Speaking in the wake of his team's 1-0 win over South Korea in Seoul, the 46 year-old also praised his managerial counterpart Cho Kwang-Rae.
“I’m proud of Korean soccer,” said Ghotbi, quoted by the Korean Herald. “I know Cho [Kwang Rae] wants to play beautiful soccer, total soccer, with short passes, but my advice is don’t lose the strong side but add what he thinks."
Iran outmuscled their opponents to record an impressive away win as the build-up continues to the 2011 Asian Cup in Qatar, where both nations will consider themselves among the heavy favourites to lift the trophy.
Ghotbi sounded out a warning to his former employers though about their lack of decisiveness in front of goal; a weakness that came to the fore as the Koreans failed to make their possession and territorial dominance count in their latest friendly encounter.
“I think, like always, Korea needs more chances to score at the international level," Ghotbi said.
"That is always going to be a problem for them. The attackers need to be sharper."