Thirty-two teams will do their utmost to make it to the final in Tokyo and among them are four Iranian contenders: Esteghlal, Sepahan, Mes Kerman and Zob Ahan.
Niloufar (Nathalie) Momeni looks at the chance of that quartet of making it to the knockout stage.
Group A
Esteghlal (Al Ahli (SA), Al Gharafa, Al Jazira)
The team from Tehran is certainly not a stranger among Asian football fans. Esteghlal is historically one of the two most popular and successful teams in Iran. However, despite having one of its strongest seasons last time round under Amir Ghalenoie’s management, and despite snatching a domestic trophy at the end, the Blues failed to fulfill expectations at the 2009 Asian Champions League and fell at the group stage.
Since then however, there have been several management and technical changes at the club that could affect their 2010 campaign. The most obvious is that coach, Amir Ghalenoei has left for Sepahan
and has been succeeded by Samad Marfavi. The new boss has experimented
with different tactics and his counter-attack strategy. His emphasis
has been placed on scoring fast-paced goals by taking advantage of
opposition’s defensive flaws and such an approach has proved key to his
success so far. There are problems however. Esteghlal’s defensive holes, poor
man-marking and lack of speed in midfield will be taken advantage of
their Group A opponents.
Group B Zob Ahan (Al Ittihad, Bunyodkor and Al Wahda) Zob Ahan's club management could be a model for many smaller teams
in the league. It consists of strong club management, a long-term
vision and patience for improvement with their successful coach,
Mansour Ebrahimzadeh. This helped earn the team their Asian spot by
winning Iran Hazfi Cup trophy last season. They have continued in the
same vein this season and unlike the other three teams have changed
little Zob Ahan is built on a solid defence and never knows when it is
beaten. The team’s coach quickly got his hands on tapes of all Group B
opponents. However, being grouped in what is called by many pundits as
the “Group of Death” and vying for top two spots along with Al Ittihad,
Bunyadkor and Al Wahda is not an easy task for Zob Ahan. The chances are that this group is too hard for them to survive and this season is one too soon for Zob Ahan.
Group C Sepahan ( Domestically, Sepahan is well-known for its professional club
management, team planning and long-term vision. It is therefore not a
surprise that their outstanding club leadership, coached by Luca
Bonacic at the time, lead to Sepahan’s incredible success at 2007 Asian
Club Championship. This season as well, Sepahan management have invested heavily to
bring top players, as well as appointing Amir Ghalenoei, a coach with a
strong track record of winning trophies, in a bid for more continental
success. In the league, Sepahan’s games tend to be high-scoring and their
goals are usually scored through high crosses from both wings. However,
at times, Sepahan display defensive flaws and are vulnerable to
counter-attacks. Sepahan possess Emad Reza however, a very skilled striker, and the league’s top scorer. Regarding the chances of Sepahan in this year’s ACL, they have the
strongest squad among four Iranian teams, and they do have a big chance
of qualifying to the knock-out stage along with possibly Pakhtakor.
Group D Mes is also an interesting addition and is participating for the
first time in its history, thanks in large to their former manager,
Parviz Mazloumi, who led this small club to the higher reaches of the
league last season. The third place finish was the highest in the
club’s history. Much has changed at the club ever since their glorious season last
year though. There have been many changes at the board level, the club
has faced severe financial problems and Parviz Mazloumi was dismissed
in November. Mes replaced him with former Sepahan boss Luca Bonacic but the
team's lack of a striker could cost them and their problems in defence
suggest struggles ahead. There are several reports of rifts between Luca Bonacic and the
board, to the point that reportedly Bonacic is not as motivated as two
months ago to stay at this financially-troubled club. Esteghlal and Sepahan are the best bets to reach the second round
but with rising standards in Asia, it is always a hard prediction to
make.
Mes Kerman (Al Ahli (UAE), Al Hilal, Al Sadd)
By Niloufar (Nathalie) Momeni