Coaching changes also might something to do with this. This new coach is perhaps trying get more out of players way above their abilities. Also pressure of playing so many games might have taken its toll. Pressure of playing at his level against top teams around the world will catch up with you sooner or later. Iran came up short due to several factors. Our boys need to work on stamina and muscle building. Some of our players are bare bone! They wont last very long. At the same time we have to be realistic. What Iran has accomplished so far was more than their ability and perhaps that's were the max out and what they can accomplish. The have reached this far for the first time and now they have to set their goals even higher. But they must prepare themselves for the next level. The coach is a topnotch.
Great points I've seen this happen all the time and it mostly happens in American college basketball. A coach just starts a program and they expect that program to be Duke, North Carolina, Michigan State, UCLA or Kentucky right off the bat and they expect them to play at that ability. The reality is not one of those players at that ho hum school would be recruited at that campus.
As for our stamina and strength I also agree and we need to invest in a good strength and conditioning coach. I'm sure we have one but I'm talking a good foreign coach who had successful results with other teams. If you want to mash with the big boys, you need to add about 25 pounds of beef/muscle and we need to work on that stamina. I know athletes hate it but nothing works better than running or even swimming. Nothing crazy like MMA just simple workouts that increase your strength. As far as strength conditioning what helps me out personally is doing push ups, pull ups and the dreaded dead lift. It is dreaded because if you don't do it correctly, you can injure your back but our players need all around strength and that is why those workouts are used in American football and mixed martial arts.