How Carlos Queiroz turned Iran into Asia’s best World Cup hope

[PersianLegion]

CQ was the messiah who raised Iranian football from grave with his miracles, he is second coming of Jesus Christ. He is son of god! He is more Iranian than all of us. He love Iranians and money doesn't matter for him. He is in love with Iranian culture.

[Sly]

Dejagoh At his prime, Nekonam, Ando, Gucci, Haghighi at his prime, Masoud, Seyed Jalal... Yup, no talent at all.

I'm sorry but when CQ came to Iran, there was no Dejagah. There was no Gucci. Haghighi was playing in the second division of the Portuguese league.

He inherited the least talented TM of all times. We had Nekounam and a half ass Masoud (mostly playing as a sub) who were playing in Europe. That's all!

He was the one strengthening that talentless TM with the likes of Dejagah (whom until then was never invited to TM because of his tattoos) and Gucci. He was the one discovering the likes of Pooladi to become our best player in the WC.

Did he inherit the talents? No he didn't. he discovered/created them!

[Ando Teymourian]

We would likely have won AC15 but for Ben Williams.
Simply put, against any top Asian side, we are virtually guaranteed a win or, on a bad day, a draw. We've been undefeated in Asia for many years.
We had terrible preparation for WC14 when the sanctions were at their peak, so that really hurt our preparation. Ultimately, we should've held the World Cup finalist to a draw if we were given the penalty.

AC15 was ours for the taking, still hurts to think back at that one. The momentum, chemistry and team camaraderie were at their peak and we didn't fear anyone.

CQ might look back at his time here and AC15 could full well be the one that stings the most for him.

Of course the best revenge would be thumping everyone in AC2019 and bringing the hardware home!!!!

[RaginG Inferno]

We would likely have won AC15 but for Ben Williams.

Simply put, against any top Asian side, we are virtually guaranteed a win or, on a bad day, a draw. We've been undefeated in Asia for many years.

We had terrible preparation for WC14 when the sanctions were at their peak, so that really hurt our preparation. Ultimately, we should've held the World Cup finalist to a draw if we were given the penalty.

[Ando Teymourian]

CQ is a good coach considering the 2nd qualification to the World Cup in a row and he put us back on the map with his disciplined and compact style of play. Kudo’s to him for being so passionate despite all difficulties within IFF.

But lets not forget that he made some huge tactical blunders which costed us important games like against namely Bosnia (strange defensive substitutions while needing to score) and Iraq (keep playing Hajsafi at LB).

Or on a side note the first WCQ 2014 final round game where he went with a 4-6-0 formation and put Karimi as a striker in Tashkent against Uzbekistan, getting dominated for 90 minutes and an Uzbeki goal luckily disallowed, very uninspiring for Asia’s best.

Those two games could have had a different outcome if he made the right decisions / approach IMO.

The less talented squad in 2014 is BS, Costa Rica had players all over 2nd even 3rd tier (Norwegian, Swedish) EU leagues and topped their group above Uruguay, Italy and England.

We need a R16 appearance or win the Asian Cup, given all the years CQ is leading the team and his familiarity with ours and Asian football. Anything less than Asian Cup win is unacceptable to be honest, especially since his salary is one of the best paid NT managers of the world.

Who calls those tactical blunders? Blunder is a pretty big word, it shouldn't be used when what you really mean is that they are not the tactics you would have liked to see.

Iran had to play like that against Bosnia - we weren't fit enough to be that attacking against Bosnia in the third match. Look what happened as soon as we slightly opened up in the second half - sure we scored, but Bosnia literally scored minutes later. There was no way we would last in a back or forth game like that.

Talent argument is not BS - You're Costa Rica argument is a rare outcome, not the norm. Of course we could argue why Iran couldn't be that rare outcome, but thats a different story. And I counted exactly 3 players in Sweden and Norway (correct me if I'm wrong) - doesn't seem like "all over". (dont forget our own Gucci came from 2nd div Belgium - we still would have taken him if he still played there in 2014).

