What happened in Nuremberg?

6/11/2006
Afshin Afshar, lastkick.com

I am upset, very upset, about our loss to Mexico. Not just because we lost, but because of the way lost.

Eight years ago in France, we lost our first game to Yugoslavia and last game to Germany. I had the blues because we lost, and I was even proud of the way our team fought. Today I was baffled and angry.

I am baffled, because I can not understand why the entire team played so far below their potential.

I am angry because I truly believe that the coaching decisions and tactics contributed to the loss. To make it even worse, these were the same questionable decisions and tactics that have been repeated over and over during the last two years.

Choices

I am not going to talk about the choice of Mirzapour as the starting goalkeeper or Nosrati as the starting left back. These are decisions that coaches made before the team went to Germany. It is too late to bring them up now.

I am talking about the choice to play Ali Daei for 90 minutes when we had Arash Borhani and Rasoul Khatibi on the bench.

I am talking about the choice to play an inured Ali Karimi on the left and Anderanik Teymourian in the central midfield when we had Mehrzad Madanchi who could play on the left side, so Karimi could play in his customary position.

Tactics

Despite all the questionable choices, we played an even game with Mexico in the first half, but then in the second we started playing a defensive game. This in the hope of coming away with a single point I guess.

Ivankovic obviously had not watched Trinidad and Tobago vs. Sweden to see Leo Beenhakker’s masterclass in coaching.

Beenhakker sent on Cornell Glen for fellow striker Collin Samuel not long after defender Avery John's dismissal. Speedy Glen forced Swedes to keep defenders back in order to mark him and that helped lessened the pressure on the 10 man T&T goal.

"When a defender is sent off everyone expects you to bring on another defender. It was amazing it worked," Beenhakker said.

If Ivankovic had brought on speedy Arash Borhani for ineffective Ali Daei early in the second half, when Lavolpe had used all his three substitutions, two at the beginning of the half for forwards and one to replace injured Jared Borgetti, Mexico could not have increased the pressure on Iran's goal in the second half and things could have been different.

If he had brought on Mehrzad Madanchi in for obviously hurting Ali Karimi early in the second half, moved Mahdavikia to the left where he is more comfortable things could have been different.

What’s next?

I watch Angola play Portugal. I watched it again on tape. Unless Ivankovic abandons his cautious approach and questionable player choices, we will lose to both teams. I guarantee you that.

Ivankovic should let our young attacking players loose and let them play they know how too. If we are going to go down, let us go down fighting, not standing scared in front of our goal.

11 Responses to “What happened in Nuremberg?”

1. Navid Says:
   June 11th, 2006 at 9:33 pm

   Do or Die for Iran?

   With the kind of performance we showed at the second half it may be DIE for Iran. What the hell happened to our Hot Shot Bundasliga Players? It it wasn’t for Hashemian, and a couple of attempts by Mahdavikia we would have looke like total idiots.
   I have to admit, I thought having Ali Daei would help us, but I also wanted him out of the game in the second half. What a poor decision by our ALREADY GIVING UP COACH.
   I can’t believe that idiot picks the time right prior to our biggest game to announce that he is resigning from coaching Team Melli. What an ass :O(

   this game should have at least been 3-2. The ref totally missed a penalty @ the begining of the game. We played a better 1st half, but obviously went out like punks. What the F Iran? We can’t play Mexico the way we played in the second half, nor can you play Portugal that way…

   So depressed right now!

2. Adrdavan Saidi Says:
   June 11th, 2006 at 9:43 pm

   I agree %100 w/ the above comments. How sad to see that a team and a coach like this commiting the same mistakes as usual. Without Ali Daei the team will be just fine! Daei is just simply useless!

3. ali Says:
   June 11th, 2006 at 10:48 pm

   I am very upset, not with the result, but for the way we played. I thought that we want to show how good we are playing football, and we are really ready to advance to the 2nd round. We played just like the way we used to play 20 years ago. Nothing changed!!!
   Even in our friendly games, we made the same mistake, especially with Mirzapour, Rezaie, …, and we did it again.
   As far as Ali Daei, personally, I don’t like his game at all, not today, not even 10 years ago. He is too old, and he shouldn’t be in the rosters in the first place. If they want to go with old player, they at least should go with Azizi, or Bageri.
   But guys, you have to see the power he has in Iran, nobody can touch this guy!!! Now he want to be a coach after WC??? that’s shame!!!

   I hope they can show different style of game with Portugal, otherwise,…

4. Ehsan Says:
   June 12th, 2006 at 3:59 am

   Iran were obviously doomed when they decided to carry on with a low calibre coack like Branko. Why can little Trinidad (poulation 1.2 million) get a coach like Beenhakker who has coached at Real Madrid and Ajax but Iran (flush with oil revenues) have to do with Branko who has no meaningful track record as player or manager?

