The Asian Cup kicked off last weekend in impressive style, with a great mix of convincing performances, underdog shocks and some good old fashioned terrible defending on show. Despite some disappointing attendances at many of the matches, some of the football offers hope we are about to see a competitive stage going forward, while the underachievement of some of the big guns alludes to a greater consistency of play across the continent. Summing up the first week of action, I’ve picked out a player, team and talking point for further focus.
The Player
The devastating news on the eve of their Asian Cup opener that star midfielder Salman Al-Faraj was ruled out of the entire tournament, was a hard blow to take for Saudi Arabian fans, but one that might have been eased by the evolution of a new centre midfield partnership. Al-Faisaly midfielder Abdulaziz Al-Bishi, who has slowly become a regular at the heart of the midfield in the last few months, had a stand out performance alongside Abdullah Otayf in the fulcrum of the Green Falcons set up against North Korea, complemented perfectly with two assists in their 4-0 victory.
It perfectly summed up his impact, that Al-Faraj wasn’t really missed at all. Otayf, continuing his World Cup form, of industrious, tireless play in front of the back four, Al-Bishi dictated play off his diminutive partner, roaming around the centre of the park, quick to create and intuitive in his movement. A quick pass out to the left stretched the North Korean defence, to allow Hatem Bahebri to cut in and open the scoring, while a direct inside run caught the opposition napping once again, allowing Al-Bishi to cut back for Al-Dawsari to clinch a third goal. It was a low-key performance on the face of it, but it allowed others to shine.
His progression to date has been slow, but after his summer move from Al-Shabab, Al-Bishi has subsequently nailed down domestic starts, was integral in Saudi Arabia’s Asian Games run, whilst continually impressing for the seniors since. While Saudi Arabia’s 4-0 win on paper looks to headline a side in promising form, there are plenty of questions still to be asked at both ends of the pitch. Al-Bishi’s form of late however, ensures the centre third remains the Kingdom’s most prized asset.
The Team
With Australia, South Korea and Japan all experiencing varying degrees of scares in the first round of matches, pre-tournament favourites Iran shrugged off the pressure in a crushing 5-0 victory over Yemen. While the performance may have been aided in their opposition’s collapse (after an initially promising first 10 minutes), Iran forced their hand, demonstrating some eye-catching attacking fluidity, dynamic midfield play and generally a positive attitude that some (me included) doubted of them ahead of the tournament.
Support striker Mehdi Taremi headlined the performance with a first half brace illustrating his importance to Team Melli; first he reacted quickest off a keeper spillage to slot home, secondly a perfectly directed header from distance. On paper he’s rarely been seen as an eye-catching option but offers much more than the sum of his parts. His link up play with Sardar Azmoun, and the highly effective Mehdi Torabi, who stepped up in place of the injured Alireza Jahanbakhsh was an aspect to saviour, and something they’ll undoubtedly need to rely upon going forward.
Further back apart from the initial scare, Iran defended as Iran do under Carlos Queiroz, an area they’ll continue to excel going deeper into the tournament. The recall and subsequent performance of Ashkan Dejagah gave further hope that depth will also be key over the next month. His initiative and speed in transition helped Iran tick over and threaten Yemen’s napping defence, while his freekick (which inexplicably hasn't been chalked down as a goalkeeping own goal) was the cherry on top of his individual display. Plenty to be pleased about, as Iran march on ominously.
The Talking Point
Ever since the draw was made, and with the expansion to 24 teams allowing more inexperienced and weaker sides to enter the tournament, few shocks were predicted in the opening rounds, yet we’ve already been treated to a number. UAE struggled in their opener against Bahrain, having to rely upon questionable officiating to secure a draw, reigning champions Australia were stung by a well drilled counter display by Jordan, Southeast Asian heavyweights Thailand were crushed by India, all while the likes of China, Korea and Japan all looked shaky before forcing victories over the line.
It led to some to dig into the reasons why this was the case. Some suggested it was tactics; sides with less possession hitting opposition on the counter surely had a greater say early on, while it could be considered a condensing of the pack thanks to the new and more strenuous international calendar could’ve provided closer fought contests. But for the eventual result, the likes of Philippines, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan all put in competent displays, when few really gave them much hope in the tournament’s build-up.
In the end, Iran and Saudi Arabia’s dominant performances to end the week suggest a lack of familiarity in the dugout may have damaged those elite nations more than them merely being caught off guard. New coaches in charge of Australia, Korea and Japan clearly have further work to achieve in finalising their state of play, while a severe lack of form going into the Asian Cup for China, Thailand and hosts UAE meant few should’ve expected a tournament bounce from the get go. Given third in the group allows progression, there’s a long way to go to be sure of a big shock exit or two, but for now it makes for fascinating viewing.
No comments:
Post a Comment