Farhad Majidi, a proactive coach and effective communicator, was able to inspire Esteghlal players on and off the pitch. He was the primary source of adding an Italian football technician, Gabriele Pin, to the team’s room technical staff as his advisor and assistant. The move paid off handsomely.

They reinforced their attacking line by signing two skillful and positionally intelligent attacking players, Rudy Gested, a former Aston Villa player as their front striker and physically aggressive striker, also a prolific goalscorer, Arthur Yamga, who managed to score 10 goals and acted as the main attacking initiator.

From the beginning, Esteghlal adopted a very flexible 3-4-3-1 formation; Majidi’s side went on impressive unbeaten runs despite not being at their best in all their matches. Their defense has been superbly organized, which would have been unthinkable at the start of the season. Their defensive record of conceding only 10 goals was remarkable.

The back-three consisted of three central defenders, proved to be resilient and compact, and showed good understanding with their goalkeeper, Hossein Hosseini. They were ably supported by Esteghlal’s disciplined midfield line.

Amirhossien Hosseinzadeh was Esteghlal’s prodigy, naturally gifted player who represented Iran in the 2017 FIFA U17 World Cup in India.

It is tough to find a professional team that perform at a high level during every Pro League game. Still, Esteghlal’s performance, team unity, and clear game model for different opponents were convincing and exceeded expectations.

Esteghlal went on to win the title without losing a single match; they achieved something many thought it would never happen.

Whether it was the greatest ever team in Iran Professional League history is up for debate, but Farhad Majidi’s side achieved something that is yet to be matched.

Finally, this championship title hasn’t been about the team’s stars hitting their peak; it has been about good leadership, motivated squad, versatility and adaptability, and getting the job done

The post The longest unbeaten run in the Iran Football Pro League appeared first on Iran News Daily.

Iran’s Health Ministry on Tuesday reported 5,039 new cases of the novel coronavirus in the previous 24 hours – 322 of which were fatal.

The 20th edition of the Iranian pro league was to kick off on October 31, instead of November.

“Given the coronavirus crisis, the Sports Medicine Federation is to decide on sporting events and activities in the country, so we ordered the Football Federation to suspend the league,” Masjedi said on Tuesday.

“Two athletics and horse racing competitions have already been called off,” added the Iranian official, though he said no new decisions have been made on other sports.

The first matchday of the new season will see Persepolis, eyeing a record-extending fifth consecutive league title, start its campaign at Saipa, with archrival Esteghlal, having Mahmoud Fekri as the new manager, taking on newly-promoted Mes Rafsanjan.

Amir Qalenoei will have a reunion with former club Sepahan when his new team Golgohar Sirjan hosts the Isfahan-based side.

Alireza Mansourian, meanwhile, will make his debut on Tractor’s bench with a home fixture against Naft Masjed Soleyman, while Javad Nekounam’s Foolad Khuzestan, which stole the headlines with a third-spot finish last season, will have a trip to Isfahan to face Zob Ahan.

The League Organization of the federation said it will announce the new dates and kickoff times of the rescheduled opening matchday in the coming days.

The post Persian Gulf Pro League Postponed till November 6 appeared first on Iran News Daily.

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Media reports suggest that the Isfahan-based football club has canceled its training until further notice.

The Iran Professional League (IPL) will resume on June 18.

Acting head of Iran Football League Organization Soheil Mahdi has already said if five players of a team test positive for COVID-19, the team’s matches will be canceled.

The post Sepahan Training Suspended after Coronavirus Outbreak in Team appeared first on Iran News Daily.

Tractor, Machine Sazi, Gol Gohar, and Nassaji are reluctant to continue the Iran Professional League (IPL) due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Some other teams want to continue the league with 10 weeks remaining.

Soheil Mehdi, head of the league organization, has said they will soon make a decision about whether the league will continue or not.

The post Iran Football League Organization May Cancel Season appeared first on Iran News Daily.

The iconic player is in Iraq at the moment after the Iran Professional League was postponed due to COVID-19.

“This is my last season in Persepolis and I want to experience another league,” Resan said in an interview with Qatari newspaper Al Watan.

“I’ve received many offers from Persian Gulf countries and Espanyol as well. But I will wait until the end of the season to make the best decision,” he added.

Bashar Resan had already been linked with a move to Al Sadd of Qatar.

The post Bashar Resan to Leave Persepolis Next Season appeared first on Iran News Daily.

The decision was taken amid fears of further spread of COVID-19 in the country.

The escalating outbreak in Iran has killed 107 people and infected more than 3,500, according to Iran’s Health Ministry.

The coronavirus epidemic has had a major impact on the global sporting calendar, with a host of events canceled or postponed, and raised alarm bells for Tokyo Olympics organizers.

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