ID :
332509
Wed, 06/18/2014 - 08:08
Auther :

Quiroz: Iran Not Boasting, Argentina Iran’s Major Challenge

Sao Paolo, June 18, IRNA – Iranian national football team is not boasting after a draw with Nigeria; Iran will face other competitors humbly; our major challenge will be in game versus Argentina, Iran’s Head Coach Carlos Quiroz said here Tuesday. “I still believe the majority assume there are only three teams in Group F, with the experts believing that Argentina is the top team in this group, while either Nigeria, or Bosnia ranking 2nd. Of course they are right about Argentina,” said the national team’s Portuguese head coach in a press conference. He said that Iran does deserve being present in the World Cup games and this has not been a gift, as the national football team has fought for it seriously, stressing that “I had said so also a few days ago.” “My objective is that after each game my players will stand tall and I assure all the fans of the Iranian football team that they can be proud of their team,” added Quiroz. He said that Argentina has throughout the past 40 years had a top football team in the world and finding a world favorite national football team as Argentina is a tough job. “Credit does not lead to gaining victory in football though and no result in football world is known in advance,” he said, listing two of the major facts in football. He said that playing versus Argentina is one of Iran’s toughest games in the World Cup, stressing that “We consider it as the greatest challenge before us.” “We will try to display a challenging spirit and will send to the field our best stars in this game,” added the head coach. Quiroz said that the best Iranian player in the field versus Argentina is the Iranian national football team’s high team spirit. On Ashkan Dezhagah’s present day performance level, the team’s head coach said that Dezhagah was injured during the previous football season and is proceeding successfully. “He performed well in the game versus Nigeria,” said Quiroz. He added that when the other team knows that one of the players of the competing team plays in the top league of the UK it intimidates them, adding, “I am pleased with Dezhagah’s performance, because he had a tough job and kept the ball in his possession well.” He said that a team that challenges its competent for a whole 90 minute is definitely respectable for its fans and its supporters and that his players have thus far achieved that objective which is why there is no reason why they would not do so versus Argentina. “We have our plan and strategy and we will try to implement then with concentration and organizing in the football field. We will be very glad if the players will do the same in the next game,” said the Iranian team’s head coach. A reporter asked whether the best player of the field in Iran-Nigeria match could have been from Iran. Quiroz said, “I, too, am agreed that another player should have been chosen, but if you would introduce an unknown player against the famous icons of the financial sponsors as the best player, they (the FIFA) will not be pleased.” He said that if we will have players that play in such teams as the Liverpool and Chelsea we will have an easy job, but in order to reach that level of football we have a long way to go. On his reason for choosing Ali-Reza Haqiqi in the game versus Nigeria as the goalkeeper, while during the World Cup preliminary games other goalkeepers were in the field, Quiroz said, “There is no need to say anything when you have seen the game.” A reporter compared the Iranian team’s style with the teams coached by Jose Marino. Quiroz replied, “I do not know whether that is praising our performance, or criticizing it, but I must say that the coaches must use their means and control them.” “When we had Ronaldo in the Portuguese national football team a number of players of the other team had to harness him, but now we need to work with what we have at hand,” he said. To a question on how the Iranians are going to face Lionel Messi, Quiroz said, “We should not focus on a single player. We should try to control the Argentinean team and beware of all their players.”/end

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