England vs Iran Preview – Three Lions Face Tricky World Cup Opener
Today I feel English. Today I feel Iranian. Today I feel a journalist for The Sports Gazette writing an England versus Iran match preview.
So, the time has finally come. It feels odd to be talking about an actual match rather than the well documented controversies surrounding the first (and hopefully last) winter World Cup.
Thus, it feels fitting that England begin their campaign against a country that should be banned from the tournament as the Islamic Republic continues to oppress its own people.
But for the sake of this preview, I will follow the wishes of Gianni Infantino and ‘stick to the football’.
England breezed through qualifying for Qatar 2022, and had the best goals difference of any European side, scoring 39 and conceding just three. The Three Lions were penalty kicks away from winning Euro 2020, building on their impressive World Cup run in Russia that ended in the semi-finals.
And yet, pressure is still heavy on manager Gareth Southgate. This tournament feels like now or never for Southgate, and despite unconvincing recent form, this remains a highly talented squad.
Southgate is not perfect. The team setup is often seen as negative and over-cautious, but it’s easy to forget that Southgate is the most successful England manager since Sir Alf Ramsey led his country to glory in ’66.
The fan consensus is that England should be more aggressive and play four at the back. It would be surprising, given the short period teams have had to prepare for Qatar, that Southgate rips up his previous recipe for success.
England’s squad looks very similar to how it did at Euro 2020, with James Maddison, Callum Wilson and Ben White the only new additions. Expect a 3-4-3 formation for England, with Harry Maguire, Eric Dier and John Stones at the back.
Injuries to Reece James and Ben Chillwell have robbed England of arguably their two starting wing-backs, but England have depth in these areas. Kieren Trippier and Luke Shaw should step in.
England’s midfield picks itself – Rice and Bellingham will look to control the centre of the pitch and feed a front three of Saka, Sterling and captain Kane. If Kane scores three goals in this tournament, he will break Wayne Rooney’s record of 53 goals for England.
Iran’s World Cup preparation was a turbulent one. Despite his impressive record, former manager Dragan Skocic was surprisingly dumped and replaced by Carlos Queiroz to lead Team Melli in Qatar.
This will be Iran’s third successive World Cup, all of three under the leadership of Querioz. Team Melli pride themselves on defensive solidity and counter attacking threat.
Iran will rely heavily on their two star attackers – Mehdi Taermi of Porto and Sardar Azmoun of Bayer Leverkusen. Taremi, who has 13 goals in 19 games this season in Portugal, will likely line up on the left. With 40 goals in 63 games, Azmoun will be the lone striker in a 4-1-4-1 formation.
Keep an eye on goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand, who holds the Guinness World Record for the longest throw in a professional football match. Look for him to try and set Team Melli off on the counter.
Most assume the opener will be a relatively routine one for England. This is not the case. England have all the pressure on their shoulders against a disciplined Iranian, and with a spluttering frontline they could come under even more scrutiny if they fail to win the opener.
