Indonesian expert: "U22 Vietnam and Thailand cannot stop U22 Indonesia"

(Dan Tri) - After the SEA Games 33 draw, the Indonesian football community was excited about the group stage that was considered "easy". They believe that coach Indra Sjafri and his team are capable of successfully defending the regional championship.

The draw for the men's football at the 33rd SEA Games on October 19th placed U22 Indonesia in Group C with Myanmar, the Philippines and Singapore. This is considered a relatively favorable group for the young team from the archipelago. U22 Indonesia is considered one of the brightest candidates for the gold medal at this year's Southeast Asian Games .

Along with Malaysia, Vietnam and host Thailand, U22 Indonesia under coach Indra Sjafri is aiming to repeat the 2023 SEA Games championship in Cambodia. Football expert Ronny Pangemanan expressed absolute confidence in this ability, based on the quality of the current squad – especially the presence of many naturalized players.

U22 Indonesia (in white) competes with U22 India during a training session in early October (Photo: Bola).

Sharing on his personal YouTube channel Bung Ropan on Sunday (October 19), Mr. Ronny Pangemanan commented: "Thailand, as the host, will definitely want revenge and they will do everything to achieve that. Coach Indra Sjafri has returned to lead the national U23 team - in fact, the U22 team that will be used at the 33rd SEA Games."

Regarding Indonesia's group, he added: "The draw has taken place. We are in Group C with four teams, while Group A and Group B have only three teams. This is a relatively easy group, but we should not take this lightly."

Pangemanan’s confidence was further bolstered when he mentioned the prominent names in the Indonesia U22 squad. According to him, players like Marselino Ferdinan and a number of naturalized players – including Ivar Jenner, Adrian Wibowo, Rafael Struick and Mauro Zijlstra – make Indonesia’s chances of winning the gold medal brighter than ever.

“We still have to focus because we will face Singapore, the Philippines and Myanmar. But with the current U22 team, especially big names like Ferdinan, Jenner, Wibowo, Struick and Zijlstra in the squad, I believe we can overcome all opponents, and the gold medal is within reach,” he stressed.

Although he highly appreciated Thailand and Vietnam as strong teams in other groups, Mr. Pangemanan still believes Indonesia will successfully defend the championship title.

“Thailand will be very ambitious to take revenge after the defeat in the 2023 SEA Games final, but I am confident that we are the strongest team at the SEA Games level, with the names I mentioned,” he affirmed.

U22 Vietnam lost to U22 Indonesia at SEA Games 32 (Photo: Khoa Nguyen).

Analyzing the remaining groups, Mr. Pangemanan said: "U22 Thailand is in Group A. I think they will top the group when they only have to face Timor Leste and Cambodia. Only the group winner will enter the semi-finals."

“In Group B is Vietnam, with the strongest opponent being Malaysia. Besides, they will also have to face Laos. Looking at the current situation, U22 Vietnam can win the top spot in the group,” he concluded.

The 33rd SEA Games men's football is scheduled to take place from December 3 to December 18. The group stage will be held in Songkhla and Chiang Mai, followed by the semi-finals and finals at Rajamangala Stadium (Bangkok, Thailand). According to the regulations, the teams will use the U22 squad (players born from January 1, 2003 onwards) and there will be no slots for overage players.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/chuyen-gia-indonesia-u22-viet-nam-thai-lan-khong-the-can-u22-indonesia-20251020080136537.htm