Patrick Kluivert speaks for the first time as Indonesia national team coach

(Dan Tri) - New Indonesian coach Patrick Kluivert acknowledged the success of his predecessor Shin Tae Yong when leading the team of the archipelago nation and affirmed that he will strive to help the team continue to succeed.

"Shin Tae Yong has done very well. I want to achieve more success. People may like me or not like me, but what else can I do?" Patrick Kluivert said at the Indonesian team's introduction ceremony on the evening of January 12.

Patrick Kluivert shakes hands with PSSI president Erick Thohir at the inauguration ceremony of the Indonesian team's "hot seat" (Photo: CNN Indonesia).

Previously, the Indonesian Football Federation (PSSI) unexpectedly fired coach Shin Tae Yong after the national team was eliminated early in the AFF Cup 2024 right from the group stage. Immediately after that, PSSI announced the appointment of Dutch football legend Patrick Kluivert to the "hot seat" to replace the Korean strategist.

After being officially introduced as the new "captain" of the Indonesian team, Kluivert praised his predecessor Shin Tae Yong for helping the team of thousands of islands achieve many impressive achievements in the past 5 years.

Notably, the Indonesian team has increased its ranking significantly under coach Shin Tae Yong, from 173rd to 127th in the FIFA rankings. In addition, the Korean strategist also helped the Indonesian team to be present in the third qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup for the first time.

"Of course we want to qualify for the World Cup. We have to be sharp against Australia and Bahrain. From those two games, I want to get four points.

Of course there is a desire to win six points but we have to respect our opponents," Patrick Kluivert declared that he will continue to help Indonesia succeed in their goal of qualifying for the World Cup after succeeding Shin Tae Yong.

The former Barcelona striker believes that the two 2026 World Cup qualifiers in March and the two matches in June for the Indonesian team are real battles to achieve their dream of participating in the biggest football festival on the planet.

"Obviously these games are very important. I said that these four games are like finals. That's why I want the players to train well. The players have to train harder than the others," Kluivert affirmed.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/patrick-kluivert-lan-dau-len-tieng-khi-dam-nhiem-hlv-tuyen-indonesia-20250113074542691.htm