Gareth Southgate’s England kick off their latest World Cup campaign against Iran on November 21st. But while the Western Asian outfit might be the least recognisable of the Three Lions’ group-stage opponents – England will also go toe-to-toe with the USA and next-door neighbours Wales – no one should be taking this Iran side lightly.
Not with the ‘new Mo Salah’, a Puskas Award nominee and Tottenham Hotspur’s one-that-got-away in their ranks.
Alireza Jahanbakhsh – Feyenoord
The only member of Carlos Queiroz’s squad with Premier League experience on his CV, Jahanbakhsh might have been a £17 million disappointment at Brighton and Hove Albion but – as Chelsea discovered a couple of seasons back – the winger’s penchant for the spectacular should not be underestimated. Remarkably, he is the second player on his list to have scored an overhead kick against The Blues. It’s a funny old game at times.
And perhaps the best piece of advice we’d have for Ben Chilwell, Luke Shaw or whoever starts in the left-back spot for England against Iran is this; expect the unexpected when Alireza Jahanbaksh is around.
Now at Feyenoord, the 29-year-old won the Eredivisie’s Golden Boot back in 2018 during a stellar campaign at AZ Alkmaar.
Sardar Azmoun – Bayer Leverkusen
During the summer of 2020, Azmoun only missed out on a move to Tottenham Hotspur after Zenit St Petersburg refused to let their free-scoring centre-forward go so late in the window.
“I had offers,” he explains. “From Lyon, Roma, Bayer (Leverkusen), and Tottenham.”
Now plying his trade in a major European league for the very first time, Azmoun is not exactly showing Spurs what they’re missing. He’s scored just once in 18 games since joining Leverkusen last January. His razor-sharp movement and aerial ability could still give England’s defence plenty of problems in Qatar however.
Especially when you consider that Azmoun, once labelled the ‘Iranian Messi’, has a staggering 40 goals from 63 caps.
Mehdi Taremi – FC Porto
Perhaps the most fearsome member of the Iranian roster, you only have to look at the goal Taremi scored against Chelsea in the Champions League to realise just how dangerous he can be, turning a half, maybe even quarter-chance into something very special. That was one of nearly 30 goals Taremi scored that season.
In total, he’s managed one every other game since joining Porto; hitting a minimum of 20 across each of the last three campaigns.
Allahyar Sayyadmanesh – Hull City
New Hull City owner Acun Ilicali is not afriad to make grand statements. Such as, for example, labelling the Tigers’ new £2 million winger the second coming of Mo Salah.
“Allahyar is like a piece of my jewellery,” Ilicali tells Hull Live of 21-year-old Sayyadmanesh. “He’s very talented and is progressing.
“I think he can be the new Mohammed Salah. I’m not saying he is that now but he can be in the future.
“When you look at the field of play, you see a guy who is moving quicker than everybody else. It’s like on the Playstation, there’s a player who is moving faster and you put him in the best positions. For me, Allahyar is that player.”
Karim Ansarifard – Omonia Nicosia
The well-travelled frontman is close to 100 caps for the Iranian national team. But, even at the age of 32, Ansarifard still has a lot left to offer. He remains a regular source of goals at AEK Athens, and will have a point to prove in front of English audiences after a difficult spell at Nottingham Forest during the 2018/19 season.
It was Ansarifard who snatched a famous draw against Portugal in the 2018 World Cup too, channelling his inner-Ronaldo with a last-gasp penalty kick. Clearly, he can be relied upon in high-pressure moments.
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