Coach Shin: 'Indonesia only played at 70% of their strength'

Qatar coach Shin Tae-yong believes the Indonesian national team could spring a surprise at the 2023 Asian Cup, despite losing all three of their pre-tournament friendly matches.

Indonesian fans are worried about Shin's team ahead of the Asian Cup, after they lost two consecutive matches to Libya and then suffered a humiliating 0-5 defeat at the hands of Iran. The team's current situation is a stark contrast to their last appearance at the Asian Cup in 2007. Back then, Indonesia had an impressive run-up to the tournament with wins against Hong Kong 3-0, Jamaica 2-1, and only a narrow 0-1 defeat to Oman.

Coach Shin Tae-yong (left) during Indonesia's training session in Qatar on January 8, 2023. Photo: PSSI

The South Korean coach had to speak out to calm the Indonesian media and public opinion ahead of the opening match against Iraq. "Our performance only reached 60% to 70% of the requirements until the match against Iran," Sports Seoul quoted Shin as saying. "The players need to try to improve their abilities by another 20% at the Asian Cup. As long as we avoid individual mistakes, we can spring a surprise."

After performing well in friendly matches in 2007, Indonesia qualified for the Asian Cup with a dream victory over Bahrain 2-1 at the Bung Karno Stadium, thanks to goals from Budi Sudarsono and Bambang Pamungkas. However, in the following two matches, they lost 1-2 to Saudi Arabia and 0-1 to South Korea, failing to advance beyond the group stage.

If Indonesia repeats their third-place finish in Group D, as in the 2007 Asian Cup, they still have a chance to advance this time, as the tournament takes four of the six third-placed teams from all groups. According to football expert Mohamad Kusnaeni, this scenario is feasible for Shin's team. "Indonesia could advance if they beat Vietnam and earn one point from their two matches against Iraq and Japan. This is possible," Kusnaeni said.

However, Kusnaeni also hopes Indonesia will play better than in the friendly matches, or like in the second half of the game against Libya on January 5th. At that time, they dominated possession, created many good opportunities but couldn't score, and ultimately lost 1-2. Indonesia also drew 0-0 with Iran after the first half on January 9th, but conceded five goals in the second half.

Indonesia is in Group D with Vietnam, Iraq, and Japan at the 2024 Asian Cup in Qatar. Shin's team will play Iraq at 9:30 PM on January 15th, then face Vietnam on January 19th, and finally clash with Japan on January 24th.

Hoang An

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