Iran’s Ivankovic: “We can put goals past any team”

FIFAworldcup - A crucial 2-0 win over Jordan put Iran back on track in their hunt to reach the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ finals. Branko Ivankovic’s talented squad are currently in top spot alongside Jordan with an equal number of points, but just in front on goal difference. On 13 October the Iranians will travel to Doha to take on Qatar in their next FIFA World Cup qualifier. And according Ivankovic it will be another stiff test for Team Melli. FIFAworldcup.com recently caught up with the Croatian-born boss to talk about the team’s winning streak, and plans for the future.

Congratulations on your side’s 2-0 victory, Branko. Now sitting atop of your group on goal difference ahead of Jordan, are you quite confident for you will advance to the final qualifying round as top finishers?
Thanks, it was a nice game for us. Our team played well even though they were under a lot of pressure, and we eventually broke through and grabbed the three points. I am satisfied to see they are continuing the good form they showed in the Asian Cup.

What is more important, the match will boosts their morale and enhance self-confidence. Now they believe they are strong and can contend with any team in the region.

Bayern Munich midfielder Vahid Hashemian has returned to the national team after a three-year self-exile. How did you persuade him to come back?
He is a good player and his return greatly increases the team’s attacking potential. He has had some problems with the FA and he decided not to return until the problems were sorted out. Now that is all behind him.

Since I took over the team, I have spoken to him many times about his return to Team Melli. I traveled to Germany last year to meet with him and our other German-based players. And the Iranian FA also opened a dialogue with him. Frankly, I am thrilled to see that he is coming home.

Now with Hashemian and Aziz back in the team, are you going to make any changes to the 4-2-3-1 formation which you have used in the past?
Yes, with so many talented players it is easier for us to make changes and become more versatile. I actually made some tactical changes in the 2-0 with Jordan. I had Karimi and Ali Daei roving up front and Hashemian dropping in behind as an attacking midfielder alongside Mahdavikia to enhance our power and options in attack. We had no choice but to win the match, so we needed to control the game going forward.

We were the better side in that match and we produced at least three or four good chances to score in the first half alone, while Jordan rarely threatened. We created more chances in the second half with Nahedi Nikbakht and Daei putting two of them away.

With Iran three points behind Jordan, the match in Amman must have been a very tough one. How did you prepare for it?
The team were called up after only a 15-day break following the stresses of the Asian Cup. So what I needed to do was to build up their confidence and bring back their self-belief. And I also had to convince them not to get too focused on the pressure.

With a goalless first half, it seemed the match was going Jordan’s way. What did you say to your players in the dressing room at halftime?
Jordan are a resilient team. You need to play with patience against them and always keep total concentration as any mental lapse could result in disaster. So I told them to defend well and encouraged them to play attacking football. In the second half, we proved we were the better team.

Sending in Nahedi Nikbakht proved a turning point. Why did you make the substitution?
With only 20 minutes to go we had to push forward to open the scoring. Nikbakht is a tricky attacking player, so I sent him on. I also replaced Kaebi with Javad Kazemeyan to add another option up front. Meanwhile, I ordered Daei and Hashemian to play more closely with each other to produce more chances to score. Nikbakht’s goal made all the difference.

Ali Daei sealed the 2-0 victory with a last-minute goal. Are you surprised that he is still such a force at 35 years of age?
Age is not a problem for Ali Daei, at least not for the time being. He has proven that he is still in great form and he keeps on scoring crucial goals. He works very hard and gives his best all the time. He has been the leader of this team for a while now and he is still doing a great job. I don’t know when he will leave us, but as long as he remains in this form and he wants to play he will have a place.

Will the next match against Qatar on 13 October be an easier contest?
I respect Qatar and they have shown they have made a lot of progress through the years. At least on paper Iran, Jordan and Qatar, all have a chance to top the group. So we have to prepare well for the match if we want to sail on safely.

How are you going to prepare your team for the match?
The team will probably be summoned for training camp in early October but I have no idea what will happen later because my contract with the Iranian Football Association will expire then. I will discuss this matter with the FA in the next few days I am sure.

But all of our top players will be called up, as the Qatar match is critical to our campaign.