Indonesia still has many weaknesses that the Vietnamese team can exploit.

In both of Indonesia's victories against Vietnam, both with a 1-0 scoreline at the 2023 Asian Cup and in the first leg of the 2026 World Cup Asian qualifiers (second round), the Indonesian team did not play well.

Domestic experts believe that the Vietnamese team lost because of their own mistakes rather than because their opponents won. We lost due to errors (Thanh Bình pulling an opponent's shirt in the penalty area leading to a penalty at the 2023 Asian Cup, Minh Trọng clearing the ball straight to Egy Maulana's feet allowing him to score in the World Cup qualifying match on March 21), due to poor coordination, and due to an unclear playing style, not because Indonesia was too strong.

In fact, coach Shin Tae-yong's team still has weaknesses that the Vietnamese team can exploit.

Firstly, the integration of the naturalized new players into the Indonesian national team has not been good. Left-back Nathan Tjoe-A-On played very poorly at the Gelora Bung Karno stadium on March 21st. He was substituted early, with Pratama Arhan replacing him at the beginning of the second half.

Center-back Jay Idzes also hasn't made a significant contribution to the Indonesian team, apart from an attacking move where he used his 1.90m height to put pressure on the smaller Vietnamese defense, before Indonesia scored from a throw-in in the 52nd minute.

This is understandable; it's difficult for new recruits to integrate into a new team immediately. Moreover, there are additional cultural and language barriers between naturalized players and native Indonesian players.

This is also a concern for midfielder Thom Haye, or striker Ragnar Oratmangoen, if they are given playing time in the second leg on March 26th at My Dinh Stadium.

The Indonesian center-backs lacked agility. They were tall, but not necessarily quick. Evidence of this was seen in the second half of the first leg, where Nhâm Mạnh Dũng easily dribbled past an Indonesian center-back. Unfortunately, his subsequent shot was inaccurate.

It's a pity that the Vietnamese team had so few attacking combinations like that. Regarding this, former Vice President of Professional Affairs of the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), Duong Vu Lam, commented: "I regret the absence of Cong Phuong. If he had been on the field, his technique and ability to create breakthroughs could have made things much more difficult for the Indonesian defense."

I also regret that players like Nguyen Tien Linh, Ho Tan Tai, and Nguyen Van Toan were brought onto the field too late, leaving them insufficient time to change the course of the game."

The Indonesian national team's teamwork is still lacking.

Furthermore, another weakness for Indonesia is that their forwards still haven't scored. Rafael Struick continues his goal drought. This is the 12th match the Dutch-born player has played for the Indonesian national team. In a total of 12 matches, Rafael Struick has yet to score.

Hokky Caraka also appeared on the field in the match at Gelora Bung Karno on March 21st and was no better (the player who came on to replace Hokky Caraka at the beginning of the second half was attacking midfielder Egy Maulana, who scored the only goal). This raises the question of whether coach Shin Tae-yong needs to continue making personnel changes for the forward line.

Indonesia is not particularly strong in open play situations. In both matches against Vietnam since the beginning of the year, from the Asian Cup to the World Cup qualifiers, the Indonesian team scored from set pieces (penalties in the Asian Cup, throw-ins leading to goals in the World Cup qualifiers). The important thing is that the Vietnamese team must carefully study their opponent, develop appropriate strategies, and be better prepared for the return match.

The Indonesian team is not strong in open play situations.

Former VFF Vice President for Professional Affairs, Duong Vu Lam, analyzed: "Some members of the Vietnamese national team stated before the first leg that we were well-prepared for the match at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium. But from what I witnessed, the Vietnamese team was not ready for that match, from psychologically, to playing style and physical condition. Hopefully, the second leg will be different."

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