Qatar's 2-0 defeat to Ecuador in the World Cup opener was a stark contrast to Ecuador's exuberant attack and easy control, and the two teams seemed to be at all at the same level visually.
The scandal of the host opener inevitably led to the trend that Asian teams are "soft persimmons", and considering the overall strength of the Japanese team and the South Korean team with Asia's number one star Son Heung-min, the scope of application of the "soft persimmon" label has been reduced to West Asian teams or Middle Eastern teams.
Qatar, the Asian champions, lost their first match, and Iran, another Middle Eastern team, will make their debut tonight, and it seems that their fate is predetermined to face a star-studded England. However, unlike the host Qatar, the Iranian team can be described as a hidden dragon and crouching tiger, although there are no big stars to crush the team, but these "ruthless characters" still make Southgate's team have to be careful.
Mehdi Taremi
The 30-year-old is in his prime, topping the Iranian team with a €20 million worth of 20 million euros. Although he does not have the glorious resume of the five major leagues, in the "sixth league of Europe" Portuguese Premier League, Taremi is comparable to Lewandowski, Kane and other gods.
In the 2019-20 season, Taremi, who had just set foot on the continent, showed his true qualities, and he represented the mediocre Rio Ave in 30 Portuguese Premier League games with 18 goals and five assists, which became the thigh of the team. In the summer of 2020, Portuguese Premier League powerhouse Porto took a fancy to the Iranian striker and immediately recruited him for 4.73 million euros.
After joining Porto, Taremi did not suffer from "phobia", in his first season, he handed over 23 goals and 18 assists, and the next season, Taremi, which was further integrated into the team's tactical system, added to the icing on the cake, freezing his single-season statistics at 26 goals and 17 assists, and strongly conquered the Dragon Stadium. Taremi's form has continued unabated this season, with six goals and five assists in 13 league matches, and he continues to play an important role in Contosan's side.
In addition, Taremi has a nickname that has never been seen before - "the most successful Iranian in the history of the Champions League". In Porto's 4-0 win over Club Brugge in this season's Champions League group stage, Taremi scored twice to beat Lionel Messi, Rafa Silva and Simeone Junior to be named Champions League Player of the Week. Taremi, on the other hand, has five goals and two assists in the Champions League this season, an achievement that is only behind Messi and Kylian Mbappe among all players.
Not only is the data flashy and the awards added, but Taremi, who is a fish in water in Porto, has also attracted the attention of Serie A giants AC Milan, and the Portuguese media "Record" reported in April that Milan had contacted Porto about the introduction of Taremi, but unfortunately the deal fell through due to the transfer fee not being negotiated.
Rivaling Messi and Mbappe in the Champions League, Serie A champion AC Milan is respectful, how can the English backline led by Maguire, Dale and Alexander-Arnold not be worrisome in the face of such a tough opponent?
Azmoun
The Iranian team's offensive line is not only Taremi's sharp arrow, but also his "accomplice" Azmoun.
I believe that many fans' memories of him are still stuck in the 2019 Asian Cup, when Azmoun was in the midst of a big hit and spirit, in the competition with the Chinese team, it was his flexible movement and swift assault that made Feng Xiaoting embarrassed, and it was also helplessness for him that eventually led to the collapse of the national football team and the collapse of Lippi.
At that time, it was the glorious years of Azmon's career, and his talent, strength and fame were once comparable to the Korean king Son Heung-min. Even Asia's top centre-back and Japan international Maya Yoshida said that there is no need to think much when encountering Azmoun, and it is good to destroy the ball as soon as possible.
At that time, Azmoun not only became famous in the international arena, but also feared his opponents in the Russian Premier League.
In the 2019-2020 season, Azmoun played 28 games for Zenit in the Russian Premier League, contributing 17 goals and 8 assists. The following season, Azmoun continued to erupt with a small universe, followed by 24 spectacular performances of 19 goals. Since then, Azmoun's fame has spread to the five major leagues, causing Bundesliga powerhouse Bayer Leverkusen to throw an olive branch.
However, after moving to the Bundesliga, Azmoun was not satisfied, and Bayer Leverkusen's tough style of play focusing on confrontation kept him out of place. In his first season at the pharmaceutical company he played only nine league games and scored one goal, while this season Azmoun has not scored a goal in eight league games, Azmoun suffered a tear in the right calf muscle fiber in early October, and is expected to miss the injury for 6 to 8 weeks, and it is uncertain whether the injury has fully healed.
Despite his recent injury plaguing him, Azmoun has never been a "soft-footed shrimp" with the Iranian national team, as evidenced by his six-goal performance at the 2019 Asian Cup.
Jahanbakhesh
With the exception of Taremi and Azmoun, Jahanbakhsh is not a fuel-efficient lamp. The 29-year-old Iranian striker has nearly 10 years of experience in Europe and has left a strong mark in both the Eredivisie and Premier League.
Jahanbakhesh rose to prominence during his time at AZMAAR, contributing 10 goals and nine assists in 29 Eredivisie games in 2016-17 and a double-double with 21 goals and 12 assists in 2017-18.
A season later, Jahanbachsh, who conquered the Eredivisie, jumped to the Premier League and "Seagull" Brighton became his resting place. However, due to his relatively thin body, Jahanbakhesh has always behaved in the Premier League, which is full of strong men, and has more of a role as a substitute in the Brighton squad.
Jahanbachsh's form has picked up since his return to the Eredivisie, where he scored four goals and provided three assists for Feyenoord last season and three in 10 league games this season. Not surprisingly, he will be tasked with delivering shells to Taremi and Azmoun at this World Cup, and his skills, passing awareness and tournament experience cannot be underestimated.
Saman Gudos
The only Iranian midfielder with five league experience is Gudos, and he is also a current Premier League player in his prime of play.
Back in the 2018-19 season, Gudos was known for playing for Amiens in Ligue 1, and as a midfielder, he contributed four goals and four assists in Ligue 1 that season, showing an extraordinary attacking threat. In the 2020-21 season, Gudos played a crucial role in the overtake of "Little Bee" Brentford.
In the Championship that season, Gudos played in 40 games, contributing 3 goals, 2 assists, 4 scoring chances and 0.8 key passes per game. At the same time, Gudos averaged 2 matches per game, with a success rate of 46%.
Although in the Premier League, Brentford boss Frank prefers to use Janellt, Baptiste and Jensen, and Gudos has been positioned as a rotation player, but for Iran, which has a relatively bleak midfield, the experienced, offensive and defensive Gudos can undoubtedly provide them with a metronome and a front and back link.
In addition, Iran coach Queiroz is also the main opponent of England, the septuagenarian manager was the founder of Portugal's golden generation, Figo, Rui Costa and other big stars are from his vision, in the early years he served as Ferguson's assistant coach and took up the Real Madrid whip, 12 years ago, he also personally led his country's team to the World Cup in South Africa.
Despite the doubts during his time in charge of Portugal, Queiroz has always been trusted in Iran's position. At the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, Queiroz's lineup left the runner-up Argentina cornered, and if it weren't for Messi's flying fairy, Iran would have stubbornly forced a strong opponent. At the World Cup in Russia four years ago, the Persian Iron Rider under Queiroz was equal with Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal, and finally shook hands 1-1.
I believe that in this World Cup, Queiroz who has coached Iran for more than ten years will make a surprise and strive to upset again, and their first opponent England is the first touchstone.
(Supines/Harry)