Skocic set to lead Iran to World Cup after all

[DR Strangemoosh]

feeeew it was a close one, we almost went back 12 years. God is merciful.

Yes, with this pair we are going to have a fantastic world cup [/s]

[tooleh khers]

Yes, with this pair we are going to have a fantastic world cup [/s]

No one is claiming to see the future here. The only thing we can see is in hindsight and since it was nothing especial would not want to go back to it.
But answer me this: Let's say we had a great world cup and advanced from the group. Will you come here and admit that the "khooneh be khooneh" coach is better than CQ? or will you continue your CQ worship? Will you accept those stats?

[inarsenewetrust]

No one is claiming to see the future here. The only thing we can see is in hindsight and since it was nothing especial would not want to go back to it.
But answer me this: Let's say we had a great world cup and advanced from the group. Will you come here and admit that the "khooneh be khooneh" coach is better than CQ? or will you continue your CQ worship? Will you accept those stats?

well as for hypotheticals yours seems more unlikely than what we hear from the mouths of the key players (we will finish last and dont expect anything). So if this more likely scenario plays out, and skocic fails to recreate the record points tally CQ managed in 2018 (4pts - key stat) , with a stronger and more experienced TM in terms of personnel, in a weaker group, then what will you say?

[tooleh khers]

well as for hypotheticals yours seems more unlikely than what we hear from the mouths of the key players (we will finish last and dont expect anything). So if this more likely scenario plays out, and skocic fails to recreate the record points tally CQ managed in 2018 (4pts - key stat) , with a stronger and more experienced TM in terms of personnel, in a weaker group, then what will you say?

"Record points" is not an achievement. You either advance or don't advance. Pure and simple. If Our performance with Skocic is not satisfactory he should be fired. Our group in 2018 was not harder. We had an aging Spain and Morocco is not nor has ever been a football power (they are on the same level as us.) and Portugal is beatable. Where as in 2022 all those teams are better than us and possibly their best teams in history. At least that is what is said about U.S and England.

Also, any team can park the bus against the best teams in the world and get a 1-0 loss it does not mean anything unless you get a result. If you out possession, out chance, out score them then you can talk. ANY TEAM CAN PARK THE BUS AGAINST THE BEST TEAMS IN THE WORLD AND BARELY LOSE. THIS IS WHAT WEAK TEAMS DO ALL THE TIME.

[perspolis#1]

Also, any team can park the bus against the best teams in the world and get a 1-0 loss it does not mean anything unless you get a result. If you out possession, out chance, out score them then you can talk. ANY TEAM CAN PARK THE BUS AGAINST THE BEST TEAMS IN THE WORLD AND BARELY LOSE. THIS IS WHAT WEAK TEAMS DO ALL THE TIME.

This is false. By your logic any team like Maldives or Guam should be able to park the bus against us and get a 1-0 result. It's just not true.

If any team can do it than there is no difference between Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan, 2006 Italy, and 2014 Iran.

You need proper structure and planning to execute a defensive plan. Transition from defense to attack as well as transition once you've lost the ball. No one is saying we need to always be in a perpetual defensive shell, but defensive organization is the hallmark of any half decent team. I'm not sure where the confidence comes from that we will outgun the worlds best teams in a 4-3 FIFA 14 style thriller and we should let our defense figure it out on their own.

BEKESH ZIRESH IS NOT A LEGITIMATE ATTACKING STRATEGY. COLLEGE TEAMS IN THE US HAVE MORE SOPHISTICATED ATTACKING PLANS. "ALI DOORESH KON" IS ALSO NOT A PROPER DEFENSIVE STRATEGY .

[DR Strangemoosh]

well as for hypotheticals yours seems more unlikely than what we hear from the mouths of the key players (we will finish last and dont expect anything). So if this more likely scenario plays out, and skocic fails to recreate the record points tally CQ managed in 2018 (4pts - key stat) , with a stronger and more experienced TM in terms of personnel, in a weaker group, then what will you say?

This is a very befuddled individual who always talks about points records and says "only stats matter", then says that points don't count and talks about playing style... It's actually quite funny seeing the logical flip-flopping to suit the narrative 😂😂

[Ostad_Goosfand]

"Record points" is not an achievement. You either advance or don't advance. Pure and simple. If Our performance with Skocic is not satisfactory he should be fired. Our group in 2018 was not harder. We had an aging Spain and Morocco is not nor has ever been a football power (they are on the same level as us.) and Portugal is beatable. Where as in 2022 all those teams are better than us and possibly their best teams in history. At least that is what is said about U.S and England.

Also, any team can park the bus against the best teams in the world and get a 1-0 loss it does not mean anything unless you get a result. If you out possession, out chance, out score them then you can talk. ANY TEAM CAN PARK THE BUS AGAINST THE BEST TEAMS IN THE WORLD AND BARELY LOSE. THIS IS WHAT WEAK TEAMS DO ALL THE TIME.

'our group in 2018 was not harder?

cmon man. u can do better trolling my friend

[O-ZoNe]

This is false. By your logic any team like Maldives or Guam should be able to park the bus against us and get a 1-0 result. It's just not true.

July 2011...after being hammered 17-0 and 9-0 Maldives parked the bus and lost to Iran 1-0.

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[DR Strangemoosh]

Maldives improved considerably due to investment in their team following 1997. The drubbing prompted them to advance their league system and international set-up

They drew with South Korea in world cup qualifying 5 years later, very shortly after SK's semi final run. Maldives of 2000s was completely different to their 1997 team

Eight years before they "parked the bus" against Iran

But dont let facts change your narrative

[Hosseini]

"Record points" is not an achievement. You either advance or don't advance. Pure and simple. If Our performance with Skocic is not satisfactory he should be fired. Our group in 2018 was not harder. We had an aging Spain and Morocco is not nor has ever been a football power (they are on the same level as us.) and Portugal is beatable. Where as in 2022 all those teams are better than us and possibly their best teams in history. At least that is what is said about U.S and England.

