maij
07-14-2007, 11:51 PM
In quest of Championship
Asian Cup 2007
Sunday July 15, 2007
TeamMelli.com Reporting from Kuala Lumpur
Report no: 4
A crucial day in Team Melli’s AFC Asian Cup 2007 championship. Today , Sunday 15th July , Iran meets China for the leadership of group ‘C’ Amir Ghalenoei was upbeat and confident that his players will perform well despite his own absence from the bench due to suspension.
Without revealing any plans or players line-up , Ghalenoei indicated that there is a plan change for the match against China as the circumstances dictate and also added that every match has to be treated differently according to the opposition strong and weak points. “China is a strong team but we have detected some flaws in their game plan that we will obviously try to exploit in tomorrow’s game” Ghalenoei stated in the pre-match conference.
Asked how he will communicate with his players and relay the plan changes and whether he will give full control to his assistants, like Mr. Parviz Mazloomi , Ghalnoei gave some cryptic answers and stated that Mazloomi is not in the coaching team so he will not be on the bench , however he is part of the Teams analyst. The Iranian coach did not elaborate further, however he was quite bitter about his suspension and questioned why Qatar coach was not suspended while he was also dismissed in a match. Ghalenoei said that this one of the intriguing actions of championship organizing committee that has never seized to amaze him! On a positive note , Ghalenoei praised the helpful folks in the hotel , logistics , training grounds and generally the good mannered Malaysians for their hospitality during the Iranian team stay here in Kuala Lumpur.
As for China, the coach was very cautious and diplomatic in his press conference. No major shift in strategy was detected nor was there any indication of change in the players selection despite one or two concerns by the Chinese media. The coach, suffering from a slight cold , indicated that he has full trust in the players that played against Malaysia and changes will be done according to the circumstances of the match.
Ali Karimi who has a bitter memory about the last encounter with China in Beijing in the semi final of the Asian Cup 2004, stated that the players are adamant to revenge the defeat by China where the Iranian team was sold short by the referee. For the record , The Lebanese referee Tala’at Najim , had several dubious calls during that match including the scene where Karimi was one-on-one with the Chinese Keeper but was tripped from behind by a Chinese defender, an automatic red card for the offender by the FIFA laws o f the game. However the referee awarded a yellow card to the Chinese defender for the offense!!!
The Iranian players seemed to be in a good spirit and a few of them joined the press core and the Iranian media in the hotel lobby for a friendly chat. Mahdavikia , Karimi , Madanchi , Khatibi . Rezaei & Hashemian all turned out although the 2 latter left for a walk outside the hotel.
The one notable character difference I have detected was in Ali Karimi. The shy subdued Ali Karimi has changed into a lively sociable character. No more Karimi walking heads down and avoiding contact with people, this Karimi was all smiles happily mingling with the crowds exchanging greetings and quite responsive to the fans. Loads of children and other fans (Majority Persian Gulf Arabs & some locals) gathered to get his autograph. Ali was willing and eager. This is one positive character about Karimi who earlier on admitted that he was not too satisfied with his standard against Uzbekistan, despite his gallant effort which lead to the winning goal.
A win in today’s match will guarantee a spot in the next round in Kuala Lumpur, thus avoiding heavy burden of travelling. This is of course assuming that Team Melli will defeat the punching bagx of the group, Malaysia in the next match. A draw will be sufficient for qualification, but could mean that Iran may not end up at the top of the group.
According to the record books, China has always struggled against Iran. The last time China defeated Iran in competitive official match (penalty kick is recorded as a draw) goes way back to 1994 during the World Cup Qualification rounds. Since then Iran beat China 4 times out of 6 games played. The 2 others ended in a draw.
The key to China’s game is the dynamic Shao Jiay , the Energie Cottbus player who is skillful midfield player where many of the Chinese offenses begin. They also like to play on the flanks where Sun Jihai , on the right side excels in crossing for the forwards especially the tall one , Han Peng.
With some pressing and control of the midfield, Team Melli can encounter the Chinese threats , and by utilizing the individual skills of the players , Iran can create serious offenses on the Chinese defense who did not do too well against the feeble Malaysians.
