Dated Dec 2015
http://russianfootballnews.com/why-...living-up-to-his-iranian-messi-tag-at-rostov/
[article]Comparative monikers are a popular phenomenon in football today and while the prevalence may have increased in recent times, the damaging effect they can have on a young player’s career has not diminished.
Back in 2002, French midfielder Bruno Cheyrou was dubbed “the new Zidane” by Liverpool manager Gerrard Houllier upon his arrival – a comparative moniker that was always going to be tough to live up to – and promptly flopped.
Today, almost every emerging player is the younger equivalent of some global superstar – Anthony Martial is the new Thierry Henry while Goncalo Guedes has been compared to Cristiano Ronaldo – but Sardar Azmoun may be different.
Because,
while the player dubbed “the Iranian Messi” in some quarters of the English press, has plenty to live up to, he’s starting to do exactly that this season.
And all it took was a loan move to FC Rostov, the most unfashionable of surprise packages in the Russian Premier League.
On the face of it, Azmoun has all the necessary qualities to replicate the Barcelona star’s success to some degree.
Quick on the ball and boasting near-magnetic close control, the 20-year-old is an adept finisher and surprisingly good in the air with the kind of leap that will be familiar to anyone that witnessed Messi’s memorable header in the 2009 Champions League final.
Yet for all of the promise shown with parent club Rubin Kazan – including goals against Zenit St Petersburg and Spartak Moscow – Azmoun remained a work in progress, still finding his feet in Russia with first-team appearances seemingly proving limited.
His emergence this term has been essentially been about a tale of two managers: former Rubin manager Rinat Bilyaletdinov and his predecessor and current Rostov coach Kurban Berdyev.
For Bilyaletdinov, Azmoun represented a diamond in the rough, a gamble and exactly the kind of player he could not yet rely on after being drafted in to restore order at Rubin.
The 2015 Asian Cup proved to be a watershed moment for Azmoun, who had been included in Iran’s 30-man squad for the previous year’s World Cup but had ultimately been cut from the final 23-man party by Carlos Queiroz.
Finally given a run in the national team by the Portuguese coach, the youngster responded with crucial and impressive goals against Qatar and Iraq.
Yet, on his return to Rubin, Bilyaletdinov seemingly downplayed Azmoun’s potential, offering the following summation when asked whether the Iranian youngster could go on to big things that season:
“It depends on how hard he’ll work. When I saw him before the World Cup for Iran, I realised why he missed out on the squad. When he returns, I will tell him about it. His style is very different.”
“Maybe in the Asian Championships the national team plays differently, but at the World Cup they play very strict and disciplined, which perhaps he wouldn’t adapt to.”
“Azmoun has all the qualities to be a top class striker, and he would be able to implement these qualities here if he trained more, but the national team is stalling his progress.”
Brought in to steady the ship at Rubin Kazan following a poor start to the 2014-15 campaign, Bilyaletdinov – a coach who favours tactical discipline over creative flair – had neither the patience nor the inclination to get the best out of Azmoun.
While the ‘Iranian Messi’ had thrived as an out-and-out striker with the national side in Australia, Bileyaletdinov insisted on playing him further back, either on the right wing or in a supporting striker role, to little or no major impact.
What followed was a February loan move to struggling Rostov and the start of a new beginning for the 20-year-old.
Given free reign to play and create, Azmoun flourished with four goals in 12 games for his new club, scoring against the likes of Dinamo Moscow and Kuban Krasnodar as well as in the relegation playoff that saw Rostov avoid the drop.
But the attacker’s impressive form was of no surprise to the manager that had signed him – Berdyev – because he was the one that brought him to Russia in the first place.
Back when Azmoun was first catching the eye of various scouts from across Europe at Iranian club Sepahan, Berdyev was a decisive factor in helping youngster choose unfashionable Rubin Kazan over other reportedly interested parties like Inter Milan.
Crucially, for the iconic bead-holding Turkmenistani manager, Berdyev was fluent in Farsi, and with Azmoun born and raised some 60 kilometres from the coach’s homeland, a bond quickly developed.
Berdyev’s abrupt departure played no small part in Azmoun’s struggles at Rubin either, with the incoming Bilyaletdinov evidently not as enamoured with the Iranian.
But, as Azmoun himself asserted in an interview with footballchannel.asia, it was his friend from Turkmenistan who also proved instrumental in convincing him to move:
“There was a time in Rubin Kazan when I lost my motivation and accordingly my concentration, thus I decided to move to Rostov.”
“I knew that Kurban Berdyev, my former manager at Rubin Kazan, was at Rostov. He was a great coach and he completely knew how to get the best out of me. When I first joined Rubin Kazan, he was there so we had a good relationship and that was one of the reasons I chose to move to Rostov on loan.”
Berdyev’s influence goes beyond simple man management too; he understands Azmoun’s strengths and weaknesses and deploys him in his preferred role – as a striker.
Having renewed the loan agreement over the summer for another season, Azmoun is getting the same kind of game time he enjoyed initially at Rubin under Berdyev and is on course for his best season yet with four goals to his name from 15 appearances.
