Iran head coach Amir Ghalenoei said the coaching staff and fitness team will have to work very hard to get the players into peak condition for the World Cup during a training camp in Turkey, as most of them have not played for seven weeks.
The Persian Gulf Pro League has been suspended since the US and Israeli attacks on February 28, which sparked a regional war, and will only resume after the World Cup ends.
Of the 30 players Ghalenoei called up on Saturday, 22 play for Iranian clubs and have only been training with the national team in Tehran since friendlies against Costa Rica and Nigeria in Antalya at the end of March.
“Naturally, I am not completely satisfied with the level of readiness of the players,” Ghalenoei told the Iranian Football Federation (FFIR) magazine before departing for Turkey on Monday. “But with a training camp lasting about two and a half to three weeks, we can compensate for about 20 to 25 percent of this deficiency.”
“We need to raise the domestic players to a level that matches modern football,” he added. “In terms of age, I believe our domestic players are in a good position, but there are still areas for improvement. We must continue our work at the Turkey training camp with determination and optimism.”
Iran will play a friendly against Gambia on May 29 before Ghalenoei finalizes the 26-man squad for the World Cup campaign ahead of the FIFA deadline on June 1.
FFIR still hopes to arrange another friendly in Turkey and will play a closed-door match against Puerto Rico at the training base in Arizona, USA, provided the team can enter without hindrance.
“I hope that in the first four or five days before the World Cup opening match, we can achieve the right physical condition,” Ghalenoei said. “The training camp in Turkey, despite all the distractions and problems around, has become an important phase in our preparation.”
At the World Cup, Iran will face New Zealand on June 15 and Belgium on June 21 in Los Angeles, before finishing the group stage against Egypt five days later in Seattle.
