" I think Japan and Iran should have met in the final, not in the quarter-finals of the 2023 Asian Cup. They are in very good form after the unexpected defeat in the group stage against Iraq. Their quality of play in the round of 16 was much better ," coach Amir Ghalenoei shared at a press conference before the match in the quarter-finals of the 2023 Asian Cup between Iran and Japan.
Japan and Iran are the two leading candidates for the championship trophy this year. They are both ranked very high in the FIFA rankings. In the group stage, Iran won all 3 matches and earned 9 points. Japan won 2 and lost 1, earning 6 points. Japan's performance was criticized by many fans.
Coach Amir Ghalenoei complained about the Iran team's match schedule.
Iran went through a tense round of 16 when they had to take penalties to defeat Syria. This caused the players' physical strength to decline seriously. They only had 2 days of rest before playing the quarter-final match against a strong opponent.
Coach Ghalenoei analyzed: “ We had less recovery time than the Japanese team. We should have finished the match against Syria in the 70th minute, but Iran did not take advantage of their chances and had a bit of bad luck. I think FIFA regulations require a minimum of 72 hours between matches, but we did not have enough time to recover. The first is the physical recovery aspect and the second is the mental recovery aspect .”
In addition, the Iranian team also suffered a heavy loss in personnel when striker Mehdi Taremi could not play due to receiving a red card in the round of 16. He was sent off after being cautioned for pulling someone, preventing the Syrian team's counterattack.
Speaking about his opponents, Japan head coach Hajime Moriyasu said: " Mehdi Taremi is suspended but they still have Sardar Azmoun and many other quality attacking options. They are capable of causing difficulties for any opponent. Our defense needs to be fully focused and ensure a clean sheet. However, I will not change my tactics just because Taremi is absent ."
According to this coach, the Japanese team also only had 2 days off like Iran. However, his team had a slight advantage when they won against Bahrain without much effort.
The match between Iran and Japan will take place at 6:30 p.m. on February 3.
Mai Phuong
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