Indonesia National Team Adds Another Naturalized Star
Under coach Shin Tae-yong, the Indonesian national team was built simultaneously through two paths: rejuvenating the squad and naturalizing half-Indonesian players currently playing in Europe. The rejuvenation path was carried out by coach Shin Tae-yong as soon as he took over the coaching position in early 2020. The Korean strategist declared that many veterans "were not worthy of the Indonesian jersey", then paved the way for a series of young stars to advance to the national team. Asnawi Mangkualam, Witan Sulaeman, Egy Maulana Vikri, Marselino Ferdinan, Ernando Ari, Alfeandra Dewangga and Pratama Arhan all joined the national team with a common denominator, which was that they were coached by Mr. Shin at the youth level (U.22 or U.19), then performed well and became the pillars of the current Indonesian team.
However, realizing that rejuvenating the team would only help Indonesia reach the level of Southeast Asia, the Indonesian Football Federation (PSSI) has naturalized players to achieve success at the 2023 Asian Cup and the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup. After the cases of Marc Klok and Elkan Baggot, the Indonesian team welcomed Ivan Jenner (U.21 FC Utrecht), Justin Hubner (U.21 Wolverhampton Wanderers), Rafael Struick (ADO Den Haag), Sandy Walsh (KV Mechelen)... With 5 naturalized players preparing to complete the procedures, the Indonesian team will welcome Vietnam next March with a force of up to 13 players of foreign origin.
The Vietnamese team (left) is about to enter an important rematch with Indonesia.
In terms of playing experience and football skills, Jenner and Hubner have not shown to be superior to the native Indonesian stars. The massive appearance of naturalized players has also disrupted the Indonesian squad, failing to create a cohesive playing style, as evidenced by the fact that in the last 7 matches, Indonesia lost 6 matches, conceding 21 goals. However, the group of naturalized players are mostly young (under 23 years old) and all have ideal physiques. With a squad consisting of half of players over 1.85 m tall, the Indonesian team has overwhelmed Vietnam at the 2023 Asian Cup, especially in high ball situations. In the next 2 matches in the 2nd qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup, including the match at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium (March 21) and My Dinh Stadium (March 26), the Indonesian team does not aim to create a superior position to win, but only needs to be better in one situation, one moment. Possessing a young, strong and tall squad, the Indonesian team will continue to play aggressive pressing and "hit" high balls to counter the Vietnamese team of coach Philippe Troussier.
WHAT PLAYING METHOD FOR THE VIETNAMESE TEAM ?
The failure at the 2023 Asian Cup will be eased if the Vietnamese team holds firm against Indonesia, and then enters the third qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup. The loss to this opponent in the Asian playground has helped coach Troussier better assess Indonesia's strength. The team of thousands of islands is stronger than before, as Mr. Troussier admitted, so the Vietnamese team must also change if they do not want to continue to "bog down".
Tuan Anh (right) is a mainstay at the 2023 Asian Cup
Expert Doan Minh Xuong assessed: "Coach Troussier and the Vietnam Football Federation have outlined a long-term roadmap with specific goals in each important tournament such as the World Cup qualifiers and the AFF Cup. However, that is only the roadmap for goals, while the roadmap for players is not really clear. In the past 12 matches under the leadership of Coach Troussier, the Vietnam team has continuously changed its squad. For example, Hung Dung wore the captain's armband against Japan, then was on the bench against Indonesia. Quang Hai sat out the entire match against Japan, then started against Indonesia. Young players like Van Tung and Van Truong have been used, but they have not yet had a place to play in the V-League. In the past matches, Mr. Troussier has rotated the squad a lot, and his ability to adapt and read the game has not been outstanding. This is a factor that the French coach needs to adjust and upgrade, in addition to promoting his inherent strengths."
In the rematch against Indonesia in March, Coach Troussier is likely to welcome the return of Que Ngoc Hai, Nguyen Tien Linh, Nguyen Thanh Chung, Nguyen Hoang Duc... In addition to good physique and alertness, the core group under Coach Park Hang-seo will help Coach Troussier have more ways to approach the match. Instead of controlling the ball in a "mechanical" way, the Vietnamese team can play high balls or lurk to counterattack when needed. Against a cunning and versatile Indonesia, Coach Troussier's team needs to be more flexible. The French strategist is still trusted for the long-term plan, but he also needs short-term victories to strengthen his confidence. The Vietnamese team will not have a source of new players like Indonesia, but creating new things based on the old people is the right direction at this time.
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