End of part 4
Asian Cup 2007
Sunday July 15, 2007
TeamMelli.com Reporting from Kuala Lumpur
Report no: 4
A crucial day in Team Melli’s AFC Asian Cup 2007 championship. Today , Sunday 15th July , Iran meets China for the leadership of group ‘C’ Amir Ghalenoei was upbeat and confident that his players will perform well despite his own absence from the bench due to suspension.
Without revealing any plans or players line-up , Ghalenoei indicated that there is a plan change for the match against China as the circumstances dictate and also added that every match has to be treated differently according to the opposition strong and weak points. “China is a strong team but we have detected some flaws in their game plan that we will obviously try to exploit in tomorrow’s game” Ghalenoei stated in the pre-match conference.
Asked how he will communicate with his players and relay the plan changes and whether he will give full control to his assistants, like Mr. Parviz Mazloomi , Ghalnoei gave some cryptic answers and stated that Mazloomi is not in the coaching team so he will not be on the bench , however he is part of the Teams analyst. The Iranian coach did not elaborate further, however he was quite bitter about his suspension and questioned why Qatar coach was not suspended while he was also dismissed in a match. Ghalenoei said that this one of the intriguing actions of championship organizing committee that has never seized to amaze him! On a positive note , Ghalenoei praised the helpful folks in the hotel , logistics , training grounds and generally the good mannered Malaysians for their hospitality during the Iranian team stay here in Kuala Lumpur.
As for China, the coach was very cautious and diplomatic in his press conference. No major shift in strategy was detected nor was there any indication of change in the players selection despite one or two concerns by the Chinese media. The coach, suffering from a slight cold , indicated that he has full trust in the players that played against Malaysia and changes will be done according to the circumstances of the match.
Ali Karimi who has a bitter memory about the last encounter with China in Beijing in the semi final of the Asian Cup 2004, stated that the players are adamant to revenge the defeat by China where the Iranian team was sold short by the referee. For the record , The Lebanese referee Tala’at Najim , had several dubious calls during that match including the scene where Karimi was one-on-one with the Chinese Keeper but was tripped from behind by a Chinese defender, an automatic red card for the offender by the FIFA laws o f the game. However the referee awarded a yellow card to the Chinese defender for the offense!!!
The Iranian players seemed to be in a good spirit and a few of them joined the press core and the Iranian media in the hotel lobby for a friendly chat. Mahdavikia , Karimi , Madanchi , Khatibi . Rezaei & Hashemian all turned out although the 2 latter left for a walk outside the hotel.
The one notable character difference I have detected was in Ali Karimi. The shy subdued Ali Karimi has changed into a lively sociable character. No more Karimi walking heads down and avoiding contact with people, this Karimi was all smiles happily mingling with the crowds exchanging greetings and quite responsive to the fans. Loads of children and other fans (Majority Persian Gulf Arabs & some locals) gathered to get his autograph. Ali was willing and eager. This is one positive character about Karimi who earlier on admitted that he was not too satisfied with his standard against Uzbekistan, despite his gallant effort which lead to the winning goal.
A win in today’s match will guarantee a spot in the next round in Kuala Lumpur, thus avoiding heavy burden of travelling. This is of course assuming that Team Melli will defeat the punching bagx of the group, Malaysia in the next match. A draw will be sufficient for qualification, but could mean that Iran may not end up at the top of the group.
According to the record books, China has always struggled against Iran. The last time China defeated Iran in competitive official match (penalty kick is recorded as a draw) goes way back to 1994 during the World Cup Qualification rounds. Since then Iran beat China 4 times out of 6 games played. The 2 others ended in a draw.
The key to China’s game is the dynamic Shao Jiay , the Energie Cottbus player who is skillful midfield player where many of the Chinese offenses begin. They also like to play on the flanks where Sun Jihai , on the right side excels in crossing for the forwards especially the tall one , Han Peng.
With some pressing and control of the midfield, Team Melli can encounter the Chinese threats , and by utilizing the individual skills of the players , Iran can create serious offenses on the Chinese defense who did not do too well against the feeble Malaysians.
End of part 4