdavakia. If he thinks inviting Bagheri can benefit us then why not Kia? Also , Hashemian has always saved our ass when we needed him and scored goals in big games so his presence is desperately needed. The Koreans seem to be scared and they should be. Even with a weak TM we can walk over these Koreans in Tehran. Lets hope 100k fans pack the stadium and rally behind our team and bring back the sweet memories of the Korean coach crying when losing 6-2 to the one and only TM. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyDjoRCRRN0"]YouTube - Iran - South Korea Asia Cup 1996[/ame]
Talk with respect man, no need to put down the opposition. They are respectable but we'll win nevertheless. Also Hashemian is invited but Zandi, Kia, and Andranik are out. I resepct Daei's decision. He hasn't let us down so far but this will be his first real challenge.
RESPECT has to be earned. I wouldn’t be talking in this tone if we were playing them in South Korea because we haven’t really earned our respect in South Korea. But they haven’t won yet in Iran so we have the right to talk trash , when they do then I will be more respectful when playing in Iran. But I have always mentioned that I find South Korea a good clean opponent because they are one of the best in Asia and play clean football unlike some Arab nations. Nevertheless, I don’t find any part of my post disrespectful , its just talking tough and no harm is intended.
Well, it looks like he's invited Hashemian, Shojai and Nekounam only. No Zandi, Mahdavikia or Teymourian. Although, in other news, Hashemian's mother passed away today and therefore he may not be able to play next week. Here is the list...I'll post the English version once someone has translated it: سید مهدی رحمتی - وحید طالبلو - رحمان احمدی - هادی عقیلی- سید جلال حسینی - محسن بنگر - پیروز قربانی - حسین کعبی - مجید غلام نژاد - حسن اشجاری - ستار زارع - مازیار زارع - کیانوش رحمتی - حسین کاظمی - محمدرضا خلعتبری - محمد نوری - مسعود شجاعی - احسان حاج صفی - میثم بائو - کریم باقری - جواد نکونام - وحید هاشمیان - آرش برهانی - سید محمد مهدی سید صالحی و سیاوش اکبرپور
Talebloo Rahmati Ahmadi Ghorbani Aghili Kaabi Hosseini Bengar S.Zareh Ashjari M.Zareh Nouri K.Rahmati Kazemi Gholamnejad Baoo Shojaie Haj Safie Bagheri Nekounam Borhani Siavash Akbapour Salehi Khalakbari Hashemian 1) I can't believe Kazemi is there... Absolutely unworthy... 2) Khosro Heydari DEFINITELY deserves to be on this list, especially since Kia has not been invited (he's far better than Kazemi and Bao, in any case).
I haven't seen Heydari in action but I agree that Kazemi is useless. I haven't seen him play a single decent game for club or country!! It's difficult to judge who he'll play on the right. Shojai could play either on the right, CAM or as second striker. Bagheri might be given a start or played as a sub. And the choice of strikers is far from certain. Depending on what he goes with, K. Rahmati might play on the right. I hope he won't play either of the two Zares (he'll definitely play at least one though)!!! As for Bao, not a bad choice. I have wanted to see him invited for some time to see how he does with TM. Not sure about timing with such a big game. And I still hope beyond hope that Perjamn Nouri will one day be invited!! PS unsurprisingly, still no Kazemian (younger version of Kia).
Damn you guys have some high confidence. I look forward to checking this thread after Korea beats you.
To be honest, Heydari's game is much more similar to Kia's than Kazemian's is. His speed, workrate, crosses, and skill on set-pieces are quite similar to the old Kia. I'd say there's a 99% chance that Gholamnejad will start on the right and Khalatbari will start on the left in a 4-4-2. There is a small chance that Daei will use a 4-2-3-1 with Shojaei at CAM, ahead of Bagheri and Neko. With regard to the CAM position, there's little doubt in my mind that Bagheri will start. Shojaei will most probably start as a 2nd striker, behind Hashemian or Borhani. K.Rahmati is a bench DM and certainly won't play anywhere else. S.Zare might start at LB instead of Ashjari, but I doubt it, simply due to Ashjari's skill on set-pieces and corners (he will take the kicks, and not Shojaei, as many fans wrongly predict in my opinion). Bao has played in a couple of games, and he hasn't performed very well. I definitely think he's talented and deserves more chances for TM, but ahead of such a vital game I would have preferred someone else (although it's not like he's going to get a minute anyways, haha).
Missed Gholamnejad's name. But I doubt that he will start Ashjari. He is good, but lacks stamina and is too inexperienced. If I remember correctly, in the last few practice games, he usually came on as a sub. One to watch for the future.
Actually, Ashjari has pretty good stamina and he started in the past few games. Unfortunately, he's not exactly "one to watch for in the future" because he's turning 30 in a couple of weeks .
Sorry but where did you find this?... Can you send me a link where you saw his birth date?... Because no one has been able to find out how old he is... Where did u find his birth date?
