Asian Cup - Group Preview - Friendlies, Information and more..

[littlepersia17]

Asian Cup - Group Preview - Friendlies, Information and more..

Some people are questioning how good Wellington Phoenix are. They are one of the best counter attacking sides in the a-league that score a lot of goals, but Concede few as well.

I doubt this was Phoenix's main team. If it was I would've predicted them to win.

Qatar are making a habit of playing weakened sides.

[persianfire]

Some people are questioning how good Wellington Phoenix are. They are one of the best counter attacking sides in the a-league that score a lot of goals, but Concede few as well.

I doubt this was Phoenix's main team. If it was I would've predicted them to win.

Qatar are making a habit of playing weakened sides.

Wellington Phoenix - playing in A-League
Team Wellington - playing in New Zealand league

[perspolis#1]

Wellington Phoenix would have beat Qatar. It's a bit confusing because Wellington Phoenix's reserve team plays in New Zealand but their first team plays in the A-league. Team Wellington have not won the New Zealand Football Championship in the ten years that it has been running.

[ehsan singapore]

i think qatar is showing thier hand to much expecially in attack,while iran has shown none or very little, when you play to many frieldlies you show your weakness alot also, now we have to see how CQ use it to expose qatar weakness, for now he will be focusing on bahrain and how to break them down

[Rumez]

I don't understand why many members redicule Qatar as if they are a joke!?
Do you guys suffer from short memory loss?
We played Qatar four times in the past year and managed to tie three times and only won once!
Non of the games were easy ones, so how are you guys belittling a very capable opponent!?

During the same period we faced South Korea which we all know is of superior quality and beat them three times!!

[Firooz]

We are belittling qatar because they use foreign players as their own, they cheat in the highest level of Fifa and AFC and how they treat their foreign workers.

[Rumez]

We are belittling Qatar because they use foreign players as their own, they cheat in the highest level of Fifa and AFC and how they treat their foreign workers.

Yes you can belittle them as much as you want, but they have better investment, infrastructure, planning, management and preparation than we do.
And when the rubber meets the road it doesn't matter who has home-grown talent or has abused foreign workers!
If we can't get a result against them then all of those issues are mere excuses!

There's a lot to be said about their tactics and corrupt ways, but fact is their league and national team are solid!

[ali alipour]

Yes you can belittle them as much as you want, but they have better investment, infrastructure, planning, management and preparation than we do.
And when the rubber meets the road it doesn't matter who has home-grown talent or has abused foreign workers!
If we can't get a result against them then all of those issues are mere excuses!

There's a lot to be said about their tactics and corrupt ways, but fact is their league and national team are solid!

you forgot one thing....the players that actually play the game. Yes it will be tough but dont exaggerate

[IranPowned]

A really interesting scenario will be that Iran top their group and Qatar becomes second. Then, in the quaterfinal Qatar will play Japan where they can kill each other haha.

[perspolis#1]

There's a lot to be said about their tactics and corrupt ways, but fact is their league and national team are solid!

Solid is yet to be seen. If Qatar goes to the Semis we can call them solid. I don't expect Qatar to have a majority of possession against Iran OR U.A.E. Most fixtures between Arab nations are always toss-ups. There is a decent likelihood that Qatar will be going into our game with only 0/1 point(s). That would change their offensive tactics. If they play 4-3-3 with Muntari, Tresor Kanbamgu ( ), and Khalfan Ibrahim to get a needed win against us, they would be hit on the counter badly.

On a side note, There has been an interesting parallel brought up between the Persian Gulf Cup and the Asian Cup. The Persian Gulf Cup was discontinued in the 1980's and brought back in 2004. Since then every winner of the tournament has gone on to play an abysmal tournament at the Asian Cup.

2004

Persian Gulf Cup Winner: Qatar Asian Cup Performance: Last in their Group with one loss and two ties in a group with China/Indonesia/Bahrain

2007

Persian Gulf Cup Winner: UAE Asian Cup Performance: Third Place in a group with Japan/Vietnam/Qatar. Their only win in the group was against Qatar.

2011

2010 Persian Gulf Cup winner: Kuwait 2011 Asian Cup Performance: Last place with zero points, Group with Uzbekistan/China/Qatar. Scored 1 goal,conceded 7.

[littlepersia17]

Asian Cup - Group Preview - Friendlies, Information and more..

Wellington reserves are probably as good as the team TM played where Nouri got a hat trick

[KC McElroy]

I don't understand why many members redicule Qatar as if they are a joke!?
Do you guys suffer from short memory loss?
We played Qatar four times in the past year and managed to tie three times and only won once!
Non of the games were easy ones, so how are you guys belittling a very capable opponent!?

