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GOAL - In the game of football, the changing of the guard is one of the most difficult tasks coaches have to face and players have to endure. This is especially true at the national team level when as time passes, stars with legitimate achievements in the past are expected to remain in the starting lineup while age limits their skills and abilities.

It is not that often when a team with fresh set of faces steps into a major tournament and surprises all. When such an event happens as it was the case with Russians in Euro 2008, the youngsters and their head coach become the darling of fans and media.

Today is such a day in Iran’s Team Melli. Iran’s golden generation of footballers ruled the national team for almost a decade. While Ali Daei, the current national team head coach, lasted as a star forward through the 2006 world cup campaign, many other stars that started in the mid-nineties with him completed their playing days as new players took their places.

Rahman Rezai in defense, Ali Karimi and Mehdi Mahdavi Kia in midfield and Vahid Hashemain the striker represent the last of the golden generation that began their careers in the mid and late nineties. Replacing these players who are either injured or are at the twilight of their careers is not an easy task and requires planning, risk taking and independence of mind.

When Daei took over the Team Melli, many questioned his coaching experience, the process by which he was selected and his openness to outside consultation. No one however questions Daei’s independence, commitment and sense of purpose. Just in a short period of time, Daei has created a national team roster that is young and fresh, eager to succeed and also includes a good mix of experienced players.

Daei took a chance in bringing a few untested players in the national team. His plan was simple. He needed a team that would blossom to her fullest by the next world cup and on this one topic even his most outspoken critics agree with Daei. A few twists in the plot made Daei’s job easier in trying out the new players.

Injuries sidelined Capitan Mahdavikia (age 31) and Ali Karimi (age 29). Hashemian (age 32) chose not to participate in the first round of qualifying matches. In the most bizarre of circumstances, Italian based defender Rahman Rezai (age 33) showed up late to the camp and Daei excused him.

Over the last two months, Iran has found her central defenders Hosseini (who has been a regular starter since the Asian Cup) and Aghili. Rahmati (age 25) has turned into a reliable goalkeeper. In midfield, veterans Nekunam and world cup discovery Andranik Teymourian provide the experience and stability while newcomer Shojai has provided the new blood the national team needs.

More changes have taken place among the strikers as over the last two years, Daei retired, Enayati proved repeatedly ineffective and Hashemian stayed back in Germany for the first world cup qualifying round. In a few weeks, a team that scored zero goals in five matches from July 2007 through March 2008 scored ten in the subsequent five games.

Four of these games were a part of the world cup qualifying campaign. The offensive output was a result of the new players like Khalili and Gholamreza Rezai and the open and attack minded game plan that Daei prefers. Human Afazeli works as Iran’s national team assistant coach. Afazeli worked as a technical analyst under Branko Ivankovic, Iran’s national team head coach in the 2006 world cup campaign and after spending half a season as Daei’s assistant in Saipa club, Human finds himself working with Daei once more.

Last week, I spoke to Human and asked about the national team’s direction with the young players. Human was direct and to the point: “In the game of football, there comes a time that stars have to be evaluated and replaced with the younger players. These veterans have achieved a lot for the game and their country but due to their age a new generation has to come and take their place. We have great players that due to their age wouldn’t be able to lead in three or four years from today. We need to plan now to find suitable players and prepare and slowly replace them. The first round of the world cup qualifying matches allowed us to experiment and test a series of young players and set the stage for the new foundation of the national team.”

I asked Afazeli about midfielder Shojaei who has shown great potential in becoming the next Ali Karimi of Iranian football and was recently transferred to Spain’s Osasuna. Afazeli said: “Shojai has a lot of potential. In 2006 I pushed for his inclusion in the national team squad and expect a lot from him.” Another player Afazeil likes is forward Gholamreza Rezai. “I expect Rezai to adopt himself well with the international scene and become an effective player for years to come.”

Afazeli also stressed the importance of experience and admits not all the youngsters have proven themselves. He went on to say that “We recognize that we may need to bring back a few of the experienced players.” Yet, Afazeli insists that the pattern of providing opportunities to youngsters would remain as an important principle of the new coaching team.

As Iran’s national team prepares to face South and North Korea, Saudi Arabia and UAE in the second round of world cup qualifying, Daei and his staff are determined to qualify for the world cup with a young team that would reach her most potential in the summer of 2010 in South Africa.

Kaveh Mahjoob

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