TEHRAN - Football pundit Asghar Maziar believes that there is a direct correlation between the quality of Iran Professional League (IPL) games and the teams' tactical and physical readiness. He also claims that numbers alone tell the story of the current condition of defending champions Persepolis.

A total of four matches ended in a draw out of eight matches on Matchday 5, and only 10 goals were scored in a total of the games.

“We should analyze how the teams have prepared themselves for the league, tactically and physically,” Maziar told Tehran Times.

 “When you look at the matches, there are a lot of inconsistencies in the movements of the players which signals their tactical unpreparedness and lack of teamwork,” he added.

“The question is whether the teams have not acted well in the transfer window or the players, especially the new signings, have not been able to show their abilities so far?” Maziar asked the question before answering his own question.

“Esteghlal and Sepahan, for example, have signed good players, at least on the paper. But they have not been successful in terms of performance, and the caliber of the new players was not outstanding in the past two games.

“Persepolis, on the other hand, lost some key players and now lack the requisite strength and depth required to tackle multiple competitions. Numbers alone tell the story of the current squad of Persepolis. Just look at the stats of the created chances and shots on target in each game by Persepolis and compare it with that of the team's previous seasons,” the Iranian football expert added.

Holders Persepolis were held to a 1-1 draw by Mes in Rafsanjan. They have just two wins out of the five games in the current season.

Aluminum are at the top of the IPL table with 11 points ahead of Esteghlal due to superior goal difference.

“At the beginning of every football season, some teams may get good results, but over time their position in the table will probably change. Aluminum and Gol Gohar have had an impressive run so far, but let see what happens in the next weeks. I think that same as the previous season, Esteghlal, Sepahan, and Persepolis, even with the Red's current problems, have the potential to race for the IPL title more than other teams,” Maziar concluded.