A Test of ‘Garuda’ Squad’s Sharpness

Indonesia must be able to break the deadlock when facing opponents who use defensive tactics. The country’s narrow victory over Cambodia should serve as a lesson.

KOMPAS/TOTOK WIJAYANTO (TOK)

Indonesian national team player, Ricky kambuaya (left) trying to get out of the tight patch of two Cambodian players in the Group A match of the 2022 AFF Cup at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium Jakarta, Friday (23/12/2022). Indonesia won 2-1 over Cambodia through goals scored by Egy Maulana Vikri and Witan Sulaeman.

KUALA LUMPUR, SUNDAY — Indonesia is not only required to win three points but also to collect goals against Brunei Darussalam in the qualification of Group A for the 2022 AFF Cup at Kuala Lumpur Stadium, Malaysia, on Monday (26/12/2022).

In the previous match, the Garuda squad’s sharpness in attack was disappointing, and they only won 2-1 against Cambodia. This is unfortunate because goal difference and productivity determine the chances of qualifying for the semifinals.

“For the match later, there is a high possibility that there will be player rotation. However, we cannot immediately assess the quality of the strikers who could not score yesterday, Spaso [Ilija Spasojevic] and Rafli [Muhammad Rafli], because we have only played once," said Indonesia coach Shin Tae-yong at a press conference broadcast by the PSSI Instagram account on Sunday (25/12).

He added, “We will continue to see developments in the following matches. We are sure that if there are chances, the existing strikers can score goals.”

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When hosting Cambodia at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta on Friday (23/12), Indonesia's striker was unable to create golden opportunities to score goals. In the first half, Rafli, who was the starting player, rarely got the ball and threatened the opponent's defense.

Spasojevic, who replaced Rafli in the second half, was no better. The naturalized attacker from Montenegro failed to keep up with the quick movements of the midfielders and wingers. In the end, the 35-year-old player actually went backwards to pick up the ball.

A narrow 2-1 win over Cambodia put Indonesia in third position out of the five teams in Group A. The number of points for the “Red and White” team is the same as Thailand at the top of the standings and the Philippines in second place.

KOMPAS/TOTOK WIJAYANTO (TOK)

Indonesian national team players warm up during a training session at the Bung Karno Main Stadium, Jakarta, Tuesday (20/12/2022).

Indonesia ended up in third place due to differences in goals scored and goals conceded compared to Thailand, which won 5-0 over Brunei away on Tuesday (20/12), and the Philippines, which lost 2-3 to Cambodia away on Tuesday and won 5-1 over Brunei in a home game on Friday. Indonesia is only above Cambodia in fourth place.

On paper, Indonesia's only chance to collect goals is when facing Brunei. The reason is, in the next two matches, the Garuda squad will face much stronger teams, namely Thailand at home on Thursday (29/12) and the Philippines away on Monday (2/1/2023).

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Shin also realized that Brunei was the weakest team in Group A. The team nicknamed “The Bees” had to go through a playoff match to appear in their second AFF Cup in 26 years, when they played in the inaugural edition of the event. In the playoffs, they won 6-3 (6-2, 0-1) on aggregate over Timor Leste.

"However, we still respect Brunei. We will try to play our best. We cannot mention the target number of goals because it would disrespect the opponent," said Shin.

Stumbling block

Brunei is very likely to become a stumbling block for the Red and White team, which wants to pursue goal productivity. Reflecting on the results against Thailand and the Philippines, Brunei applied a pragmatic 4-4-2 strategy.

Brunei has no choice but to pile up the players at the back. Meanwhile, creativity is Indonesia's weakness when it meets Cambodia. The team had difficulty penetrating the Cambodian defense, which applied "parking the bus" strategy.

Our target is to get better in every match against countries with far more developed football.

Brunei's Spanish coach, Mario Rivera, as reported by the Brunei Football Federation (FABD) Facebook account on Sunday, realized that Brunei had not been able to do much in the AFF Cup.

"Our target is to get better in every match against countries with far more developed football, professional leagues that have existed for years and many naturalized players," said Rivera. (DRI)

This article was translated by Kurniawan Siswo.