"We want to get through to the second round, but that obviously going to be a very difficult task. Everyone’s agreed that we’re in the hardest group at the World Cup, as we’ll be coming up against two title contenders in Spain and Portugal. But our duty is to go and improve on past performances and to keep making progress, not just at Russia 2018 but at the upcoming Asian competitions and the next World Cup qualifiers. The objective is to go through to the knockout phase, though we need to prepare the right way if we want to do that."
With Spain and Portugal, two powerhouse football teams, in the same group Iran has to exceed expectations to achieve Queiroz' goal, and there is no question he will be motivated to take on his former team.
"I think that playing against Portugal is an opportunity and a very special moment both for me and my players. It will be interesting to play them and Spain and Morocco. It’s going to be a very attractive group at this World Cup."With reputation and rivalry at stake, Carlos Queiroz has a lot on the line in the 2018 World Cup. The question is whether or not his willpower and coaching ability will be enough to push Iran pass the group stages.
Comment your predictions below!
Citation: http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/y=2018/m=2/news=queiroz-our-dream-reach-knockout-stage.html
Unfortunately I do not see Iran making it out of this group. I see them placing third. Iran is an interesting team however as a lot of teams struggle to win against the side. The new coach will definitely give them some inspiration and the fact that he previously coached the Portuguese side may give them an advantage in the match against them. If they can pull out a result against Portugal they may sneak into the knockout stages but besides that I think they will finish with a win and two losses.
ReplyDeleteI have to say that I agree with Ryan; I would predict Iran coming in third behind Spain and Portugal, but in front of a fourth place Morocco. While Queiroz's previous experience in coaching the rival team from Portugal brings an added benefit and advantage to the team, I do not think that that will be enough.
ReplyDeleteEven though I do not see Iran making it out of their first-round group, I would argue that their placement in this group cannot be taken as a total negative. Being placed in a group with two of the top contenders/powerhouse teams - Spain and Portugal - will probably bring massive media coverage, publicity, monetary value, and even an increased sense of national pride and unification for the team's fans. I know that if my team was the underdog in a match up with not just one, but two, of the best teams, I would definitely tune in to watch. I'd probably tune in even if it wasn't my team! And, if Iran happens to beat either Spain or Portugal -or better yet, make it through to the next round - imagine the impact it would have on both the social and economic position of the team.
Do you think it is of more benefit for Iran to be in a group with Spain and Portugal, or that, from a business perspective, it would have been better to be in a group with less "powerhouse" teams?
- Jenna
Although I don’t know much about football, I really like your take on the business side of this. I agree that this is an opportunity for great coverage for Iran. If they are able to hold their own in both these games, people may start to look at them in a new light. It is a great platform for Iran to show their skills and the trajectory of the team. As an underdog, I think this is a great opportunity to start putting Iran football in peoples minds.
Delete-alison