Indonesia is the second lowest-ranked team at the 2023 Asian Cup, with 146th place in the world, only above Hong Kong (China). Meanwhile, Iraq are over 80 places above them.
Although rated much lower than the opponent, coach Shin Tae-yong of the Indonesian team emphasized that his team will not play deep, cluster defense.
The Korean strategist said: There is a big gap in rankings between Indonesia and Iraq, the abilities of the two teams are different and everyone knows that. But we are still a young team with great potential. Therefore, no one can know the result in the match against Iraq.
The 2023 Asian Cup marks the first time Indonesia has participated in the No. 1 tournament in the continent since 2007. Football in the archipelago has gone through a difficult period, going downhill when being punished by FIFA. However, in recent years, the Indonesian team has made great strides.
The Indonesian team is the lowest rated team in the group, but if they only focus on playing defense, Indonesian football will not develop. We want to follow the trend of modern football, try to deploy the ball from the back and everything. The tactics of the Indonesian team will not only focus on results and aim at the development of Indonesian football, said Mr. Shin Tae-yong.
In November 2023, Indonesia lost 1-5 to Iraq in the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup in Asia. However, Mr. Shin believes that his players will show a different face when they play against their opponents at the 2023 Asian Cup.
As for Iraq head coach Jesus Casas, he expressed caution when meeting the Indonesian team again. According to him, the result of Iraq's opening match of the 2023 Asian Cup can be decided in just one small detail.
He said: The match at the 2023 Asian Cup will be different from the confrontation in Basra. There are many factors affecting a match in a cup tournament. Just a penalty, a red card, a few moments of worry and everything can change.
The Indonesian team is like us, a team that is developing, they also have players playing in Europe. We want to win but that won't be easy. The Indonesian team will want to regret the recent defeat, so I told the players to focus and play with 100% strength.
According to statistics, the Indonesian team has met the Iraq team 7 times in history, with the results of 1 draw and 6 losses. In particular, they have lost to the West Asian team in all 6 recent meetings, scoring 3 goals and conceding 20 goals.
The Iraq team has always started very well in the opening matches of the Asian Cup, winning both in the opening matches of the tournament in 2015 and 2019. Jesus Casas' team is determined to restore the winning streak, after losing 0-1 to the Korean team on January 6.
As for the Indonesian team, they have not won in the last 5 matches, including 3 consecutive losses. Those things signal many difficulties for Shin Tae-yong and his team.
The Indonesia - Iraq match takes place at 9:30 p.m. on January 15.
