In an interview with Mehr, Hashem Heydari said about the selection of Esteghlal’s new head coach Ricardo Sapinto: “It is too early to judge Sapinto.” Training should start and then the league should start so that we can test and evaluate this Portuguese coach. The selection of a new head coach has its own characteristics. He now has to show how he can be successful. There have been a lot of transfers in the domestic league. Some coaches move from team to team, but that’s normal. Some coaches are usually in the middle of the table and there is no particular change to move them, but in general, each team is looking for success to eliminate acceptable results during league and cup games. Sapinto also wanted to be successful. He needs to get to know the team well in order to be able to perform positively in the lineup.
The former Esteghlal striker clarified in a press conference about Sapinto’s promise of four championships: “Maybe he made such a promise in order to be able to collect the margins.” Of course, the team should not stay in the wind of last year’s championship. It would have been better if Sapinto had not made any promise, but now that he has made that promise, he must redouble his efforts to keep his promise.
Heydari in response to the question of what factors are necessary for Esteghlal to succeed with Sapinto? He added: “The first factor is that this year the team is not compared to last season. This happens to the Estersch team. The team did not lose last season, but maybe this team will lose, but it will be the champion again. Comparisons hurt the team and such an analogy should not be made. Second, the role of management in the team is important. Team management can inject calm into the technical staff and players. As last year, Ajurlu and his teammates can support the coach and the team and not allow margins to enter the team. Third, provide the facilities that the coach wants. The team does not move from field to field. Provide the demands of players and technical staff. These factors can make Esteghlal succeed in winning the cup once again.
Regarding Esteghlal’s transfers, which have also been criticized these days, he said: “Usually, the champion team is not touched unless players leave the team and the club’s technical staff and management are forced to replace new ones.” If Esteghlal’s skeleton is maintained, the team will want three players in three positions. A goal-scoring striker, a creative midfielder who can change the result in seconds, and a six-handed defender who is alert in the middle of the defense and leads the defense.
Hashem Heydari pointed out in the end: Esteghlal needs a big supporter and those are the supporters. As the fans supported Farhad Majidi last season in any situation, they should also support the new head coach. Give him time to continue his work calmly, otherwise you can not expect great things from the new coach.