Can Dragan Skocic build on Iran’s performance at the 2018 World Cup?

Last month, Iran announced the appointment of Dragan Skocic as the nation’s new head coach. Skocic arrives in the role having spent the last seven years managing in the country, across spells with Malavan, Foolad, Khooneh be Khonneh and Sanat Nafat.

Skocic has enjoyed reasonable success at club level, and finished his latest tenure with Sanat Nafat with a 52% win record, following similarly brief spells at other clubs. And his experience of working with players in the country seemingly make him the perfect match.

He also brings a managerial style crafted in some of Europe’s domestic leagues, including Croatia, where he lifted domestic silverware with NK Rijeka, and Slovenia, where he enjoyed success while in charge of Interblock Ljubljana.

As a player, he was perhaps most successful in Spain. The midfielder played a key role for Las Palmas as they achieved back-to-back promotions to reach the top level. He even enjoyed a taste of La Liga football in Spain with SD Comostela.

Skocic ended his playing career in 2004, aged 36, before returning to his first club, Rijeka, as a manager. Since then, his career has taken him to Kuwait, with Al-Arabi, and Saudi Arabia, with Al Nassr, before eventually settling in Iran, where has impressed in the Persian Gulf League.

Recent progress

The key question facing Skocic right now is whether or not he is able to build on Iran’s performance at the 2018 World Cup, under manager Carlos Queiroz, while also repairing some of the damage done during the latter stages of last year.

Belgian Marc Wilmots took the reins following Queiroz’s departure in January, but he was unable to guide the team to further progress following its exploits a year earlier, which saw Team Melli defy international football betting odds to beat Morocco and earn a point against Portugal.

Ultimately, Iran failed to qualify past the group stages, but hopes were high that their performances at the tournament could lay the foundations for further development ahead of 2022, when the tournament arrives in the Middle East for the first time.

Queiroz was Iran’s longest-serving manager, in charge from 2011 to 2019, and the side’s performance in Russia, and back-to-back World Cup qualifications, were arguably the result of the hard work performed over a longer period.

But an opportunity to take charge of Colombia saw Queiroz reject the offer of a new contract, and just over six months after the end of the World Cup, the former Manchester United assistant had moved on to pastures new after a disappointing loss to Japan in the Asian Cup semi-finals.

A wasted platform?

Queiroz was replaced by Wilmots, who’d managed his native Belgium for five years before taking charge of the Ivory Coast. In May of last year, he agreed a three-year deal to take over as Iran manager, but resigned just over six months later.

The departure was messy, with Wilmots alleging that the Iranian FA had breached the terms of his contract, and coming following a tricky run of results in the team’s qualifying matches during the months prior.

It took two months for Iran to settle on its next manager and Skocic undoubtedly faces a tough task ahead. Success on the world stage has set a lofty standard for the nation and, with a World Cup in Qatar on the horizon, the desire for success has never been more intense.