Also, any team can park the bus against the best teams in the world and get a 1-0 loss it does not mean anything unless you get a result. If you out possession, out chance, out score them then you can talk. ANY TEAM CAN PARK THE BUS AGAINST THE BEST TEAMS IN THE WORLD AND BARELY LOSE. THIS IS WHAT WEAK TEAMS DO ALL THE TIME.

This is just not true. North Korea parked it in 2010 WC and lost 7-0, 3-0, and 1-0. Zero points against Ivory Coast, Brazil, and Portugal. Highly defensive football.

Watching Iran in 2018 in particular it was not just "park the bus". This is highly sophisticated defensive shape that takes meticulous and detailed coaching, player selection decisions, and tactical decisions to when go forward in the attack. Case and point is Iran-Portugal. We did not just play defensive the whole game, there were points where we had Portugal on their heels and almost won in added time.

We held Spain to like 3-4 shots on target in 2018 and they scored a goal off a deflection. Any team in the world playing defensive can not do that.

[perspolis#1]

July 2011...after being hammered 17-0 and 9-0 Maldives parked the bus and lost to Iran 1-0.

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After a 4-0 defeat in the first leg in Tehran in 2011. Their 1-0 was in Maldives' waterlogged pitch.

[IranPuma]

"Record points" is not an achievement. You either advance or don't advance. Pure and simple. If Our performance with Skocic is not satisfactory he should be fired. Our group in 2018 was not harder. We had an aging Spain and Morocco is not nor has ever been a football power (they are on the same level as us.) and Portugal is beatable. Where as in 2022 all those teams are better than us and possibly their best teams in history. At least that is what is said about U.S and England.
Also, any team can park the bus against the best teams in the world and get a 1-0 loss it does not mean anything unless you get a result. If you out possession, out chance, out score them then you can talk. ANY TEAM CAN PARK THE BUS AGAINST THE BEST TEAMS IN THE WORLD AND BARELY LOSE. THIS IS WHAT WEAK TEAMS DO ALL THE TIME.

Bro what? LMAO that Morocco team was better than us and easily could've smacked us 4-1. That win was huge, I watched them play Portugal and Spain and their bad luck might've been worse than ours, even excluding the bad luck of getting no points with us. They went head to head with those teams and it was impressive and far superior to our performance from a footballing level. Go watch how we "moved" the ball against those two teams and watch Morocco move it with confidence and beauty and come back and tell me that during that world cup they were on the same level as us....GTFO LOL.

[Babak agha]

Bro what? LMAO that Morocco team was better than us and easily could've smacked us 4-1. That win was huge, I watched them play Portugal and Spain and their bad luck might've been worse than ours, even excluding the bad luck of getting no points with us. They went head to head with those teams and it was impressive and far superior to our performance from a footballing level. Go watch how we "moved" the ball against those two teams and watch Morocco move it with confidence and beauty and come back and tell me that during that world cup they were on the same level as us....GTFO LOL.

Morocco was arguably the best team at that moment in the group. Not because they had the best players on paper and also not because they achieved something in the past (WC & EC winners barely can repeat their feat, look at Italy now). It was because Morocco had good enough players that dared to play football.

[milad_b]

'our group in 2018 was not harder?

cmon man. u can do better trolling my friend

Well he aint wrong at least on paper! What stage did spain and portugal reach in 2018?

Spain vs Russia
Portugal vs Uruguay


What stage did Argentina in 2014 reach?? Finals .

What stage did portugal reach in 2006??? Semi-finals

So on paper our 2018 group was easier than our 2014 and 2006 group. Spain and portugal just had big names in 2018! Thats it.

[tooleh khers]

This is false. By your logic any team like Maldives or Guam should be able to park the bus against us and get a 1-0 result. It's just not true.

If any team can do it than there is no difference between Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan, 2006 Italy, and 2014 Iran.

You need proper structure and planning to execute a defensive plan. Transition from defense to attack as well as transition once you've lost the ball. No one is saying we need to always be in a perpetual defensive shell, but defensive organization is the hallmark of any half decent team. I'm not sure where the confidence comes from that we will outgun the worlds best teams in a 4-3 FIFA 14 style thriller and we should let our defense figure it out on their own.

BEKESH ZIRESH IS NOT A LEGITIMATE ATTACKING STRATEGY. COLLEGE TEAMS IN THE US HAVE MORE SOPHISTICATED ATTACKING PLANS. "ALI DOORESH KON" IS ALSO NOT A PROPER DEFENSIVE STRATEGY .

Of course there are always exceptions but more often than not weak teams will park the bus sometimes unintentional even. There was nothing sophisticated about CQ defense or offense. Transition from defense to offense or vice versa is pretty much what playing football is. It is nothing sophisticated, especially when you have low possession and are kicking it down the field for your forwards who are defending in your own box to chase. Arab teams with the exception of a few have always parked the bus against us and got results. with CQ we became like them. Do you recall Maldives bare losing to us? Do you recall Chelsea beating Barca? Do you recall Jordan beating us in Azadi with us having 18 shots and them 1 shot? Do you recall South Korea beating Germany? North Korea beating Italy?

ANY TEAM CAN PARK THE BUS AGAINST THE BEST TEAMS IN THE WORLD AND BARELY LOSE. THIS IS WHAT WEAK TEAMS DO ALL THE TIME.