Head coach Qalenoei looking to change Iran’s ‘decade-long approach’
Iran head coach Amir Qalenoei said he has been seeking to change his team’s 10-year approach ever since he replaced Carlos Queiroz in March.
Qalenoei made the remarks after his team routed cohost Kyrgyzstan 5-1 in in Bishkek to win Group B in the CAFA Nations Cup on Friday.
Porto talisman Mehdi Taremi scored a hat-trick before Leverkusen striker Sardar Azmoun bagged a brace in the space of three minutes in the second half – with Mirlan Murzayev netting a consolation for the home side – as Iran booked a place in the final showdown against Uzbekistan at Tashkent’s Milliy Stadium on Tuesday.
The victory was a second one in the Central Asian tournament for Qalenoei’s men, who had thrashed Afghanistan 6-1 in their opener.
“Some may say that Kyrgyzstan is a weak team but that’s not the case, as they came close to a 1-1 draw against Russia until the closing stages [of a friendly] a few months ago before conceding a late goal,” Qalenoei said in a post-match press conference, while he was full of praise for his players who played “with such a high determination.”
“Iran used to play with a different style for 10 years and I’ve been trying to change the team’s approach over the past three months,” added the most decorated manager in the history of the Iranian top-flight with five titles.
“I’ve always been an attack-minded coach throughout my career and a free-flowing football is what I want to instill in the national team. We’ll be looking to improve game by game and there are some top-notch players in the squad, who give their best to help us achieve our goal,” added the former Esteghlal and Sepahan manager, who left his role on Golgohar bench midway through the recently-finished Persian Gulf Pro League season to take the Iran job – a second international spell for the Iranian after his team was knocked out by South Korea in the shootout in the 2007 AFC Asian Cup quarterfinals.
The 59-year-old’s comments was a veiled swipe at his Portuguese predecessor Queiroz, who, despite Iran’s decent World Cup performances against football powerhouses Argentina, Spain, and Portugal, was often criticized for adopting a defensive gameplan in the team.
Queiroz’s tactics did little to help Iran against England and USA in last year’s World Cup in Qatar as two defeats either side of a victory over Wales saw Iran fail to progress beyond the group stage – bringing an end to the Portuguese’s second stint in charge.
Qalenoei will be tasked with steering his side in next January’s Asian Cup in Qatar, where Iran will be looking for a first continental silverware since lifting the trophy on home soil in 1976.
Iran is drawn alongside the UAE, Hong Kong, and Palestine in Group C of the 24-team tournament.