Shenyang – The National Team of Iran has shown over and over that they are one of the elite football teams of Asia but they also have a knack for inconsistency. The 0-0 draw between Iran and China on 6 September definitely showed why TM fans get frustrated with their beloved national football team.
Iranian fans were expecting three points entering the match with China in Shenyang but from my point of view, I felt it was going to be a tough match because we all know there isn’t such thing as an easy three points on the road in the final round of qualification.
China played exactly the way I expected: putting many defenders behind the ball and relying on long balls and counterattacks.
In all honesty, Iran were rarely in any danger but the problems were lack of intensity and not being able to create excellent scoring chances. For the first time in a while, I found myself not getting mad at Masoud Shojaei, I actually think he played a solid game and he fed a nice ball to Alireza Jahanbakhsh in the first half. Unfortunately, Jahanbakhsh put too much power on his shot and sent it high over the bar.
Rostov striker Sardar Azmoun got his head on a few crosses like he normally does but he was unable to get the ball on target.
Chinese head coach Gao Hongbo vowed that his men would defeat Iran but China was not playing to win. Instead, they were playing not to lose.
Iranian football fans are obviously upset with the scoreless draw against China but how much more upset would we be if Qatar’s keeper did not give Iran the winning goal in Tehran last week?
We would be distraught looking at the standings with two points after two matches. Am I implying that we should be happy to have four points after two matches?
Not at all but the fact is that changes need to be made by Carlos Queiroz in order for Iran to put themselves in position to claim one of the two automatic qualifying spots. We all remember those dreaded play-off experiences from 1997 and 2001.
Even though Alireza Jahanbakhsh has been impressive for AZ Alkmaar in the Eredivisie, many TM fans believe he doesn’t fit well in Queiroz’s system. So what is the solution?
It seems like a no-brainer that the majority of European based Iranian footballers need to be in the starting lineup in important matches but I believe that Queiroz needs to select the best players available.
We have already seen Reza Ghoochannejhad make appearances as a super sub so why not Jahanbakhsh?
It is not time for TM fans to ring the alarm bells. After all, only two matches have been played but it is worth noting that Iran have never began the final round of world cup qualification with two victories.
One thing is for sure though: If Iran don’t bring a high level of intensity to their match against Uzbekistan in Tashkent on 6 October, the alarm bells will ring.