The only case I slightly agree with you there is the Uzbek game - but now look how far back we are going. Literally the first game in the final round of the 2014 qualifiers. It was an experimental arrangement and clearly it didn't work (nor did CQ ever use it again).


It is so easy to say that only result X or victory Y will mean that CQ was successful. IMO that is a narrow mindset and completely ignores anything that he accomplished on the pitch.

People are so easily forgetting how we played a few years before CQ... Even the 2004-2007 team had some shocking performances against questionable opposition. Part of it is just football, things happen. But the bigger part of it is that a group of 11 - 16 very talented Iranians could not cooperate on the pitch and had 0 on field awareness. That falls purely on the coach. It is an easy thing to miss or take for granted when we are winning every game in Asia.

[Kiarash]

How Carlos Queiroz turned Iran into Asia’s best World Cup hope

CQ is a good coach considering the 2nd qualification to the World Cup in a row and he put us back on the map with his disciplined and compact style of play. Kudo’s to him for being so passionate despite all difficulties within IFF.

But lets not forget that he made some huge tactical blunders which costed us important games like against namely Bosnia (strange defensive substitutions while needing to score) and Iraq (keep playing Hajsafi at LB).

Or on a side note the first WCQ 2014 final round game where he went with a 4-6-0 formation and put Karimi as a striker in Tashkent against Uzbekistan, getting dominated for 90 minutes and an Uzbeki goal luckily disallowed, very uninspiring for Asia’s best.

Those two games could have had a different outcome if he made the right decisions / approach IMO.

The less talented squad in 2014 is BS, Costa Rica had players all over 2nd even 3rd tier (Norwegian, Swedish) EU leagues and topped their group above Uruguay, Italy and England.

We need a R16 appearance or win the Asian Cup, given all the years CQ is leading the team and his familiarity with ours and Asian football. Anything less than Asian Cup win is unacceptable to be honest, especially since his salary is one of the best paid NT managers of the world.

[Iranianarsenal11]

While I appreciate what CQ has done for us and acknowledge the improvements (especially in self confidence & composure rarely seen at TM), but I agree with The and KC. Lets not make him into something he isnt.

WCQ draws have been extremely kind in the past two editions, and coupled with his good work, we see easier qualifications.
but at the same time he hasnt really "achieved" anything out of ordinary in terms of results AT the WC or Asia Cup ... the two tourneys that REALLY MATTER.

we appreciate his work. But he is not that untouchable giant some ppl make him out to be either. He has quite a few failings also.

Honestly what do you expect him to do at the World Cup?? We were wrongfully given a red card in the Asian Cup and were also robbed of a penalty in the Argentina game, did you forget?

Look at the roster Branko inherited when he was introduced as manager and compare it to the shit hole CQ inherited when he took over

It's honestly mind boggling how shitty we were talent wise in 2011-2012 and some of you still think CQ had a better team?

[tooleh khers]

For CQ to be considered successful in Iran for me he has to win the Asian cup (I would accept a finals appearance) and/or advance from group stage in Russia. Branko qualified us to the world cup also plus a third place finish at the Asian cup and an Asian games championship.

For a coach of the caliber of CQ he has to exceed Iranian football results to be considered successful. In fact I think he should be expected to exceed and anything less for him is a failure, and don't tell me about qualifying back to back for the first time ever. He is the only coach afforded that opportunity.

[Leicester City]

Better title: How the Islamic Revolution turned Iran into Asia’s best World Cup hope

Without the revolution there would be no CQ, Ali Karimi, or Daei.

*sarcasm*

[ehsan singapore]

saying we had easier groups in the previous qualifiers is nonsense, 2002, we could have been 1st, however we chocked against Thailand in Bangkok and I think we had a draw at home against Bahrain as well so we lost 4 points, with those 4 points we would have been in Korea and Japan and 2010 we could not even draw Saudi at home , so saying our groups we easy this time is nonsense, we only managed to win our games, why back then we didn't

[PersianLegion]

CQ definitely has had positive and constructive impacts on our team but it had its own short coming as well. Being top team on fifa coca cola ranking doesn't have too much value to be proud of. We need some titles. AC title, good performance in WC and friendlies. So far the only thing we have achieved with CQ is qualifying for WC twice in a row which is a record. If CQ helps us to go to R16, I say keep him for AC 2019, otherwise, we should start looking for a better coach with some offensive tactics right after WC. Having decipline, good team spirit, better defense and giving value to the most talented player even the young ones are good impact done by CQ.

