New coach Hashemian eyes ‘offensive, trophy-winning’ football with Persepolis
New Persepolis head coach Vahid Hashemian says the Tehran Reds’ fans can expect an attack-minded type of football from his team when the new Persian Gulf Pro League season gets underway.
Hashemian, 48, was appointed to the Persepolis job earlier in the month, succeeding Turkish coach Ismail Kartal, who parted ways with the club in the aftermath of the 12-day war between Iran and Israel.
While his appointment is widely seen as a major gamble for the club, given his significant lack of experience as a head coach at the senior level, Hashemian’s tactical approach remains unknown for the supporters.
Hashemian says he will aim for instant success at the new role, and believes that an offensive, front-foot game plan will help him achieve that goal.
“Persepolis is a massive club with a championship-winning pedigree. Their fans always demand titles, so when I joined Persepolis, my mindset was the same: Winning trophies,” former Persepolis and Iran striker said in a first interview with the club’s official website.
“The players here must have a champion’s mentality. The football we play must be attack-minded and high-scoring, yet efficient and results-driven.
“The current squad’s qualities, the club’s philosophy and history, and my own vision must all come together to deliver success.
“It is essential for every manager’s approach to align with the club’s philosophy and history. That is why the likes of Jose Mourinho or Carlos Queiroz could never coach Bayern Munich, as their tactics hardly reflects Bayern’s philosophy, which is rooted in attacking football,” added Hashemian, who played for Bayern in the 2004/05 season.
The Iranian will be looking to build on his distinguished career as a player, having scored 53 goals in 254 appearances for Bundesliga clubs VfL Bochum, Hannover 96, Hamburger SV, and Bayern Munich before hanging up his boots at Persepolis in 2012.
Hashemian began his coaching career in Germany’s fifth tier before taking up an assistant role with Hamburg’s U17 side in the 2017/18 campaign. He also served as a number two to former Iran managers Marc Wilmots and Dragan Skocic during the 2022 World Cup Asian qualifiers.
Asked if Persepolis players should expect the kind of intense discipline, for which the German football is best known, from their new manager, Hashemian simply replied: “Absolutely. Strict discipline has always been a top priority for me and that is what I demand from the players on and off the pitch.”
Many believe Hashemian has inherited a star-studded, yet imbalanced squad at Persepolis, after the club signed four established wingers – along with goalkeeper Payam Niazmand and attacking midfielder Reza Shekari – at Kartal’s behest during the current transfer window, while a center-back, a right fullback, and a holding midfielder are likely to be on the new manager’s wishlist ahead of the upcoming season.
Hashemian, however, says he is already pleased with the players at his disposal, though he would welcome further additions to the squad.
“I worked with many of these Persepolis players during my time at the national team, so I know their qualities well. In the few days I’ve been with the team, I’ve seen that we have impactful players, especially some promising young talents. These youngsters just need a little more time to flourish and improve through hard work. I’m confident they’ll be very valuable assets for the club.
“We need to recruit players for certain positions, but we’re also satisfied with the players we currently have. We have experienced, quality players, as well as younger ones, who have been performing well too. We’ll move forward with this squad. If, over time, we identify a player for the positions we need – someone who can contribute and help the team improve – we’ll make a move, but we’re in no rush,” said Hashemian, who is with his team in a training camp in Turkey.
Hashemian insists there are no limits to his ambitions as head coach.
“I have multiple goals in football, and that is to coach Persepolis, the Iranian national team, and even Bayern Munich. No one expected I would play for Bayern Munich or Bochum one day. But when I saw Iranian players going abroad to play, I thought: Then I can do it too.
“A dream can come true if you work for it, but if you don’t put in the effort, it’s just like a lottery ticket – you might win, or you might not. When a dream becomes your ambition and goal, you strive for it.
“When Persepolis approached me some three weeks ago, I told them that I’d love to be the head coach of this team because I could see tremendous potential in the squad.”