Indonesian coach Indra Sjafri did not rule out rotating his players for the next matches as part of his long-term strategy to have best starting lineup to achieve peak performance in the semifinals and the final.
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D REYNALDO TRIWIBOWO AND I G A BAGUS ANGGA PUTRA FROM CAMBODIA
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ANTARA/M AGUNG RAJASA
Indonesian U-22 national team players Ramadhan Sananta (front) and Fajar Fathur Rachman (back) celebrate a goal after scoring against the Myanmar national team during the 2023 SEA Games Group A Football match at the National Olympic Stadium, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Thursday (4/5/2023) ). The Indonesian national team won over Myanmar with a score of 5-0.
PHNOM PENH, KOMPAS — The Indonesian U-22 football team marked a second victory at the 2023 Cambodia SEA Games by overpowering Myanmar 5-0. Despite the team’s promising performance in the first two matches, Indonesian coach Indra Sjafri did not rule out rotating his players for the next matches as part of his long-term strategy to have best starting lineup to achieve peak performance in the semifinals and the final.
According to him, the best performance of the Young Garudas is yet to come, despite their back-to-back wins. Their pounding of Myanmar came three days after a landslide 3-0 win against the Philippines in their first match at the National Olympic Stadium, Phnom Penh, on Thursday afternoon (4/5/2023).
The five goal scorers against Myanmar were Marselino Ferdinan, Muhammad Ramadhan Sananta (two goals), Muhammad Fajar Fathur Rahman, and Titan Agung Bagus Fawwazi. Indonesia has kept a clean score sheet with eight goals.
Indonesia has so far been the most productive team in the football competition of the region’s biggest multisport showcase, and Indra said his players would continue to elevate their game as he worked out the lineup rotation.
“It has been our plan to rotate players during the group matches, and not in the context of [players’] recovery because we have enough rest time for that, but more about finding a dream team that can advance to the semifinals and the final,” he told the post-match press conference.
Indra, who comes from Padang, West Sumatra, has included several players in the starting lineup to replace those who played in the match against the Philippines. He is resting Ilham Rio Fahmi, Ananda Raehan Alif, Jeam Kelly Sroyer and Beckham Putra Nugraha, and fielding Amiruddin Bagas Kaffa, M. Fajar Fathurrahman, M. Taufany Muslihuddin, and M. Ferrari.
ANTARA/M AGUNG RAJASA
Indonesia U-22 national team player A Dewangga Santosa (right) fights for the ball in the air with Myanmar national team player Aung Myo Khant (left) during the 2023 SEA Games Group A football match at the National Olympic Stadium, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Thursday (4/5/ 2023).
Even with different starters, the Indonesian team did not lose cohesion. The players were able to demonstrate even better teamwork than in the first match. Against the Philippines, they seemed to have difficulty lifting their game in the first half.
Fullback duo Rizky and Ferrari, who debuted in tandem at the SEA Games, proved solid and difficult for Myanmar’s forwards to outrun. They clicked with each other with good coordination and organization with support from Alfeandra Dewangga, who was positioned as a defensive midfielder this time around.
Maintaining form
The decision to rotate players is also part of Indra's game plan to maintain his players’ form in the U-22 team after playing regular matches in the national league. He selected 20 players from their clubs.
“They just finished competing [after playing] for six months. They might have started to drop [their form]. So, we slowly began increasing it again," he said.
Like Indra, Sananta expressed his optimism that the team was shaping up in terms of their performance. He said he felt quite settled playing the first two matches in different starting lineups.
“Slowly, we have managed to build chemistry among the players, and this can be even better in the future," he said.
Booking full points in two matches, Indonesia now has one foot in the semifinals. It leads Group A with 6 points, ahead of Cambodia with 4 points.
The SEA Games feature 36 sports. After Thursday’s matches, Cambodia currently tops the provisional standings with five gold and four silver medals. Indonesia is in fifth place with one silver and five bronze medals.
The medals for the "Red and White" contingent all came from kun bokator, a Cambodian traditional martial art, with silver medalist Alfadhila Ramadhan becoming Indonesia’s first medal winner in the men's individual spirit form event. (WAD)
