Did Queiroz Choose the Right Goalkeeper?

 

Though Monday’s match between Iran and Nigeria has met with very little praise, much has been said about Iran’s strong defence against the African Cup of Nations winning team.

It’s unlikely that, ahead of tomorrow's game with Argentina, Iran’s manager Carlos Queiroz will swap out Alireza Haghighi for one of Iran’s other goalkeepers—particularly given the attention Haghighi received on social media for his hair gel and sex appeal. Yet Haghighi was not guaranteed to lead Team Melli into the 2014 World Cup. Has Queiroz made the right choice?

Rahman Ahmadi: Hope...and Uncertainty

Sepahan Football Club’s goalkeeper was instrumental in Iran’s ascent to the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Considering that Iran’s defence is the team’s key to progressing to the next stage—they must hold off Argentina on Saturday, and prevent the team from gaining a further three points—perhaps Queiroz should have chosen Ahmadi as the team’s first goalie: After Persepolis, Sapahan had the best defensive line in the 2013-2014 Iranian upper league.

But Ahmadi has been inconsistent, moving teams regularly. From 2003-2004, he manned goal for Iranian team Shemushack Noshahr, leaving for Saipa Alborz in summer 2004. Though he stayed there for four seasons, since summer 2010, when he joined Persepolis, he has changed teams every season.

Ahmadi’s failure to settle has affected his technical ability. His style is like that of Hadi Tabatabaei, who played on Iran’s national team between 1997 and 2000. Tabatabaei was very good at catching a straight fast kick but could not handle sideline kicks.

During the three final qualifying games against Qatar, Lebanon and South Korea, Ahmadi communicated effectively with the team’s defensive line, giving the team a formidable and smooth defense. For one of Iran’s other goalkeepers, Daniel Davari, the combination of goal protection and a perfect rapport with defenders comes less easily because, having been raised in Germany, his Persian is not up to scratch and Queiroz has asked defendants to communicate with him in English. 

Against the likes of Bosnian high-kicking Edin Džeko, Ahmadi might have had some problems. But perhaps he’d do well against Argentina, which tends to use fewer high kicks in its offensive strikes.

Daniel Davari: Solid European Experience but an Uneven Record

Daniel Davari has been more consistent. He played for the German football club Mainz in 2005 and joined Braunschweig in 2009.

But at the end of the 2013-2014 season, Braunschweig was relegated to second division, having conceded 60 goals. In May, he signed a contract with Swiss team Grasshopper Club Zürich.

The 26-year-old is better than Ahmadi at handling sideline shots. But, unlike Ahmadi, he is less comfortable with high-flying kicks, which was clearly demonstrated in Iran’s match with Guinea. His difficulty in communicating in Persian with Iran’s defensive line has been highlighted as a real weakness. Yet he has solid European experience, which might have set him in good stead to defend Iran’s goal for the World Cup.

Is Alireza Haghighi Ready?

In the end, Queiroz went with Portugal’s Sporting Clube da Covilha player Alireza Haghighi, who’s played for the national side on and off since 2002.

Haghighi joined Iranian team Persepolis when he was 16 but has never been a principal goalkeeper, whether playing in Iran, Russia or Portugal. Commentators don’t point to any particular weaknesses—apart from his lack of experience. He’s spent much of the past four years on the bench and, despite receiving praise from former Iranian goalkeepers, the 26-year-old has failed to turn into a self-confident keeper. He performed well In Iran’s recent friendly with Belarus but it remains to be seen whether those who predicted he would have a bright future were right.

Football fans will find out tomorrow whether Queiroz’s final decision was the right one.

 

To find out everything you need to know about Iran’s national football team, click here