Lovin Predicts – 2022 World Cup Match 2: England vs Iran
The FIFA World Cup 2022 will be held in Qatar from 20th November to 18th December. 32 teams will compete across 64 matches, and Lovin Malta will be sharing its analysis, predictions and key battles on the pitch ahead of some of the most important matches.
England vs Iran: Overview
After elimination against Iceland at Euro 2016, it seems as though the English national team had reached a nadir. Not much expectation was laid on them for the Russia 2018 World Cup, so Gareth Southgate named a young, talented but inexperienced squad for the tournament.
What has followed since is arguably the best era for the national team since their World Cup victory in 1966. A semi-final run in Russia, then a run to the final in Euro 2020 has given the national team some new-found belief and confidence. The Three Lions players are starting to sense that victory in a major tournament is near.
Nonetheless, they do enter this tournament in poor form after finishing bottom in their Nations League group (containing Hungary, Italy and Germany) with questions being asked about Southgate in the press. A talented Iranian team, making their 3rd World Cup under wily coach Carlos Queiroz, may sense that a chance of causing an upset is well and truly on the cards, which if achieved, will jolt their chances of progressing from the Group Stages for the first time.
Will England manage to kick-start their campaign with a victory, or will Iran stun The Three Lions and take home the 3 points themselves?
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Tactics & Formations:
Not going to lie here, this is not easy to predict, given the different amount of systems both teams have used over the course of 2022.
The system that seems to yield the best results for England is the 3-4-3, which gives them better solidity then a back 4 would allow and still allow their star attackers to shine. I will suspect that they will face an Iranian team that will line-up in a 4-1-4-1 formation, looking to contain the English attack with an organized block and hit them on the counter where spaces will be bound to open.
Key Battles on the Pitch:
1) Jude Bellingham (19yo Borussia Dortmund (GER) Central Midfielder) VS Saeid Ezatolahi (26yo Velje BK (DEN) Central Midfielder)
At 19 and half years of age, Jude Bellingham can already count on an appearance at the Euros, along with playing over 100 senior professional football games at the top-level. Possessing technical and mental qualities that simply belie his age, Qatar 2022 represents a perfect opportunity for Jude to strut his stuff and show he is ready to increase his influence in the England set-up and arrange a future transfer to one of football’s behemoth clubs.
His counterpart in Game 1 will be Ezatolahi, an intelligent defensive midfielder who is a regular at the base of Iran’s midfield. Capable of tackling, intercepting and long- range passing, he will do his team’s chances a world of good should he nullify Bellingham and allow Iran control of the middle of the pitch.
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2) Phil Foden (22yo Manchester City (ENG) Attacking Midfielder) VS Ehsan Hajsafi (32yo AEK Athens (GRE) Left-Back)
Another young player looking to make an impact on his first World Cup, Man City dynamo Phil Foden has established himself as one of the world’s top upcoming players already.
Two-footed, creative, explosive, Foden has all the tools in his Arsenal (sorry, pun intended) to take Qatar by storm. His first task will be to get the better of Iran’s captain, the reliable Hajsafi.
One of only two players in the Iran squad who is making his 3rd consecutive World Cup, Hajsafi is hoping to lead Iran to history by making the knockout stages. He will do his chances no harm should he and his team-mates be able to keep Foden quiet.
3) John Stones (28yo Manchester City (ENG) Centre-Back) VS Mehdi Taremi (30yo FC Porto (PRT) Striker)
Coming up to this edition of the World Cup, I am of the opinion that England only has one Centre-Back who is guaranteed of a starting spot, and that is John Stones. The ball-playing defender will be integral to England’s hopes of keeping it clean at the back, he will also be tasked with potentially launching attacks thanks to his good range of passing and vision.
He will have to be very alert to contain Iran’s danger man, Mehdi Taremi, who is entering the tournament in blistering form. 5 goals in the Champions League groups this season says enough about this forward, who is looking to write his name in Iranian folklore this winter.
Prediction:
Group B is definitely one of the more interesting groups in this tournament, as I believe all the teams are relatively strong and can cause problems for each other. England know that they must win to relieve any pressure, external and internal.
Whilst I do not think this will be a walk in the park, I still think the English are too strong for the plucky Iranians, and will give them the 3-1 victory. I also think that the Netherlands will be too strong for Senegal, so they should win by 2 goals, and the Welsh and Americans will nullify each other for a low-scoring draw (1-1 or 0-0).
Let the football festival well and truly begin!
Cover photo credits: Left – England national football team, Right: Iran national football team
Darren Abela is a sports correspondent with a keen interest in football analysis, Inter Milan, and anything Ferrari.
What’s your prediction for the England-Iran game?