   A more powerful coach would not have felt that he needed to select Daei who is good for playing against Taiwan and Thailand but far too immobile for a serious international game. Daei has been a millstone around the neck of Iran’s national team for several years now. He should have retired with dignity, ages ago.

   I think having to carry Daei and an unfit Karimi were part of the reason why the other players were so tired in the second half.

   As you say, some of the more long-term decisions like Mirzapour’s selection (which guarantee the opposition at least 1 goal per game!), were also responsible.

   Portugal are one of the best teams in Europe and Angloa seemed very good too. I expect Branko to stick with the same tired personnel and tactics and lose the remaining two games too.

5. anoniem Says:
   June 12th, 2006 at 6:34 am

   I had a test for fysics today
   yesterday I was watching iran play against mexico
   and guess what… it didnt go that well..
   for months is was preparing for the world cup. evey day I followed them, didnt miss a thing.I was full of hope.
   i just cant tell you how disappointed i am right now, I feel like shit.

   anyway i am still praying, hoping that we will win against portual and angola.
   branko cant handle the critics, butt he should know that we are not agianst him, we want the best for our team. i think he really should listen too some of us, and then he would see that we are not talking nonsense. the squad you pick and the tactics are very important. he just has to see, that daei cant play 90 minutes, players like arash borhani and masoud shojai should play form the start. i know its now really to late to talk about the line up, but maybe he can see this on time and use it against portugal

   here is my idea:
   roudbarian

   keabi rezai nosrati madanchi

   mahdavikia zandi/kazemian

   shojai
   karimi

   borhani hashemian

   its some kind of 4-4-2 but very attaking

   you have to admit that we cant defend that is why we have te keep pressure and constantly be attaking. that is what we are good in, and that is what we have to do. I hope branko ivankovic will read this on time before its to late and my heart will break if we cant made it.

6. anoniem Says:
   June 12th, 2006 at 6:36 am

   hmmm no i see that my line up isnt shown properly
   (no space)

7. sha Says:
   June 12th, 2006 at 7:44 am

   Sadly, I agree with you on pretty much every count. Although certainly not perfect, the team played in a way we could be proud of… and then the second half happened. If they’re going to concede goals like that, then frankly we don’t deserve any better than we got.

   Reading the news a few minutes ago, Daei is a apparently a doubt to start for the next two games. Frankly, I don’t see that as much of a loss, and I have yet to encounter anyone that disagree with me.

   Here’s hoping the next two games (and somehow I don’t see us participating any further in this tournament than the next two games) go better than yesterday’s shambles. Excuse me while I go and delete the memories of that match from my Tivo and with any luck, from my head as well…

8. faramarz Says:
   June 12th, 2006 at 7:47 am

   upset, angry, furious,and….? yes i am, because we are playing with 10 players each time ( and always ) Ali Daei is selected, moreover for 90 minutes????. This puts more pressure on our defenders causing problems and panics as we have seen playing Mexico, where our defenders have to come and score???. We always notice our goal keeper and defenders mistake but not our attackers. Ali Daei is a good player if he sits on the bench watching the game as thats what he does when he is playing???.

9. Ali Says:
   June 12th, 2006 at 11:01 am

   I thought that, I am the only person who doesn’t like that guy. It seems most of us are in the same page. Let’s change a couple street in tehran to Daei, or maybe city of “Ardabil” to “Daeibil”and get ride of this guy!!!
   If Branco brought some young players with him, he should let them play, not a 37 years old player who wasn’t good with his feet even in his first day!!!

10. Nima Says:
    June 12th, 2006 at 11:26 pm

    Well… I don’t want to say much as you already said it all… i feel the same, i felt the same, i will the feel worse if they continue like this. WHY? Because i know that with the players that we got, we are able of having a great team, am i lying? Its not any team that has fast runner that can run 100km/h and a Maradona of Asia which is concidered one of the best dribblers in the world… We have to use what we have no? They should wake up and stand up with full of faith, they got the ability. For example, ali karimi is able to drib the whole diffense most of the times.. but he usually misses the shots on the goal, so their should be someone then to be passed and shoot in the goal. Man wata Beep*. Wake up team. please.

11. Ali Karimi Says:
    July 4th, 2006 at 12:55 am

    We are a very bad team. Im the worst player in the
    team and i dont know why i even play. Iran is a
    terrible team and we will never win a WC match ever. I dont even know why anyone even pays me to play since i suck at everything and i am gay.