Opposing Fans Reaction to Getting Iran as Their Opponent

[Iranianarsenal11]

hey watch out now, that is the same mentality SOME Moroccans have about Iran

Lol come on, you can't compare us to the 8-0ers... Saudi Arabia is no where near the consistency and strength of teams like Egypt, Morocco, and Iran... In fact I rate all three of those teams fairly evenly (with different strengths and weaknesses of course)

[EKBATAN]

Much appreciated welcome man! I was actually hoping to draw Saudi Arabia from all the teams in pot 4, as we should beat them quite comfortably due to our strength in comparison.

hey watch out now, that is the same mentality SOME Moroccans have about Iran

[kastro]

you are free to not like Moroccan team bro but still i wish and want Egypt make it and go to next round and much more

It's competitive dislike as we're both top North African teams. I don't actually hate Morocco. I'm still hoping Morocco and Iran can beat the odds and both advance!

[kastro]

Welcome to PFDC brother!
I just want to say that I am %100 behind Egypt in group A and especially vs Saudi Arabia. I hope Salah scores a hattrick on KSA
Anyways, I hope you enjoy your stay here. It's always nice to have new members who support different teams

Much appreciated welcome man! I was actually hoping to draw Saudi Arabia from all the teams in pot 4, as we should beat them quite comfortably due to our strength in comparison.
I'm hoping Iran and Morocco both advance. Spain is a tough nut to crack but Portugal is definitely beatable, even with Ronaldo.

[sarbaz]

The Morracan team played 6 matches and Iran played 10 so our defense is as good or better than theirs

[Jadou]

I do not like the Moroccan national team for obvious reasons, but do not underestimate them. They didn't concede a single goal in a tough qualifying group. They have a very good
manager as well.

Congrats on your qualification.

you are free to not like Moroccan team bro but still i wish and want Egypt make it and go to next round and much more

[teammelli91]

I do not like the Moroccan national team for obvious reasons, but do not underestimate them. They didn't concede a single goal in a tough qualifying group. They have a very good
manager as well.

Congrats on your qualification.

Welcome to PFDC brother!

I just want to say that I am %100 behind Egypt in group A and especially vs Saudi Arabia. I hope Salah scores a hattrick on KSA

Anyways, I hope you enjoy your stay here. It's always nice to have new members who support different teams

[Shayan_M]

I have seen Morocco play and yes, they are a very strong side with lots of good players. Before every f*ckin WC I keep reading the same old BS that we are much stronger than this and that team and that we will advance for sure!! We should be happy if we don't end up with 3 losses in a row, eventhough I hope that we can pull a surprise like we almost did against Argentina. This iranian arrogance is getting on my nerves over and over again. And when TM fucks up, people come here and start an online fist fight or make up stupid conspiracy theories.

[Bessos]

I do not like the Moroccan national team for obvious reasons, but do not underestimate them. They didn't concede a single goal in a tough qualifying group. They have a very good
manager as well.

Congrats on your qualification.

Welcome.

I hope we get to face each other in the round of 16.

[kastro]

I do not like the Moroccan national team for obvious reasons, but do not underestimate them. They didn't concede a single goal in a tough qualifying group. They have a very good
manager as well.

Congrats on your qualification.

[RaginG Inferno]

The analysis by the "experts' do not mean shit. It is part of today's lazy journalism. They try to express opinions doing minimum amount of research.
Morocco is not a weak team, but it is, on or off the paper, no stronger than Iran. In their qualification group they had 3 wins and three ties, in a group that was not stronger than Iran's qualification group.
Yes, they have more players in Europe, but that is mainly because they are closer, but more importantly, their domestic league's salaries are shit. If IPL was not paying these ridiculous salaries, more Iranian players would be tempted to leave. Right now the choice is between getting paid well or playing a a better league. As a professional, they are choosing the money. I do not blame them for it. If IPL was a truly self-sustained professional league, and the teams were not government run or subsidized, then the salaries would come down.
I also remember that in 1998 all the "expert analysts" thought that Iran will be a complete non-factor. All the US players in their interviews said the same thing and were thinking US would beat Iran by at least 3 goals. Then reality smacked them on the head!!

Indeed.

Milad Mohammadi, for example, plays for an ordinary Russian team, but he's, in my opinion, one of the best players in the world for his position.

Dejagah doesn't even have a club, but (at least until he gets tired) he's world class.

A simple comparison of our players' clubs to Morocco's is misleading.