Lining up alongside fellow former Rubin teammates like Christian Noboa and Cesar Navas, last season’s relegation strugglers are defying the odds after climbing to second, just three points behind CSKA Moscow.
Meanwhile, things in Kazan have already changed with Bilyaletdinov dismissed earlier this season with former assistant Valeriy Chaly stepping up to succeed him.
That switch could yet give Azmoun another chance to impress for his parent club and it’s one he would evidently relish, telling footballchannel.asia:
“I have a contract with FC Rubin Kazan and I would love to extend my contract, because as you know the World Cup will be played in Russia and clubs here are getting stronger.”
Comparative monikers may be a dangerous thing in football but Azmoun, under the right manager, may just be one of the exceptions.[/article]
Dated Aug 2016
http://futbolgrad.com/sardar-azmoun-rostovs-miracle-man/
[article]Sardar Azmoun rose up in the dark Rostov sky, connected well to the ball, and placed his header past Ajax Amsterdam keeper, Jasper Cilessen, to make it 1-0 for Rostov in the UEFA Champions League playoff match Rostov vs Ajax.
The goal in the 34th minute pushed the gates to the group stage of the Champions League wide open, as Ajax Amsterdam was now forced to play more offensively. In the second half, Ajax tried to gain control over the match, but Rostov’s counter game was poison for Ajax’s possession game, and Aleksandr Erokhin (52nd), Christian Noboa (60th), and Dmitry Poloz (66th) added three more goals.
The result means that Rostov’s unlikely run to the very top of European football continues—despite the fact that the club is hindered by financial problems and lost their coach Kurban Berdyev. Azmoun, in particular, was impressive as the 21-year-old Iranian spearheaded Rostov’s attacks throughout the match.
Azmoun’s night was over in the 73rd minute when fellow striker, Aleksandr Bukharov, replaced him. Hence, Azmoun was no longer on the field when Ajax pulled a goal back after Davy Klaassen scored a penalty.
Indeed, Azmoun’s participation in the match was remarkable in itself.
The Iranian was a major part of Rostov’s run all the way to a second spot finish in the Russian Football Premier League last season. But the quick Iranian striker was only on loan from Rubin Kazan, and the Tatarstan based club expected very much that Azmoun would return to the club.
In the end, Azmoun refused to play for Rubin Kazan insisting that he wanted to return to Rostov, and continue his work under Kurban Berdyev. In the end, Rubin granted Azmoun his wish, and the Iranian striker, who is valued €7 million, returned to Berdyev’s Rostov on a free transfer.
Azmoun then played in Rostov’s third round Champions League qualifier against RSC Anderlecht. His goal in the second leg made it 2-0 against Anderlecht, and pretty much ensured his club’s participation in the Champions League playoffs.
Following the victory against Anderlecht, however, Berdyev was gone, and there were speculations that several players could soon join Berdyev in his departure. Among them was Azmoun, who was apparently scouted by several big European clubs—among them FC Liverpool, Everton, Schalke 04, Bayer Leverkusen, and Olympique Marseille.
Furthermore, Spartak Moscow, which for a long time seemed to be the preferred destination for Berdyev, were also interested in signing the Iranian striker. Yet, with Rostov having reached the group stage of the UEFA Champions League it is unlikely that Azmoun will depart the club in the summer.
Yet scouts will continue to keep close taps on the young and mobile striker, as the Iranian will certainly grow in his game during the UEFA Champions League group stage. Furthermore, Rostov’s new coach, Dmitri Kirichenko, shows signs that he can successfully emulate Berdyev’s coaching style.
Under Berdyev last season, Sardar Azmoun scored nine goals in 24 matches for Rostov. Although this doesn’t seem like a lot, it is substantial in a league that is widely considered a low scoring affair—the Ajax result aside—and with Rostov playing extremely defensively with often five men in the back.
Hence, in 30 games Rostov scored just 41 goals last season, which makes Azmoun’s goal scoring prowess even more impressive.
Playing for Rostov, as a striker, means that you have to be extremely patient, lurking at the halfway line for a quick counter attack. Also Rostov’s defensive style means that strikers have to be complete strikers that are also expected to help out the defence whenever necessary.
Azmoun mastered those skills to perfection last season even though the Iranian has, so far, failed to score in two RFPL games this season. Like last season, Rostov will mostly rely on their defence first approach—but make no mistake, Azmoun will be deadly when he is given the chance to score.
This goal scoring ability is especially impressive given the Iranian’s skillset.
The striker is equally adept with both feet, and although, at 183cm, Sardar Azmoun is not a giant, his goal against Ajax Amsterdam highlighted his aerial ability. In fact, as the ball was crossed into the box it briefly appeared that Azmoun stood in the air.
This goal, in particular, made me recall former Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool FC striker Karl-Heinz Riedle. Riedle was a gifted striker who, despite his low height of just 180cms, was known as Air Riedle in Germany, for his ability of seeming to stand in the air to receive crosses.
Hence, it would not be an exaggeration to compare Azmoun to the former German international. It is now up to Azmoun, however, to prove that he can play at the highest level in the Champions League before he makes the inevitable move to a big European league.[/article]
