Rarely has the Indonesian team had such a large gap with the Vietnamese team at the ASEAN Cup (formerly known as the AFF Cup) 2024. Calling up 3 naturalized players but only 1 appeared, coach Shin Tae-yong is struggling with the young players he has in hand.
Granted, Indonesians are proud and believe in “domestic” products, but what has just happened shows that the players are not as excellent as they thought.
Indonesia drew 3-3 with Laos and beat Myanmar thanks to an own goal. The Indonesian team was stuck in open play and had to look for opportunities from set pieces.
Here, Pratama Arhan kept throwing the ball in and his signature moves were surprisingly effective. Three of Indonesia's four goals came from throw-ins.
With Marselino Ferdinan absent due to suspension, coach Shin Tae-yong will likely focus on strengthening and increasing the fighting power of Indonesia's midfield. If he chooses a central midfielder, Robi Darwis will be called upon. In addition to his abundant energy when defending, Robi Darwis is also as good at throwing the ball as his senior Arhan.
Indonesia clearly only needs one point to be successful, but Vietnam needs more than that. Coach Kim Sang-sik understands the situation. He must win to take the top spot in Group B, thereby avoiding Thailand in the semi-finals. Above all, Vietnam has a strong squad and cannot afford to lose to Indonesia, which has all young players.
Not to mention, the Indonesian team is at a significant disadvantage in terms of physical strength and travel distance before this match. Their personnel cannot be compared to the Vietnamese team. However, Quang Hai and his teammates should not be complacent about their opponents because of their many advantages, because Indonesia will still play passionate football and even more fiercely than necessary.
With the goal of winning 1 point, Indonesia can abandon the attacking style and replace it with defensive efforts. On the contrary, the Vietnamese team will have to adjust many positions to increase their attacking power. Van Thanh, Tuan Hai, Quang Hai and Van Toan provide good enough personnel options for Mr. Kim Sang-sik.
The match between Vietnam and Indonesia will take place at 8:00 p.m. on December 15 at Viet Tri Stadium (Phu Tho).
Expected lineup:
Vietnam team: Dinh Trieu, Van Thanh, Thanh Chung, Duy Manh, Viet Anh, Xuan Manh, Ngoc Tan, Hoang Duc, Quang Hai, Tuan Hai, Tien Linh.
Indonesian team: Daffa Fasya, Muhammad Ferrari, Kadek Arel, Kakang Rudianto, Dony Pamungkas, Rayhan Hannan, Robi Darwis, Arkhan Fikri, Pratama Arhan, Rafael Struick, Hokky Caraka.
