This is the first time that the Croat has taken charge of a national team after coaching Kuwaiti and Saudi clubs.
TEHRAN (Iran): Iran football team coach Dragan Skocic exuded confidence that the Asian powerhouse will be back on track soon.
The west Asian national have been a mainstay at the FIFA World Cup in recent years. With Carlos Queiroz at the helm, Team Melli graced Brazil 2014 and were the first Asian side to secure a berth at Russia 2018.
And while they failed to go beyond the group stage in the latter tournament, Iran had the consolation of impressive performances there against Portugal, Spain and Morocco.
After Queiroz’s departure, the country’s football federation turned to Marc Wilmots, but after some disappointing results in the current round of Asian Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup China 2023, the Belgian was replaced.
Skocic spoke with FIFA.com about his appointment and the task ahead.
“Being in charge of IR Iran is a great honour. My commitment towards the 80 million Iranians who support their national team is huge. I’m ready for this project and am looking forward to it with immense determination,” he said.
A look at Skocic’s resume reveals that this is his first time in charge of a national team, the 51-year-old having spent all of his coaching career at clubs in Croatia and the Gulf, such as Al Araby in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia’s Al Nasr. Despite his lack of national team experience, he is well aware of the task awaiting ahead.
“In contrast to a club, working with a national team allows you to choose from a large pool of players to instil your philosophy, although the downside is that you always have limited time to implement your ideas,” the Croat added.
Iran has suffered two defeats – against Iraq and Bahrain – in their opening four games in the Asian Qualifiers. Given the quality of their squad, the team’s performance was not considered good enough. So how does the new incumbent plan to get them back on track?
“We’ll shortly be carrying out a detailed analysis of our team and those of our opponents as well. We’ll also be looking into new players who might join the squad. I have a clear idea of what’s required to improve our performances,” he said. (Source: the-AFC.com)
