Editorial Part I: Daei picked the right team

31 of the 32 players were outfield players, which are more than three entirely different teams in only ten qualification matches. If you’d ask an outsider he’d say there you have a big problem. Though since we know better, we can’t really blame this on Daei, can we? Why? Because he took over a team in bad shape, with no preparations and with very few players. Daei simply had to build a new team with new players during very crucial and hard times. Daei did so and cruised through the first round unbeaten by introducing "new" players like Masoud Shojaei and Mehdi Rahmati. Okey lets be fair, it was anything but cruising but nothing else was expected playing away in Damascus, Al Ain and Kuwait City. Lets not forget that Iran under Branko were in a equally bad position four years ago after losing for the first time in over 20 years at home in a competitive match. Late goals away to Jordan and Qatar saved Iran from a humiliating crash out in the first round. Later in the second round Iran had a much easier path to the World Cup than they have had this time around and honestly most of us believe that Iran four years ago were much more prepared and had a better team than they do today. Heck, I was in Azadi four years ago watching Iran outplaying one of the better Japanese teams ever and I was in Azadi a few months ago seeing Iran draw a South Korea far off its best. So lets not make that comparison, by now we know what ageing has done to Karimi, Mahdavikia and Hashemian who shined that Norouz day under the hot Tehran sun. Lets not blame Daei for not having a youth potion to handle out in the locker room. Not to forget that Korea DPR is like night and day compared to four years ago (they have only lost once to Iran in eleven qualification games and only conceded four goals in total, two of them against Iran).

Daei who has gone to the history as the best Asian striker ever has had a positive "bias" towards target forwards since he hang up his boots and picked up coaching. Whenever he picked a lone striker, he picked a target forward. Whenever he picked two strikers he always wanted one to target, and when Iran lacked one he was forced to do without one. Though when Hashemian was available then so was this positive "bias" of Daei’s. The "Helicopter" that had crashed long ago has only scored one goal since November 2006. He’s last goal came over one and a half year ago! Only one goal in two and a half years! Though lacking "target forward" replacements to Hashemian as Khalili got injured Daei yet again opted for Hashemian who once was the equal fourth best goal scorer in the Bundesliga together with Berbatov (they scored 32 goals together in the 2003/04 season). Though Hashemian could not deliver and was poor away to Saudi Arabia, away to UAE and again poor at home to South Korea. Daei had rightfully lost his patience and this "bias" of having a target forward in a 4-5-1 formation. Daei now once more standing face-to-face to the "sons of desert" picked the eleven best players and formed a game plan that suited them the best. Daei had picked the right team!