Analyzing Vietnam's biggest rival in Group D of the 2019 Asian Cup.

Despite being the highest-ranked team in Asia on the FIFA rankings, the Iranian national team has failed to win the Asian Cup for over four decades.

It can be said that Iran is one of the most successful football teams in Asia, having won the Asian Cup three times in a row from 1968 to 1976. The team at that time boasted legends like Nasser Hejazi and Ali Parvin, and even reached the quarterfinals of the 1976 Olympic Games in Canada.

Not a bad performance at the 2018 World Cup.

When it comes to the biggest football tournament on the planet, the FIFA World Cup, the team nicknamed "Team Melli" has also reached the finals five times, most recently in 2018.

On Russian soil, Iran not only secured their second victory in World Cup history, but also demonstrated the willpower and courage of the West Asian warriors under head coach Carlos Queiroz.

Placed in Group B, Iran secured a late victory against Morocco in their opening match, before having to work hard to earn a 1-0 win against giants Spain. Iran also managed a hard-fought draw against reigning European champions Portugal, but that wasn't enough for "Team Melli" to advance to the knockout round.

With their promising performance at the World Cup, it's only natural that the Iranian people expect their national team to triumph in the continental arena after a 43-year title drought. However, the path Queiroz and his players are taking to conquer Asia is far from smooth.

The team has not received investment for development.

One of the reasons for the disappointing performance of Iranian football in recent years is the lack of funding for the national team. This stems primarily from various sanctions imposed on the country since the late 1970s. This lack of funding directly impacted the Iranian team as they prepared for the continental cup competition in early 2019.

In fact, last November, players and coaching staff of the Iranian national team staged a protest by deactivating their social media accounts to express their dissatisfaction with the lack of infrastructure and support from the Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI) and the government as they prepared for the Asian Cup.

One source also revealed that many players and coach Queiroz himself have yet to be paid for the 2018 World Cup campaign, leading them to deactivate their social media accounts. Iran also failed to arrange friendly matches with several strong teams to prepare for the tournament.

In November, the Iranian national team played two matches against Trinidad & Tobago and Venezuela. On December 25th, Iran drew 1-1 with Palestine. They also have a friendly match against close ally Qatar at the end of December, before officially beginning their campaign for the Asian Cup alongside Iraq, Vietnam, and Yemen in Group D.

Problems between leaders

Even coach Queiroz himself faced problems due to his strained relationships with key figures in Iranian football. The former Real Madrid manager had publicly criticized the Iranian league and clubs, including two major teams, Persepolis FC and Esteghlal FC.

Coach Queiroz seems to have a "feud" with Coach Branko Ivankovic of Persepolis, the AFC Champions League runner-up. The Iranian coach even demanded that FFIRI Secretary General Mohammad Saket issue a document instructing Ivankovic not to "create conflict and discord" within the Iranian national team.

The tension between the two coaches has created unnecessary friction within the Iranian national team for months. Many fans have also criticized officials of the country's football federation for doing nothing to mediate the conflict between the two coaches.

But Ivankovic is also an extremely important figure. The Croatian strategist led Iran to the 2006 World Cup and is considered one of the candidates to replace Queiroz as Iran's head coach, leaving the FFIRI in a difficult position where they cannot satisfy both sides.

Not to mention that Coach Queiroz's assistant, Oceano da Cruz, once attacked an Iranian journalist after a friendly match against Trinidad & Tobago, leading many local newspapers to boycott Queiroz ever since.

Injuries are plaguing the team.

One of Queiroz's biggest headaches right now is the large number of players currently sidelined with injuries.

Specifically, Saeid Ezzatollahi was the first star to be ruled out of the tournament after being diagnosed with a quadriceps muscle injury that would require an additional three weeks to recover.

Previously, Ezzatollahi was on the books of Russian club Rostov, and is currently playing for Reading FC in the English Championship. Ezzatollahi suffered an injury during a national team match last October.

Ezzatollahi's absence has deprived coach Queiroz of his top choice for the defensive midfield position in the Iranian squad. Another star player currently injured is midfielder Ali Karimi, who also withdrew from the tournament just one day after receiving news of Ezzatollahi's injury.

Coach Queiroz was Sir Alex Ferguson's right-hand man at Manchester United. He is expected to bring the fighting spirit and fighting mentality of the "Red Devils" to the Iranian national team in this 2019 Asian Cup campaign.

If he can lead the team to bring home the Asian Cup trophy after a 43-year wait, Coach Queiroz will create a new image for the Iranian national team after the series of difficulties they are currently facing.