How scary is U.23 Indonesia?

THE STRENGTH OF U.23 INDONESIA

The journey to the final of the 2025 Southeast Asian U.23 Championship for U.23 Indonesia was not easy. In the opening match, coach Gerald Vanenburg and his team crushed U.23 Brunei 8-0 thanks to their fast, rhythmic attacking style. However, in the second match, when they encountered a disciplined defense and fierce ball-fighting from U.23 Philippines, the home team needed a strong throw-in to win 1-0. In the match against U.23 Malaysia, U.23 Indonesia drew 0-0 in 90 minutes when the young team from the archipelago only needed 1 point to advance.

The biggest challenge for U.23 Indonesia came in the semi-finals, when Hokky Caraka and his teammates had to wait until the penalty shootout to defeat U.23 Thailand. U.23 Indonesia was even a bit lucky when their opponents missed many scoring opportunities, especially in extra time, while the home team players were more stubborn and resilient at the decisive moment.

'Song Bac' shines, U.23 Vietnam reverses the situation to reach the final

U.23 Indonesia đáng ngại thế nào?- Ảnh 1. — U.23 Indonesia *(right)* defeated U.23 Thailand in the semi-finals

Unlike U.23 Vietnam, which had a relatively easy journey when only meeting the youth teams of Laos, Cambodia and the Philippines, U.23 Indonesia had to fight hard against U.23 Malaysia and U.23 Thailand. If coach Kim Sang-sik and his team could leisurely calculate the players, playing style, and even hide their cards to "set" the falling point for important matches, U.23 Indonesia had to show all their abilities.

However, it must be affirmed that U.23 Indonesia is a very strong team. The presence of naturalized players in the past 3 years has unintentionally obscured the fact that Indonesia's youth have full potential and inheritance. U.23 Indonesia won the 33rd SEA Games (2023), winning a ticket to the semi-finals of the 2024 U.23 Asia; U.19 Indonesia won the 2024 U.19 Southeast Asia Championship, and the U.17 team drew with U.17 Ecuador and U.17 Panama at the World Cup. In the current U.23 Indonesia squad, there are names that are "familiar" in youth tournaments such as Hokky Caraka and Arkhan Fikri. Four faces including Kadek Arel, Dony Tri Pamungkas, Toni Firmansyah and Jens Raven were promoted from the 2024 Southeast Asian U.19 championship squad of U.19 Indonesia, showing that the young team of the archipelago country has a systematic transition and development strategy.

T THE ULTIMATE CHALLENGE

In the past, Indonesian youth football had plenty of physical strength, technique and fighting spirit but lacked alertness and discipline. However, now, with the appearance of a European-style strategist like Coach Vanenburg, U.23 Indonesia is different.

Throughout the journey, U.23 Indonesia knew how to control the match better, calculate the time to attack or defend, and effectively control the rhythm of the game. Their defense has only conceded 1 goal after 4 matches, which is the most solid defense in the tournament (U.23 Vietnam has conceded 2 goals after 3 matches).

Highlight U.23 Indonesia - U.23 Thailand: Unbelievable penalty shootout, host enters final to meet Vietnam

Coach Vanenburg allowed his players to be creative in attack with an open 4-3-3 formation, but in defense, U.23 Indonesia played tightly and became a block that was difficult to separate. The weakness of the young Indonesian team at the moment is physical strength with a total of 390 official minutes played in this year's tournament, while U.23 Vietnam only played 270 minutes. However, U.23 Indonesia has home field advantage, along with the fortitude that has been honed by conquering many difficult "passes" such as Thailand and Malaysia.

A tense battle of wits in the final at 8:00 p.m. on July 29 awaits U.23 Vietnam.

Watch the full 2025 Southeast Asian U.23 Football Championship Mandiri Cup™ on FPT Play, visit http://fptplay.vn

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/u23-indonesia-dang-ngai-the-nao-185250726195144042.htm