The likely scenario for Iran in the Asian Cup 2007

[Ali Chicago]

OC members are welcome to watch games at my house

What is OC? If you are in SJ area, I may sarat kharb sham. Specially if you throw in Haleem and Kaleh Pacheh. Not sure what times are the game. Assume, it is late nite early mornings.

[Ali Chicago]

=================

ali jan, I accept the "size" argument. but not the fitness one.
yes, we are better than MOST asian teams. but we are not better than the TOP teams like korea, Japan, ksa, and now, aussies.

as u know any team will have difficulty playing in humid environments, even if fit enough.
us? I'm afraid all GN can do and shd do is work on player's fitness and physical training.

that is far far more crucial and vital than supposedly laying down plans and plots !

If you read the papers, you see the TM started with the physical conditioning tests under Koomasi. Ando and Kaabi did best supposedly. Koomsi said, his goal is to make the team ready for 120 minutes games. They used machines and stuff to measure, blood flow, lung capacity, etc. etc. Which I was amazed to the fairly complex methods they used.

Koomasi maybe isn't at the bleeding edge of physical conditioning latest development, but the guy knows how to prepare a tough team in top conditioning form. This is not just my opinion, look at how he prepared PP in the past couple of years (whenever Parvin was in charge), to play a strong physical game. PP under Parvin, mostly was playing a physical game, basically based on running the opposition down.

Another positive surprise was that TM announced the scheudle for the TM training camp from now to the AFC tounrament. They have two practice sessions every day. In the afternoon from 16:15 to 16:45 (two to three players each day) will meet the press and answer questions and at 5:00 pm the practice sessions start. See the sport papers yesterday, I saw the scheudle in Iran-varzeshi.

These guys are learning, not fast enough, but they are trying at least.

[perspolees]

I think we are in a tough group. Coming up from that group is not gonna be an easy task. Provided the fact that we need to come up first in the group for two reasons:
1. We will then play the second in group D and that would hopefully mean Saudi Arabia, which I would take anytime ove S. Korea ( which is favored to win the group) plus I am thinking we should be more fit in that weather against the grass rolling arabs...

2. We will continue our course on the same field and stay in Malaysia and the same stadium which would be a huge favor for the team that would adapt to weather and the pitch. Potentially if we could win that match in Malaysia then we would be set to yet again stay on the same pitch for the semifinal.
plus our opponent has to come into sort of our home by the next game where we have essentially played all of our games in malaysia.

please also remember that in tourneys like this they try to set up the home team for a run and I bet you that malaysia is eyeing that first spot in that group to have a run all the way to semis... with that at hand if we could just steal the first spot on even goal average we would have a good shot at semis..


As such I predict that if we come up first we have a shot at semifinal, and if we come up second we will be eliminated in the next immediate round. That said all of these speculations is just a small percentage of what really will happen...

GO IRAN, Sheere Jiyan

office, surgeries, patients and hospital visits are all cancelled ahead of time
OC members are welcome to watch games at my house

[The-Red]

1- yashar jan, it is usually very risky for any team to adjust things to come second. especially with only 3 games to play and at least 3 teams in contention.
if there were more number of games, it wld have been less risky & one can "manage" to adjust results and goals.
or the group shd have only two very good teams and 2 very weak teams.
--------------------------
2- korea is not easy.
just becoz we beat them last time.
in fact if tradition continues it is their turn to beat us.
96 us
2000 them
2004 us
2007 ?
--------------------
is there some kind of jinx on Iran & semifinals?
it used to be whether clubs or nat'l teams, we used to come undone at semis !!
maybe if we somehow get past the semis, final game could be easier !!!!
anyone knows how many finals we have lost , nat'l team or clubs?
I know TM came second to india about 40-50 yrs back
and ss lost at ACL in tehran in 90's.
anymore?

ya Perspolis lost in final of jamdarjam in 92 to japanies club, but at national team level we don't usually never lose in the final, except that one ocassion you mentioned which goes back to 40 years ago, which I don't remember

[yashar_fasihnia]

hmm..thanx for the info.

well, i know countries like UAE(where i live in) and im guessing the surrounding countries like saudi arabia are highly hot and humid, and i think saudi arabia will naturally be able to play under these conditions better than us...

but anywayz, thanx for the info on indonesia,i guess it doesnt matter much after all then.

[Doctor DOOM]

1- yashar jan, conditions in indinesia is far worse than malaysia.
malaysia is hot & humid, but with far better facilities, and a far more receptive attitude towards Iranians ( this is first hand knowledge ).
especially in K.L. ( lovely city , btw )

indonesia is a collection of small islands and trust me humidity if not worse than malaysia is definitely not better.

=================

ali jan, I accept the "size" argument. but not the fitness one.
yes, we are better than MOST asian teams. but we are not better than the TOP teams like korea, Japan, ksa, and now, aussies.

as u know any team will have difficulty playing in humid environments, even if fit enough.
us? I'm afraid all GN can do and shd do is work on player's fitness and physical training.

that is far far more crucial and vital than supposedly laying down plans and plots !

