Before the match against U23 Vietnam, Indonesian coach worried

Head coach of U23 Indonesia, Gerald Vanenburg, has expressed concern about his team's ability to score goals, as they prepare to face U23 Vietnam in the final match of the U23 Southeast Asia Championship, which will take place at 8pm tonight, July 29.

Mr. Vanenburg will find a way to help U23 Indonesia not be too dependent on striker Jens Raven - Photo: KOMPAS.COM

Of the total 10 goals that U23 Indonesia scored in this year's tournament, 7 goals belonged to a single name: naturalized striker Jens Raven.

Raven was the hero who sent Indonesia into the final when he scored the equalizer to draw 1-1, then helped his team overcome Thailand in the semi-finals in a dramatic penalty shootout. Indonesia's other three goals came from Arkhan Fikri, Rayhan Hannan and an own goal from the Philippines.

At the pre-match press conference, coach Vanenburg frankly admitted that his team is having difficulty finding other "goal scorers" besides Raven.

"U23 Indonesia is having difficulty scoring, only Jens Raven can score," the former Euro 1988 star of the Netherlands shared.

In contrast to U23 Indonesia, the U23 Vietnam team has a fairly even and diverse list of goalscorers.

Nguyen Hieu Minh and Nguyen Dinh Bac each scored two goals. Meanwhile, Khuat Van Khang, Pham Ly Duc and Nguyen Xuan Bac all scored. This shows the flexibility and unpredictability in the attacking style of the "Golden Star Warriors".

Because of the contrast with the Vietnamese team and the obvious dependence on Jens Raven, coach Vanenburg emphasized the urgency in finding a short-term solution for the final match. "So I want to find a short-term solution. In the final match against Vietnam, I will have to find a way," he said.

Striker Jens Raven (No. 21) scored 7 out of 10 goals for Indonesia at the Southeast Asian U23 Championship - Photo: KOMPAS.COM

Further after the AFF U23 Cup 2025, Coach Vanenburg hopes that the problem of the lack of strikers will soon be resolved. This is extremely important when U23 Indonesia will participate in the qualifying round of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship in September, where they will face Laos, Macau and South Korea.

"In the next tournament, we will see if we can find another player to help the team solve the problem of scoring goals," Vanenburg shared.

However, before thinking about long-term solutions, coach Vanenburg will have to find a way to neutralize Vietnam's defense in the final match tonight.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/truoc-tran-gap-u23-viet-nam-hlv-indonesia-lo-lang-20250729121425113.htm