In any case, a team is not simply the aggregate quality of players it has. It's how that team has been assembled; how the players complement each other, how tactically sound the team is, etc.

I'm not scared of this group. Argentina in 2014 was the second best team in the world, and we almost beat them. Our team is much stronger now. Spain and Portugal are the favourites against us, but we are not weak.

[nisfejahan]

The analysis by the "experts' do not mean shit. It is part of today's lazy journalism. They try to express opinions doing minimum amount of research.

Morocco is not a weak team, but it is, on or off the paper, no stronger than Iran. In their qualification group they had 3 wins and three ties, in a group that was not stronger than Iran's qualification group.

Yes, they have more players in Europe, but that is mainly because they are closer, but more importantly, their domestic league's salaries are shit. If IPL was not paying these ridiculous salaries, more Iranian players would be tempted to leave. Right now the choice is between getting paid well or playing a a better league. As a professional, they are choosing the money. I do not blame them for it. If IPL was a truly self-sustained professional league, and the teams were not government run or subsidized, then the salaries would come down.

I also remember that in 1998 all the "expert analysts" thought that Iran will be a complete non-factor. All the US players in their interviews said the same thing and were thinking US would beat Iran by at least 3 goals. Then reality smacked them on the head!!

[teammelli91]

ya unfortunately with this draw, you can forget about much analysis comments on Iran. everyone is focused on Portugal-Spain and Morocco is another exotic destination near those countries, so Iran looks like APOEL or Maribor in champions league to them

it sucks for us who want to see a real analysis, but we just have to wait until we actually perform. I just want to see goals, i dont want us to go there and not have any moments of celebration like last time

And that.. my friend.. is why this World Cup will be a lot of fun. Underestimating us will only light more flames under our team's ass.

If someone were to ask me: Would you rather have Iran lose 3 matches OR Iran not to get out of the group. BUT! Eliminate one of the top teams?

I'd say eliminate the **** out of one of the top teams But the thing is, I don't give a shit about those two options. I believe in something much much higher. And I know I'll be shunned and laughed at, but I will never, EVER, lose hope in Team Melli. Especially THIS Team Melli. Probably the best squad we're taking to the World Cup since Germany 2006.

Iran will not be a walk in the park for Spain, Portugal, or Morocco. Before our boys leave Russia this summer, Iranian blood, sweat and tears will be shed. Tears of joy and/or sorrow. Team Melli will fight for our Iran and show the World why we are in fact the best team in Asia.

So let them underestimate us, put us down and say whatever the hell they want. That just makes it that much more exciting to watch. Carlos Queiroz and Iran will make history this World Cup

[EKBATAN]

I have read the analysis from some of the major news outlets and all of them dont even mention Iran when it comes to group B.

ya unfortunately with this draw, you can forget about much analysis comments on Iran. everyone is focused on Portugal-Spain and Morocco is another exotic destination near those countries, so Iran looks like APOEL or Maribor in champions league to them

it sucks for us who want to see a real analysis, but we just have to wait until we actually perform. I just want to see goals, i dont want us to go there and not have any moments of celebration like last time

[Afat11]

The difference between me as an Iranian fan and fans of other teams is that I have used this invention called Youtube after the draw to watch Morocco full matches from 2017. It seems that they are just looking at wikipedia and saying, "Ostersund, Rubin Kazan, Iran stinks!"

I watched Morocco, they are NO better than Iran. They are good, but so are we. All of them should watch how cohesive and compact Iran plays, and maybe they will get a bit more scared. Ignorance is bliss I guess. I know what Iran is getting into in June 2018. They will be sitting there cursing about why mighty Mehdi Benatia and Hakim Ziyech are struggling against a stifling defense. If they really believe that they can break down what Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero, Di Maria, and Higuain could not for 90+ minutes, I will enjoy their tears in six months. Especially those thinking 3-0 or 4-0 for Morocco are smoking too much drugs and are on another planet.

If we get a red card early in the game, I still don't think Morocco would score more than 2. We are a tight defensive unit, and this will be a 1 or 2 goal game, max. A score higher than 2-0 for either team is a major improbability if looking at it objectively. I could see us tie 0-0 or 1-1, lose 1-0, 2-0, or 2-1, and finally win by those same scorelines.

Neither team is scoring 3 goals against the other's defense. Only if there is some wild occurrence like an early red card could I see 3 or 4 goals. Without that, this will be a tight game, and their fans saying a high scoreline are the same people who think England will win every match and world cup because they only watch premier league. AKA people in for a rude awakening and a heart attack of a game where they question everything that they believe about football.