[Ali Chicago]

For some reason, I think KSA football is going downward and it is not what it used to be. Dont' have much data to back it up, but even in the latest so called gulf cup they didn't win it. I think they used to own that.

We played on par against S.Korea for most part in Seoul and Tehran (at least if not dominated them). So I dont' worry about S. Korea as much.

Australia is a different story. They play a tough, fast pace football and that is something our team traditionally can't handle well. Our team can play well, against slow building, slower teams (most Arab countries for example).

[Ali Chicago]

....
but my most important point was that from the players, coaches and critiques interviews and programs that playing in malayasia will require a lot of fitness which is one of irans weakest points.

I don't think fitness at asian level is our problem. When we play WC or better teams yes, but not at Asian level.

We have an upper hand size wise and fitness wise, I think we are on par with rival asians (may Austarlia will be an exception).

What I am afraid is the team work and team chemistry. With the introduction of more money in our football and professional contracts in our football, it will create a lot of contentions specially in TM. Players want to get to play even for a few minutes since agents are out there and watching. To deal with this a high level of professionalisem and long term vision is needed the few of our players have it.
With all my criticizem toward Dai, I accept he was an exception in this regard (professional behavior). Professional behavior doesn't mean one wouldnt' try to influence or advance his cause. He is just doing it in a wiser ways.

[Paradigm]

As in the AC '04 Japan seems to have the easiest path to the final not having to face off any of the other top 4 Asian teams before getting there. Iran however has to play at least two super tough games to reach the final.

By the way I am sure Australians are currently analyzing Iran and all of the team weaknesses as well as players, most likely using computer simulations. Are TM coaches even investigating about their team and their players/system/tactics?

Remember last year they went down to Italy (the WC '06 champions) only on a suspicious late penalty. (In contrast, the hosts Germany lost 2-0 to Italy!) Also for them playing in South-East Asia comes closer to being at home. I am very worried about how this whole thing will play out.

Besides, as Dr. Doom mentioned above, this time I rather have TM avoid S. Korea in the 1/4 finals altogether, since this is apparently "their turn" to beat us. If they (SK) finish top of their group and we can do the same, perhaps playing vs KSA would be a better scenario for Iran.

[yashar_fasihnia]

well peyman jan, there can be situations where for example we can be guaranteed 2nd spot. for example, if both iran and china beat uzbekistan then the uzbeks are pretty out of the race and its only iran and china.

about korea and saudi, i agree, koreans are not weak. its just that, lately saudi arabia have been a gorbeh siah for our football.

but my most important point was that from the players, coaches and critiques interviews and programs that playing in malayasia will require a lot of fitness which is one of irans weakest points. but if the weather conditions in indonesia is different and easier to play, i think TM will find it easier to play there rather than malaysia, whether it is agianst korea or saudi arabia.
but we also have to keep in mind that there will be travelling time involved if we end up second. so i was just wondering if anyone here knows how indonesia and its weather conditions are compared to malaysia.

[Doctor DOOM]

1- yashar jan, it is usually very risky for any team to adjust things to come second. especially with only 3 games to play and at least 3 teams in contention.
if there were more number of games, it wld have been less risky & one can "manage" to adjust results and goals.

or the group shd have only two very good teams and 2 very weak teams.

--------------------------

2- korea is not easy.
just becoz we beat them last time.
in fact if tradition continues it is their turn to beat us.
96 us
2000 them
2004 us
2007 ?

--------------------

is there some kind of jinx on Iran & semifinals?
it used to be whether clubs or nat'l teams, we used to come undone at semis !!
maybe if we somehow get past the semis, final game could be easier !!!!
anyone knows how many finals we have lost , nat'l team or clubs?


I know TM came second to india about 40-50 yrs back
and ss lost at ACL in tehran in 90's.
anymore?

[KasraKhan]

What a tough road to the final. It is much tougher than I thought

[yashar_fasihnia]

if we end up 2nd in our group, we might have some benefits:

1)we will not face australia till the finals (assuming australia finish first in their group)

2)we will most probably play korea rather tahn saudi arabia. korea has always been an easier opponent for us than saudi arabia. (Assuming korea finishes first and saudi arabia second in their group).

3)i have heard the humidity is high in malaysia and it will require great fitness to play in malaysia. if we finish first, we will stay in malaysia and our opponent in the quarter finals will have to travel to malaysia to meet us and play in that humidity again. however, if we finish second, we will have to travel to indonesida to play our opponent (either korea or saudi arabia). now i dunno how humid indonesia is and if it is as difficult to play in malaysia as it is in indonesia, but if anybody knows, please let me know as well. we might have to travel to indonesia and that will cost us some time but if it is not as humid and as tiring to play in indonesia, then frankly, i would prefer our team to end up 2nd in the group rather than 1st.

[The-Red]

thanks, I hope to see us in the final after 32 years, but I think we will go out in the quarters either against the KSA or the Koreans, I surely hope I am wrong.

[Hadi]

we definitely have a harder group this time around than Asian Cup 2004.

Not only do we have to play a host team (which has it's own complications), we have to play 2 teams who are definitely among the top 10 in Asia.

I am predicting 2 draws with Malaysia and Uzbekistan and a win against China.