But I think we are too defensive and need more creative players instead of just using physically stronger players to have better defense.

[JamB]

Our most talented generation ever is arguably the one that made the 98 World Cup... and to qualify they needed nothing short of a miracle against Australia in a game that by any justice the Aussies should have won by 4-5 goals.
Our 2006 team was easily more talented than the 2014 generation, and they were almost eliminated in the very first round of qualifying 2 years before the world cup and they needed a last minute goal against Qatar just to make the second round after having lost to Jordan in Tehran! And that last-second goal was scored by Hashemian who Branko didn't even want and was forced on him by the federation.
The people providing insane commentary often overlook the fact that some of the key players from our current generation were either discovered by CQ or brought in by him when they had turned down previous invitations.
Pouladi was a defensive midfielder who was molded into a Left Back by CQ and ended up getting picked as the best in his position in the first round of the 2014 World Cup!
Pouraliganji was another defensive midfielder who was converted by CQ into a CB and is easily our most reliable defender today.
Torabi was a benchwarmer for Saipa when he was picked to play for the national team and today that club revolves around him.
Amiri was considered an average player in Naft when CQ saw his potential and turned him into one of our most dependable international midfielders.
And of course we won't mention Gucci and Dejagah who picked Team Melli thanks to being recruited by CQ when morons like Mayeli Kohan and our own press bashed them as "average" players.
It takes unbelievable ignorance to deny the gift that CQ has been to our football, a football whose best club teams get smacked around like rag dolls by Arab clubs from Qatar and UAE. Perspolis is supposed to be our best club of the last two years and the Iranian media praise Branko like he's Ferguson's twin, yet Al-Hilal manhandled them in two games like they were an U-18 side! CQ took THIS football and had Argentina on the ropes for 90 minutes to the point that when Messi scored their TV reporter was screaming like they just won the World Cup!
But the good news for the geniuses who hate CQ is that at most he'll be gone by next February. It won't be long before they get their beloved Branko or another 3rd rate Croat like him. Congratulations I guess.

Very well said.

[Iranianarsenal11]

what CQ did, is nothing but miracle

Nah Ehsan jan, a miracle would be one of these corrupted Iranian CQ hating coaches or Branko making pishraft with Team Melli.

The work CQ has put in equates to the success hes had with us. It's a shame how people still don't appreciate CQ to this day, but one day he will leave and those who didn't appreciate him before will then...

[Ando Teymourian]

While I appreciate what CQ has done for us and acknowledge the improvements (especially in self confidence & composure rarely seen at TM), but I agree with The and KC. Lets not make him into something he isnt.
WCQ draws have been extremely kind in the past two editions, and coupled with his good work, we see easier qualifications.
but at the same time he hasnt really "achieved" anything out of ordinary in terms of results AT the WC or Asia Cup ... the two tourneys that REALLY MATTER.
we appreciate his work. But he is not that untouchable giant some ppl make him out to be either. He has quite a few failings also.

But everything is relative... those looked like easy groups because CQ made us stronger.

If a lesser coach was managing TM, we would be weaker and thus those groups would seem more challenging.

He made this team much better, with less talent than previous generations - I think that is something that can be agreed on by the vast majority. On top of that, he didn't take any crap from IFF, and in fact he humbled them. Put those 2 together and you have the best coach Iran has ever had.

[Iranianarsenal11]

That article should just be:

He didn't though.. Lol

If CQ had the talent of Ali Karimi, Daei, Bagheri, etc, and put them in the same mindset as our players today, who knows how far our team would've gone in the 2006 WC! We definitely would've made the WC both in 2002 and 2010 with CQ...