Not too friendly with friendlies!

The world out there is that Iranian Football Federation is afraid of scheduling more friendly games because if they lose one or two they may get too much heat coming down on them. That’s too bad because friendly games are not much more than tune up tools for the coaching staff of the national teams. Good results in these games do not necessarily guarantee a team’s success in the World Cup, but not having enough of them is certain to guarantee a disadvantage in terms of preparation.

South Korea has already played 11 friendly games and they plan on playing a few more. Iran has played only four. This does not bode well for Team Melli’s chances in Group D.