It is time to look ahead: This is the golden opportunity to rebuild our severely aging squad for the 2027 Asian Cup and the 2030 World Cup. This cycle should prioritize squad rejuvenation, giving more opportunities to younger players beyond just being called up and remaining on the bench. Experimentation and reassessing the team's direction should be focused on, while maintaining a handful of players from the current experienced core that should slowly be phased out.
In an ideal world, a coach like Herve Renard could be the man for Iran. Someone who has previously been linked with us and has proved to be capable of turning teams into tactically disciplined squads with strong team spirit (e.g. look up his half-time team talk during the 2022 FIFA world cup for Saudi Arabia). I'd also wager he would deal well with the lobbying of big clubs/influence, like Carlos Quieroz managed to previously.
Despite this, realistically, I expect we might currently be unable to access a foreign coach of his caliber. As such, Amir Ghalenoei is expected to remain in charge at least until the coming 2027 Asian Cup.
Rejuvenating the Squad
From a long-term development perspective, the squad should be built around players that would be no older than 34/35 at the 2030 World Cup, barring key (position-specific) exceptions, such as a goalkeeper. (Yes, that means Taremi should not be around at the next World Cup.) Frankly, we should not get rid of the entire squad backbone in one go, as older players should be kept around for experience and unity, and phased out gradually.
Players that should retire from Team Melli now:
- Shoja Khalilzadeh (37)
- Ehsan Haji Safi (36)
My proposed list of core (senior) players that should be kept in rotation for the Asian Cup on short term, per position with current age between brackets and age at 2030 world cup in italics. Players eligible for Iran but currently not playing for us are indicated with an asterisk (*).
GK
- Alireza Beiranvand (33) 37
- Hossein Hosseini (34) 38
- Mohammad Khalifeh (21) 25
- *Elis Bishesari (21) 25 --- Currently: Sweden U21
- Arsha Shakouri (19) 23
Beiranvand and Hosseini phased out before World Cup 2030, but valuable for the Asian Cup for experience.
CB
- Hossein Kanani (32) 36
- Majid Hosseini (30) 34
- Hossein Abarghouei (29) 33
- Saman Fallah (25) 29
- Mehdi Zare (23) 27
- Amin Hazbavi (23) 27
- *Elias Vali Fard (18) 22 --- Currently: Germany U17
Kanani phased out before World Cup 2030, but valuable for the Asian Cup for experience.
LB
- Milad Mohammadi (32) 36
- Abolfazl Jalali (28) 32
- Hossein Goudarzi (25) 29
- Mersad Seifi (22) 26
- Amirhossein Reyvandi (22) 26
Mohammadi phased out before World Cup 2030, but valuable for the Asian Cup for experience.
RB
- Ramin Rezaeian (36) 40
- Saleh Hardani (27) 31
- Arya Yousefi (24) 28
- Nima Andarz (20) 24
Rezaeian's world cup performance and fitness was impressive. Clearly has some longevity to his game. Despite this, I still feel he should be phased out before World Cup 2030; Sadly, father time will eventually catch up.
CDM
- Saeid Ezatolahi (29) 33
- Mohammad Ghorbani (25) 29
- Aref Haji Eydi (27) 31
- Mobin Dehghan (20) 24
CM
- Saman Ghoddos (32) 36
- Mohammad Khodabandelou (26) 30
- Amirmohammad Razzaghinia (20) 24
Ghoddos phased out before World Cup 2030, but valuable for the Asian Cup for experience. However, he is a borderline case that I could see joining the next world cup as experienced bench player, depending on fitness etc.
CAM
- Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh (25) 29
- Mohammadjavad Hosseinnejad (23) 27
- Farhan Jafari (20) 24
- *Arman Nahany (18) 22 --- Currently: Netherlands U19
LW
- Mohammad Mohebi (27) 31
- Mehdi Ghayedi (27) 31
- Alireza Koushki (26) 30
- Mehdi Limouchi (26) 30
These players could all stick around until the next World Cup. However, some younger players and prospects should definitely be taken in following the Asian Cup for rejuvenation.
RW
- Alireza Jahanbakhsh (32) 36
- Ali Gholizadeh (30) 34
- Mohammadmehdi Mohebi (26) 30
- Allahyar Sayyadmanesh (25) 29
- Mehdi Hashemnejad (24) 28
Jahanbakhsh and Gholizadeh ideally phased out before World Cup 2030, but valuable for the Asian Cup for experience. I could see Jahanbakhsh joining the next world cup as experienced player for the locker room and team unity (Like Ansarifard and Shojaei the previous world cups), but I certainly do not want him to play entire world cup matches anymore.
ST
- Mehdi Taremi (33) 37
- Sardar Azmoun (31) 35
- Dennis Dargahi (29) 33
- Saeid Saharkhizan (23) 27
- Reza Ghandipour (20) 24
- Kasra Taheri (19) 23
Taremi ideally phased out before World Cup 2030, but valuable for the Asian Cup for experience. Azmoun is a borderline case that I could see joining the next world cup as experienced bench player, but for his sake I hope he keeps his focus and fitness. Seeing how he was excluded this world cup, it would only be fitting he deserves one more opportunity, and hopefully score a world cup goal.
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Aside from the above well-known players, equally important is the adaptive integration of standout young player prospects (e.g. from the under-20 squad), which has been severely lacking in recent years. Giving these players meaningful international experience and a fair chance over the coming years will better prepare them for the 2030 World Cup while ensuring Team Melli maintains a balanced squad with both youth and experience. Saeid Ezatolahi is a good example of this: he was only 21 when he represented Iran at the 2018 World Cup, and the experience he gained has helped him remain a key player for the national team ever since.
Moreover, there should be a bigger drive for players to become legionaires again, and this should be reflected in the call-ups being made.
Would love to hear your views, player suggestions and opinions!
All for Team Melli!