During the same period we faced South Korea which we all know is of superior quality and beat them three times!!

They are a joke as players wearing qatari jerseys are not qatari.

[KC McElroy]

Yes you can belittle them as much as you want, but they have better investment, infrastructure, planning, management and preparation than we do.
And when the rubber meets the road it doesn't matter who has home-grown talent or has abused foreign workers!
If we can't get a result against them then all of those issues are mere excuses!

There's a lot to be said about their tactics and corrupt ways, but fact is their league and national team are solid!

Yes so solid that they have never won the Asian Cup or qualified for the World Cup.

[aenima_8]

Group C preview from the one and only John Duerden:

"GROUP C: COUNTRIES LOOK TO SEIZE MOMENTUM


The West Asian mini-tournament sees Iran, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Bahrain look to progress to the knockout stage. These are teams that know each other very well, and there should not be any surprises. It promises to be hard-fought and tight. Iran will be the favorite to finish in one of the top two spots, leaving the other three scrambling for the other.

WHO ARE WE WATCHING?

1. Omar Abdulrahman: There will be many eyes on the UAE playmaker. In the past three years, he has been making quite a name for himself and at his best is a pleasure to watch, though not for fans of the other team.

2. Khalfan Ibrahim: Qatar's main creative threat has been steadily improving since being selected as the AFC Player of the Year in 2006, at the tender age of 18. Loves to run at defenders and can create havoc.

3. Ashkan Dejagah: The wide attacker was one of Iran's best performers at the World Cup. Direct and powerful, the former English Premier League star has the potential to cause some serious problems for Asian defenses.

WHY IS THIS GROUP INTERESTING?

There are plenty of regional rivalries at play here. There is no love lost between Iran and Bahrain and the same can be said of the relationship between Qatar and the UAE. These two teams could well be scrapping it out for the second spot in the knockout stage and both are looking to become a serious West Asian soccer power. UAE has been better over the past couple of years, but Qatar is currently in better form.

HOW THEY WILL FINISH?

1. Iran
The favorites and rightly so. A decent World Cup means this team is battle hardened when it comes to major tournaments, and while the roster has changed since Brazil, the first eleven will be very similar. Very well-organized with one of the best tactical coaches in Asia in Carlos Queiroz.
What's their best case? They carry on from the World Cup, being very solid at the back but as there is no Argentina or Nigeria to face, the attackers get more chances and score more goals. Once in the knockout stage, Iran will be tough to beat.
And worst case? Not wanting to play too conservatively against West Asian rivals that it sees as weaker, Iran is caught between two stools and struggles to find the right gameplan. An aging first eleven could struggle against faster and younger opponents.

2. Qatar
The men in Maroon could very easily get out of the group or could lose out - it could be very close indeed with rival UAE. It could be that form makes the difference. Qatar has been Asia's form team for the past few months, beating the likes of Australia and Uzbekistan in friendly games before winning the Gulf Cup in Saudi Arabia. An appearance in the last eight would be satisfactory.
What's their best case? Defeat UAE in the opening game and then see the quarterfinal lying within touching distance. Confidence is high and this is a team that believes it can have success.
And worst case? When the pressure is on, the team fails to deliver. Not selecting striker Sebastian Soria

3. UAE
This is a high-pressure tournament for the United Arab Emirates, a time when a talented group of players is expected to start delivering. The potential is there and this is a settled unit. The coach and his staff know each other very well and are growing together. The team has been in pretty good form for most of the past two years, even if recent results have been slightly disappointing.
What's their best case? Playmaker Omar Abdulrahman finds his form and makes the team tick and Ali Makthoub maintains his recent goal-scoring form to shoot UAE in to the knockout stage.
And worst case? A defeat against Qatar in the opening game puts UAE in real danger from the beginning, Abdulrahman's injury problems persist and the team never really gets going.

4. Bahrain
It seems like a long time since Bahrain reached the semifinal of the Asian Cup and came within a whisker of qualifying for the World Cup, but this was just in the last decade. The team has been slipping from those relative heights. Finishing bottom of its Gulf Cup group below Yemen was a low point in November, and a second coaching change in four months was another gamble. A 4-1 win over Saudi Arabia in a pre-Asian Cup warm-up offers some hope but it is going to be tough.
What's their best case? The win over Saudi Arabia breeds confidence and the team gets a result against Iran in the opening game as the momentum starts to build.
And worst case? Defeat at the hands of Iran continues the nightmare of the Gulf Cup and it all goes downhill from there."

http://www.oneworldsports.com/storie...seize-momentum

[Taz]

http://www.australiascout.com/2015/iran-asian-cup/

Good tactical previews of all the teams available.