Amir Ghalehnoei expressed hope regarding the selection of Yahya Golmohammadi as the head coach of the National U-23 Team, wishing that with Golmohammadi's presence and the national football team, a good process will take place and a suitable generational change will occur in Iranian football.
Coaching Challenges in the National Team
Ghalehnoei spoke about coordinating with the head coach of the U-23 team, saying: "We had a meeting yesterday. I have known Golmohammadi for a long time; he is from our neighborhood and is a great coach with a good resume. I hope he succeeds in his new role. I also shared some of my national experiences with him."
Read more: Reconciliation of Hojjat Karimi and Ali Khatir at the Funeral of Hassan Habibi
The head coach of the Iranian national football team pointed out the differences between coaching in club teams and the national team, saying: "You see a great coach like Ancelotti achieving brilliant results in a club, but he may not be able to replicate that success with the Brazilian national team. The conditions of the national team are completely different from those of a club. In a club, you have about 200 training sessions to implement your tactical ideas, but in the national team, such opportunities do not exist; especially in wartime conditions."
Problems of the National Team in the Recent FIFA Window
Ghalehnoei referred to the problems of the national team in the recent FIFA window, stating: "Until the last FIFA window, our team faced four main problems; first, the league was suspended, second, club training was halted, third, the legionnaires were in difficult travel conditions, and fourth, we had placed our players at the disposal of the U-23 national team. We even gave our main players from the U-23 team to the national team."
He added: "We started training with 14 or 15 players. Therefore, the last FIFA window was one of our worst FIFA windows; especially in wartime conditions."
Ghalehnoei compared the conditions of Iran with other teams, saying: "For example, when the Japanese team wants to play in a FIFA window, they have 17 or 18 legionnaires in Europe and other parts of the world who come to Tokyo with one flight. But for us, even bringing one player from Iraq requires about 30 hours of travel. The conditions for players from Russia are also difficult."
He emphasized: "In the FIFA window, especially for the first match, we practically enter the competition without training. The match against Uzbekistan was also held under such conditions, which makes things very difficult."
Ghalehnoei continued about the opportunity created for the U-23 national team, saying: "Fortunately, the camps of the U-23 national team during the FIFA windows can be a great help to Golmohammadi. We had a meeting yesterday and prioritized the necessary tasks. God willing, we will announce the list on November 8."
He noted about the youth development program of the senior national team: "Part of our program is youth development. However, I must emphasize that youth development should not be done mistakenly. We had a good generational change in the past and appropriate youth development took place, but from now on, we want to accelerate this process a bit more."
The national team coach concluded about cooperation with the U-23 team, saying: "In the building where we are present, the U-23 national team did not have a room before, but since I arrived, we have allocated a room to this team. This will create closer communication and more coordination between the two national teams."
Read more: The Postponement of the Asian Cup Brought Joy to Ahmad Noorollahi · Mehdi Taremi's Presence in Esteghlal's Camp Before the Match Against Al-Shabab
