We move onto the third team in our assessment of Group F this morning, as Iran are placed under the microscope. Carlos Quieroz’ rank outsiders face fellow underdogs Nigeria in their opener on Monday June 16 at 5pm before squaring up to Argentine five days later at 5pm and finishing their group fixtures with a showdown against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday June 25 at 5pm:
Road to Qualification
In their first group in the AFC section, the Iranians finished top ahead of Qatar, Bahrain and Indonesia, winning three and drawing three of their six fixtures. Stepping up a level, they were then placed in a five-team group along with South Korea, Uzbekistan, Qatar and Lebanon and once again clinched a place at the summit. Queiroz’ side won five and drew one of their eight matches thanks, in main, to a series of solid defensive displays which saw them concede just twice, though it’s fair to say they struggled to break down opponents – aside from a 4-0 win over the Lebanese last November, they scored just four times in their other seven matches as goals become hard to come by.
Most Starts Javad Nekounam (8), Jalal Hosseini, Pejman Montazeri, Andranik Teymourian (7), Khosro Heydari (6), Masoud Shojaei, Mehdi Rahmati, Reza Ghoochannejhad (5)
Most Goals Javad Nekounam (3), Reza Ghoochannejhad, Mohammad Reza Khalatbari (2)
The Key Targets
The former United assistant boss knows his players’ limitations and sets his side up in a disciplined 4-2-3-1 formation, with little onus on attack. The Iranians are happy to get plenty of players behind the ball and utilise a man-marking system which ensures many of the attackers are also asked to track back, with the team’s shape changing to a 4-4-1-1 when not on the ball – certainly, they will be happy to allow their opponents possession and won’t be pressing high up the pitch to reclaim it.
Since clinching qualification, Iran won four consecutive Asian Cup qualifiers against Thailand (twice), Lebanon and Kuwait but have failed to impress in friendlies – a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Guinea was followed by goalless draws against Belarus and Montenegro before a 1-1 stalemate with Angola late last week.
Given that both Argentina and Bosnia racked up the goals in qualifying, Iran’s Fantasy fortunes may well be limited to the game against Nigeria, though in all likelihood, we’ll be steering clear of their main men. In goal, Eintracht Braunschweig’s Daniel Davari could get the nod after an impressive domestic campaign, whilst Quieroz is expected to continue with his preferred central defensive partnership of Jalal Hosseini and Pejman Montazeri – available for 4.9 and 4.7 respectively in FantasyiTeam. It’s likely to be backs-to-the-wall stuff but if you are eyeing up the Iranian defence, Hosseini, with six international goals to his credit, has offered the most threat. In the full-back areas, Vancouver Whitecaps’ Steve Mehrdad Beitashour could be handed the role on the right if Khosro Heydari fails to recover from injury in time, whilst Hashem Beikzadeh is expected to be named on the opposite flank – with no license to break forward and join in attacks, though, their prospects look far from enticing.
In front of the back-four will be playmaker Javad Nekounam and ball-winner Andranik Teymourian. The former was the team’s top scorer during qualifying with three goals but don’t expect either player to forage forward – aged 33 and 31 years old, the duo will look to keep their energy reserves up by remaining stationed in their own half of the pitch and come in at 4.9 and 4.7 respectively in FantasyiTeam. On the flanks, Fulham’s Ashkan Dejagah and Masoud Shojaei both bring European experience. The Cottagers wide man has notched four times in 11 appearances for his country, whilst Shojaei – who has previously plied his trade at Osasuna – produced five goals and 10 assists for Spanish second division outfit Las Palmas in 2013/14, and is cheaper than Dejagah in FantasyiTeam, priced at 4.7 to 5.0.
Up front, Charlton’s Reza Ghoochannejhad looks the likeliest starter in the lone forward role. A peripheral figure for the Championship side last season, Ghoochannejhad – who will take up 6.4 of your FantasyiTeam, budget – has produced the goods on the international stage and has notched nine times in just 13 appearances – he started three of the four above-mentioned Asian Cup qualifiers and notched on each occasion.
The Long Shots
Twenty-year-old Alizera Jahanbakhsh is the favoured option to be handed the role in “the hole” behind a lone striker. He’s notched 11 times in 17 matches for the Iran Under 19 side and, playing his trade for Dutch side NEC, produced five goals and four assists despite many of his appearances coming courtesy of the subs bench. Jahanbakhsh is classified as a forward in FantasyiTeam, however, and comes in at 6.2.
Elsewhere, Karim Ansarifard offers an alternative to Ghoochannejhad for the lone striker role. Starting two of the last three friendlies, he notched the only goal in the 2-1 defeat against Angola – he is available for 4.8 and listed as a midfielder in FantasyiTeam.
Further Analysis
Group A – Brazil,Cameroon, Croatia, Mexico
Group B – Australia, Chile, Holland, Spain
Group C – Colombia, Greece, Ivory Coast, Japan
Group D – Costa Rica, England, Italy, Uruguay
Group E – Ecuador, France, Honduras, Switzerland
Group F –Argentina, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Fantasy iTeam
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Relevant Community Articles
Scouting Iran by Innsie, Fantasy World Cup Early Options by Bowstring the Trout, The World Cup – The Players by the Sarjeant
