Possession just a number in Iran’s success
KOCHI: Placed with Germany, Guinea and Costa Rica in Group C, not many expected Iran to cruise to the knockout stages.
But Iran didn’t just do that, they edged out Mexico in the last 16 to face European champions Spain in the quarters on Sunday.
This is Iran’s best show in this tournament. And a win over Spain will pit them against Ghana or Mali in the semis.
A striking aspect of Iran’s success has been how they have let rivals enjoy possession.
Iran’s average possession of 41.5 % across four games doesn’t illustrate their domination.But Iran were ruthless going forward. They racked up 89 attempts on goal, 31 of them on target. They had more attempts on goal in each game.
Possession may be everything in a universe dominated by Barcelona, but managers like Jose Mourinho have won by blocking waves of attacks by rivals. Leicester City won the 2015-16 Premier League title with a possession of only around 35-40%.
Against Guinea, Iran had only 40 % possession, but 23 attempts on goal, six of them on target. They won 3-1. In their 4-0 win over Germany, Iran had 25 shots, 12 on target (43% possession).
Against Costa Rica, Iran had 48% of the ball, but 23 shots (five on target). They allowed the rivals just five shots on goal.
In the 2-1 win over Mexico in the Round of 16, Iran had 35% possession.
While they allowed 17 shots, with five on target, Iran had 18 tries with eight on target.
“Although spending so much time behind the ball definitely saps your energy, we give our all for the team’s success, and winning the match means we’ve achieved our goal,” midfielder Mohammad Sharifi told FIFA.com.
It is a ploy that is likely to come in handy against Spain. Iran scored 12 goals, but let in just two in four games due to organised defending. “Our first objective is to keep a clean sheet. The second is to score a goal, and the third is to defend our advantage and win,” defender Taha Shariati told FIFA.com.
Strikers Allahyar Sayyad and Younes Delfi have scored five of Iran’s goals, but the key to Iran’s success has been patience off the ball and speedy counter-attacks.
Iran allowed Germany time on the ball, but little space. German coach Christian Wuck attributed the loss to Iran’s ability to win tackles.
Against Spain, the Iranian backline will be keen to impose its physical presence on the skilful Sergio Gomez and Ferran Torres, so effective on the flanks.
Targeting Gomez and Torres will be key to stopping the supply to forwards Abel Ruiz and Cesar Gelabert.
However, it remains to be seen whether Spain coach Santiago Denia drops one of his forwards for a midfielder to counter Iran’s aggression at middle of the park.