I remember you as Babak Golriz from Irankicks and we used to debate on that site as well. I remember you were a supporter of Branco while I was one of the earliest guys on that site that started criticizing him. In short, we don't see football the same way. The same you who backed a coach who was as sterile as vanilla ice cream without the sugar (or a Yobs stubborn moron, you choose
) and as conservative as they come, sticking to Ali Daei as a full time starter for 4 years till the age of 36 (enough said...), now criticizes Ghotbi indirectly for not having brought new players to the TM. Well, Ghotbi has brought quite a few new players to TM and the evidence is right there on the pitch. Rezaei, Gholmai, Hajsafi, Ansarifard, Nouri, Heydari et al all get substantial playing time and they were all either not getting any playing time or were seldom used under previous coaches. So, facts say other than what you mention there. As far as the age of TM goes, we had multiple players over the age of 30 under Branco, here there is only Nekounam and Nouri who are over 30. In big tournaments like AC, EVERY coach goes with the best team they got and usually that will not result in having a team of youngsters out there. But there is a far cry between having a Cholagh striker and a bunch of over 30 players, than having one or two at 30 and a team avg age of 27/28, where you get at least 4 more years of peak performance out of most of those guys.
Another angle that is neglected in your post is the motivation, togetherness, and conditioning of TM, that was SELF EVIDENT on the pitch against Iraq. TM destroyed Iraq in the 2nd half, we kicked their ASS all over the pitch, they WILTED under the relentless runs and pressure by our team. That is coaching
Also, lets not forget the rebellion in the WC inside TM against Branco due to his biased and stubborn player selection, most specifically A. Daei....That has not happened under Ghotbi. That is again to his credit.
Another item is that Ghotbi has given playing time to an EXTENSIVE number of players in TM. To the point that some on this site were complaining about Ghotbi "not knowing his team just before AC". As a result, we can easily field a half dozen different starters without a substantial drop in the overall TM level. That is something we have hardly EVER had in our TM and I have followed it for over 40 years. In short we have a YEKDAST, PORNAFAS, JANGANDEH ***TEAM*** under Ghotbi's coaching. He is not a genius, he is not the world's best coach, but he IS the most competent coach our TM has had in a long long time.
We don't have as many big name stars on this team than other periods in the past, but *names* don't win matches, *teams* do.
P.S.
And someone who supported Branco, will have a hard timing justifying his complaints about the lack of a youth movement under any other coach.
