Indonesia was wrong with Kluivert

The turning point in Indonesia's campaign was the use of Kluivert.

Zidane Iqbal’s only goal in the 76th minute extinguished all the faint hopes of “Garuda”. That defeat was not just the result of a competition, but also the end of an ambitious project - the plan to “Dutchify” the Indonesian team, initiated and sponsored by the President of the Indonesian Football Federation (PSSI) Erick Thohir.

Bankrupt a campaign

Over the past two years, PSSI has invested heavily like never before to bring the team closer to world- class status. Erick Thohir, former president of Inter Milan and a highly influential businessman, believes that “Dutchification” will help Indonesia change its destiny. And in fact, the 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign has helped the archipelago nation improve their performance to advance to the second stage for the first time, and play quite well in the third stage.

However, in the joy of the "Dutchification" results, Mr. Thohir realized that by only changing the "skin under the coat", Indonesia still could not develop the best capacity of the "giant" that he had invested in. So he changed the head of the giant - that is, fired Shin Tae-Yong - and appointed Patrick Kluivert.

The synchronization of the Netherlands from the coaching staff to the squad turned out to not bring miracles. In the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, Indonesia did not win the top 2 positions to get a ticket to the final round and had to enter the fourth round.

Kluivert is not the coach capable of raising Indonesia's level.

Two consecutive defeats in this period (losing 2-3 to Saudi Arabia and 0-1 to Iraq) shattered the “Garuda” dream. The door to the 2026 World Cup officially closed. All investment efforts, long-term plans, even the strategy of “Dutch-izing” the team is now just a topic of debate in public opinion.

On social media, the wave of indignation of Indonesian fans spread. Many criticized coach Patrick Kluivert and even President Thohir was also affected.

In the face of fierce criticism, Mr. Thohir was forced to apologize to the fans. In a message posted on social media, the president thanked the players, coaching staff and fans who accompanied the team, and admitted that "this is an unfortunate defeat after a historic journey."

But that apology could not ease the public's disappointment, because the World Cup dream - something Indonesia had nurtured for decades - vanished just when they thought paradise was right before their eyes.

Is Patrick Kluivert the correct answer?

If you look at the statistics alone, Indonesia didn’t actually play badly. Against Iraq, they controlled the ball well, had more shots, created an expected goal (xG) of 0.7 compared to Iraq’s 0.27, and only lost because of a momentary lapse in concentration. However, a loss is a loss and someone has to take responsibility.

The reason lies with Patrick Kluivert himself - the man PSSI hopes will become the "perfect bridge" between the naturalized Dutch players and the rest of the team. The former Barcelona striker had a great reputation during his playing days, but as a coach, Kluivert is just an inexperienced name. Before coming to Indonesia, he had never led any national team and had no significant coaching record. This could be the biggest mistake in the entire game of PSSI.

PSSI believes that only the Dutch can understand the mindset of Dutch players - who were born, raised and trained in the European football system - to create a unified team. PSSI also sees that the Korean team has been raised to a higher level by Dutch coaches such as Guus Hiddink, Dick Advocaat or Pim Veerbek. So why use a Korean coach instead of a Dutch coach?

Iraq ends Indonesia's dream cruelly.

But reality shows that they bet wrong. Guus Hiddink, Dick Advocaat or Pim Veerbek were famous and accumulated a lot of experience before coming to Korea. Kluivert is nothing like his seniors and does not have enough tactical ability to improve the team.

Indonesia under him resembled a brawny giant with little brains - strong in size, speed and energy, but lacking in tactical thinking, lacking in flexibility in playing style and almost lacking in identity. In eight matches under Kluivert, Indonesia won just three, drew one and lost four - a modest return compared to expectations.

Compared to his predecessor Shin Tae-yong, the difference is even more obvious. Under the Korean coach, Indonesia played with discipline, confidence and courage against strong opponents. Coach Shin understood Asian football well and knew how to live within his means. Meanwhile, Kluivert tried to apply European philosophy to a team of many disparate individuals.

That immaturity was shown by the fact that Kluivert's Indonesia lost 1-5 to Australia while Shin's Indonesia previously drew goalless against the same opponent. Shin's Indonesia had won 2-0 against Saudi Arabia and drawn 1-1 in the third round, but Kluivert's Indonesia lost 2-3 in the rematch in the fourth round.

Patrick Kluivert may be a beautiful symbol that brings Indonesian football to the international media, but he is not the one with the real ability to lead Indonesia to the World Cup. The "island of thousands" needs a strategic brain, not a flashy face full of illusions.

Source: https://znews.vn/indonesia-da-sai-voi-kluivert-post1592950.html