On March 20, Indonesia suffered a 1-5 defeat to Australia in the 3rd qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup in Asia. This defeat left them with almost no chance to compete for second place in Group C, which means a direct ticket to the biggest football festival on the planet.
This is also the debut of new head coach Patrick Kluivert since being appointed in January. But after this poor result, the keyword " patrick Kluivert out" (dismissal of Patrick Kluivert) has been spread by many fans on social networks.
The overall status of the Indonesian audience is disappointing, when the team has just naturalized 4 quality players, but is still completely inferior to Australia. Mr. Patrick Kluivert even launched a starting lineup without any players competing in the national championship (Liga 1).
This is another factor that has caused the 48-year-old coach to be criticized. Antara News published an article titled "Not really impressed with the Dutch football DNA in the Indonesian team", in which it said that Kluivert was a bit hasty in applying the total attack philosophy to the team at this time.
This tactic focuses on attack, putting pressure on opponents throughout the match. But it requires high-level smooth coordination between the lines to keep the ball. It is true that Indonesia controlled the ball more than Australia (60% compared to 40%), but they did not have many opportunities to score. The players connected early and conceded 4 goals due to defensive errors (3 goals conceded from dead balls, 1 goal conceded from personal mistakes by Thom Haye).
Therefore, there were bright spots with beautiful, attractive playing style with the breath of Dutch football, but the poor results still raised concerns and doubts.
CNN Indonesia also agreed that the disruption between new and old players has caused continuous mistakes to appear. The time to practice together is limited, so the team is not yet connected.
"The decision to press was counterproductive, as Indonesia left a big gap in the defence, making it easier for Australia to exploit," the CNN article said.
According to Dutch football expert Vincent Schildkamp, Indonesia's naturalization policy is ineffective, not helping domestic football develop, but instead holding back the players' motivation.
"After losing 1-5 to Australia, if we lose to Bahrain this week, it would be a disaster," Schildkamp said.
Indonesia hosted Bahrain at home on March 25. They must win to get 3rd or 4th place in Group C, corresponding to a ticket to the 4th qualifying round. Currently, both Indonesia and Bahrain have 6 points, ranking 5th and 6th respectively.
