Iran coach Carlos Queiroz on facing USMNT, England

Carlos Queiroz had a beauteous bully thought what helium was signing up for successful September erstwhile helium agreed to instrumentality to his erstwhile relation arsenic manager of the Iran nationalist team, 3 years aft ending his archetypal eight-year stint successful charge, connected a $50,000 declaration for 3 months' enactment culminating astatine the World Cup. Or astatine slightest helium thought helium did.

Pitched into a politically delicate radical successful Qatar alongside the United States, England and Wales -- Iranian relations with the U.S. and United Kingdom person seldom been thing different than hostile since the Islamic Revolution successful 1979 -- Queiroz would request to beryllium some shot manager and diplomat to guarantee that Iran's World Cup run passed disconnected arsenic smoothly arsenic possible.

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But wrong days of him returning to Iran, protests against the decease of Mahsa Amini, who died successful constabulary custody aft being arrested for failing to deterioration her headscarf properly, began to escalate and engulf the country.

Almost 2 months on, the concern remains volatile. Women proceed to protestation against the authorities by cutting their hairsbreadth and refusing to deterioration headscarves, with Iranian footballers, past and present, joining the protests connected societal media with posts that enactment the demands for greater rights for women and society.

Outside of Iran, calls for Team Melli -- Iran's nickname for their nationalist squad -- to beryllium kicked retired of the World Cup person been voiced by Ukraine due to the fact that of claims that the state is supplying subject hardware to Russia successful bid to enactment its penetration of Ukraine.

As nationalist squad coach, Queiroz is the starring fig of Iranian football, but the erstwhile Real Madrid manager and Sir Alex Ferguson's longtime adjunct astatine Manchester United has chosen to debar the taxable that is present consuming Iran. When asked during a grooming campy successful Tehran past week astir the ongoing protests and unrest successful the state -- and suggestions that galore wrong Iran bash not privation their squad to beryllium the look of the Islamic authorities -- Queiroz chose to steer wide of giving his sentiment connected the situation.

When ESPN spoke to Queiroz successful precocious September during a grooming interruption successful Vienna, Austria, up of friendlies against Uruguay and Senegal, helium said, "Most of the Iranian radical person a wide reply to this campaign. They privation their nationalist shot squad to enactment successful the 2022 World Cup."

The Amini protests had already begun, and the anxiousness wrong the Iranian campy led to ESPN and different Western media outlets being banned from attending the Uruguay crippled successful St. Polten earlier a U-turn connected the time of the game. Iranian concerns of protests astatine the crippled proved well-founded, with supporters ejected by the Austrian constabulary for displaying banners bearing Amini's name.

Queiroz was asked for his observations astir the concern successful Iran, but replied by saying, "I person nary thoughts."

His presumption was clear. He would speech astir football, and Iran's prospects successful Qatar, but everything other was disconnected limits. The 69-year-old had defied the Iranian Football Federation hierarchy by adjacent agreeing to talk to ESPN, but nonetheless, it was to beryllium shot questions only.

The concern successful Iran has escalated alternatively than subsided since mid-September, but with the World Cup owed to commencement successful conscionable implicit a week and Iran owed to look England successful their opening crippled astatine the Khalifa Stadium connected Nov. 21 earlier their gathering against the United States astatine Al Thumama Stadium successful the last Group B crippled connected Nov. 29, Queiroz's views connected the radical are below.

ESPN: Iran has been written disconnected arsenic the no-hoper successful the group, contempt being 20th successful the FIFA satellite rankings, conscionable beneath Wales (19) and the U.S. (16), truthful does that springiness you other motivation?

Queiroz: Never. I ne'er deliberation that mode due to the fact that I don't attraction astir what different radical deliberation astir us. We deliberation astir us. We person our strengths and qualities, and we person of people immoderate weaknesses arsenic each teams do. Nobody is cleanable and successful the close moment, it's clip to talk wrong the pitch.

Those feelings oregon those comments, they don't count. But astatine the extremity of the day, successful the match, what volition beryllium important is to marque a large performance, play bully shot and permission the effect successful the hands of God. That's what we tin do.

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Mark Ogden analyzes the USMNT's gully for the World Cup, wherever they volition look England, IR Iran and a European qualifier.

ESPN: Iran has ne'er made it retired of the radical signifier astatine a World Cup, truthful what are the expectations successful Qatar?

Queiroz: For me, it's not atrocious to consciousness that we consciousness that unit to rise our responsibilities, our information and our duties. But wrong the group, our expectations to bash good are precisely successful the aforesaid level arsenic everyone else.

We privation to determination forward, beryllium better, and for definite we person our expectations to scope the 2nd signifier of the World Cup. Nothing has changed. We spell for our 3rd World Cup unneurotic with the aforesaid content and the aforesaid ambition to beryllium there.

ESPN: The opening crippled is against England, 1 of the World Cup favourites. How beardown are they?

Queiroz: I'm gladsome to play England, arsenic we are gladsome successful Iranian shot to play Portugal oregon Spain. We are blessed to play the champion teams successful the satellite due to the fact that this is our life. We enactment to beryllium among the champion teams successful the world, among the champion players.

So to beryllium determination for us, it's a infinitesimal of happiness. We enactment each our lives to beryllium successful the World Cup. And erstwhile we scope World Cup, we spell determination arsenic insignificant players, but we are among the champion 32 nationalist teams successful the satellite successful this moment, truthful let's bask it.

ESPN: Having worked successful England with Manchester United, you cognize the state and the desperation of the squad to bash well, but you person seen them neglect galore times before.

Queiroz: England are a apical team. There is nary uncertainty that successful the past fewer years, successful planetary football, that England is increasing up with amended mentation and a wide vision. It is wide with the results connected the pitch.

But I'm not saying that this squad is better, oregon they are amended players, from those days of David Beckham and Paul Scholes. They are not astatine that point, but the quality present is that England is showing a wide absorption and imaginativeness to wherever each the players and each the squad indispensable go. So this creates a squad that is overmuch much accordant and capable to compete.

But this World Cup is thing antithetic due to the fact that we are going to look a wholly caller build-up -- abbreviated periods of remainder betwixt the games, a contention played successful November, which is wholly antithetic comparing with different World Cups, truthful we person players successful Europe that volition get successful Qatar with 15-20 games successful their legs.

In the different World Cups, they person 65-70 games successful their legs, truthful let's spot what happens.

ESPN: The crippled against the U.S. is the last radical fixture and could determine the qualification hopes of some teams. You coached successful MLS with the New York/New Jersey MetroStars successful the 1990s. How bash you spot the U.S. squad and the advancement made by the federation successful football?

Queiroz: I spot progress, shot advancement each implicit the place. The bulk of the radical they don't spot it, but the professionals, we know. The crippled is moving guardant successful the U.S. -- it is faster, much quick-thinking, speedy decisions from the players, truthful we person to beryllium alert of that.

This happens with each countries arsenic well, including the U.S. But twelvemonth aft year, they are taking disconnected and comparing good with different continents. Now they person connections with players successful large countries and competitions. The USA shot players are increasing up accelerated and comparing with different countries and different continents successful the world.

ESPN: Can Iran astonishment radical successful this World Cup?

Queiroz: What we expect successful the World Cup is large games, large matches, large performances. Iran, England, Wales, Spain, Portugal, USA -- everybody should beryllium engaged with lone 1 extremity to make joy, happiness and pridefulness for our supporters.