President of the Indonesian Football Federation (PSSI) Erick Thohir has just issued a directive to the Indonesian team and coach Shin Tae-yong: "I want the Indonesian team to be in the top 4 of Group C of the 3rd qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup in Asia. I am really not satisfied with the team in the recent matches against Bahrain (2-2 draw) and China (Indonesia lost 1-2). In particular, in the match against Bahrain, we were leading twice, but in the end we could not win."
Coach Shin Tae-yong is under a lot of pressure
Currently, Indonesia is ranked 5th in Group C of the 3rd qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup in Asia. They have the same 3 points as the Chinese team, but are temporarily ranked higher thanks to a better sub-index. On the contrary, Indonesia is ranked below Bahrain, which currently has 5 points.
The problem for the Indonesian team is that in the next two matches in the World Cup qualifiers, Indonesia will have to face Japan and Saudi Arabia in November. These are very strong teams, so the risk of defeat in the two matches mentioned above for the Indonesian team is not small.
The Indonesian team (in white) faces many challenges.
If that happens, Indonesia will certainly not be able to enter the top 4 of Group C of the 3rd qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup in Asia, at least until March 2025 (when the World Cup qualifiers return). At that time, the pressure on the team of the archipelago country and coach Shin Tae-yong will be even greater.
It is worth mentioning that Indonesia will likely carry that pressure into the 2024 AFF Cup, which starts on December 8, if they are unsuccessful in their matches against Japan and Saudi Arabia in November.
Another pressure that cannot be ignored is that Indonesia has never won the AFF Cup. This will more or less affect the mentality of Indonesian players when participating in this year's Southeast Asian championship.
Of course, Indonesia's strength is highly rated compared to other teams in the region, including the Vietnamese team, based on the squad of naturalized European players they possess. But the problem lies in what the Indonesian team is strong at and what it is not strong at, almost as its Southeast Asian opponents have already grasped.
CNN Indonesia wrote on October 30: "A warning for coach Shin Tae-yong in his quest to finish in the top four of Group C of the World Cup qualifiers. The Indonesian team's position is currently unsafe. The alarm bells and reminders for the Korean coach are getting louder and louder."
That detail reflects that the opponent of the Vietnamese team at the AFF Cup 2024 is under a lot of pressure and there is a chance for the team under coach Kim Sang-sik to get revenge on the opponent!
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/hlv-shin-tae-yong-va-doi-tuyen-indonesia-lai-bi-sep-lon-cau-nhau-ap-luc-ngan-can-185241030162912546.htm
Comment (0)