Great news, Hashemian is going to join the camp today and start training with the team despite the death of his mother. Vaghan ke be in migan baa gheyrat. Barikala pesar, baraye Vahidam ke shode bayad in baziro bebarim
Are be khoda... This match suddenly means so much more... I only hope Vahid is mentally capable of staying in the game. It can't be easy, but since he has decided to stay with the team, I can only hope that he wants to play, score, and win more than ever.
Nearing match-day, it appears evident that Daei will field this line-up: ---------------------------Rahmati--------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------- ------Kaebi-------Hosseini-------Aghili-------Ashjari------- ---------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------Nekounam------------------------- ---------Gholamnejad------------------Khalatbari----------- ---------------------------Bagheri---------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------Shojaei----------------------------------- ----------------------------Hashemian------------------------- I would venture to say this will 100% be the line-up. Ashjari will take all the corners and indirect freekicks, no doubt about it. For direct-kicks, Shojaei, Nekounam, and Bagheri will get behind the ball. Hosseini, Aghili, Neko, Bagheri, and Hashemian provide more than enough aerial power. Gholamnejad and Shojaei are also capable of scoring with their heads. The key to this game will be the wings, as Korea will undoubtedly attack from there. They score the majority of their goals from crosses into the box, so Kaebi and Ashjari have to be awake at all times. Apparently the Korean coach doesn't know a thing about Iran, as he recently stated that Ali Karimi will be their biggest challenge . If he DID know something about Iran, he would play Park JS on the right so he could avoid facing Kaebi. If we play a fast-paced game, we will win. Despite what many have said, Korea is not an exceptionally fast team. Their defense is vulnerable and their CMs are actually slow off their feet. Unfortunately, Bagheri isn't the quickest CAM so we'll need to rely on quick passing. I also think Khalatbari can be a key weapon if he cuts into the center often, slicing through the Korean team.
What makes you think that'll be the line up? How do you know Shojaei will play infront of Bagheri and not on his usually winger position? Also how do you know Borhani won't start (Which I almost certainly think he will)
I can possibly see the inclusion of Borhani, but I think he would only start in place of Hashemian, which seems unlikely. Shojaei's "usual" position is not on the wing. He has played a couple of times in the position for Daei (most recently against UAE) and he has been terrible. His performance against UAE was horrible, and he was one of the worst players on the pitch until his assist. Furthermore, he has played on the wing for Osasuna and he has repeatedly shown that he doesn't belong there (he's too slow and he doesn't have the work ethic of a midfielder, let alone a winger). His recent performances as a supporting striker have revealed that he is most comfortable and most effective at that position. There is no doubt in my mind that Daei is well-aware of this fact. Furthermore, I know how highly Daei thinks of both Shojaei and Bagheri, which means they're both going to start. Khalatbari has been consistently one of the best players in our recent matches, and the fact that both Zandi and Madanchi were left out of the squad confirms his spot in the starting 11. Gholamnejad is also one of Daei's favorites, and he too has been playing quite well on the right (note Kia's exclusion from the squad). For these reasons I believe the starting line-up is evident. I initially thought Borhani would start, but I no longer think it's likely given the players at hand.
Ye but when was the last time Iran played this formation with a supporting striker. We didn't even play like this against Thailand as far I know (Correct me if I'm wrong) You think Daei's gonna risk it and try a completely new formation at such an important game?
Yes, Iran used the same formation against Thailand, Singapore, China, and other teams in recent matches. For the past few months Daei has been playing 4-4-2, rather than 4-2-3-1, which he used when he first became head coach. In fact, by playing Shojaei in the midfield (alongside Bagheri, Neko, and Gholamnejad/Khalatbari), Daei will disrupt our chemistry. By playing Masoud as a forward, however, our midfield remains largely the same (the only difference would be Neko in place of M.Zare), and only our front line would be different (meaning not much of a risky change- Hash and Shojaei rather than Borhani and Rezaei). Anyways, a supporting striker simply plays between the midfielders and the main striker, serving as an additional offensive threat that thrives around the box.
I strongly feel that with the inclusion of Shojaie behind Hashemian, Iran's goal scoring opportunities should multiply. Hashemain looks focused as always in the latest training pics, so Im quite confident that he can score.
It's important for Masoud to feel comfortable taking shots on goal. He has shown a poor finishing touch and a sense of nervousness in front of goal, and I hope he overcomes this obstacle. He has improved a great deal in terms of decision-making, crosses, and playmaking, and if he learns to find the back of the net he can be an indispensable forward. What a lot of people don't realize is that we have become exponentially more offensive-minded in recent months. Players like Gholamnejad and especially Khalatbari have proven to be worthy playmakers that creat great goalscoring opportunities for us. Gholamreza Rezaei is another fantastic playmaker, but unfortunately we won't have him for the Korea match. Furthermore, experienced players like Bagheri and Hashemian are certainly seasoned, intelligent professionals that know where to be in order for plays to be completed. If Iran comes out with confidence and determination to score goals, we will win this match. Our team is talented, experienced, and ready to make a statement.
I just had a dream that Hashemian scored an early goal off of a deflection ! He, Neko and a few other players then ran to a corner and lifted their shirts and revealed shirts with pics of Hash's mother on it... I don't know how accurate my dream will be, though, because Bagheri wasn't starting
