Coach Shin Tea-yong: Saying there was no pressure would be a lie
According to coach Shin Tae-yong: “If I say there is no pressure, it would be a lie. We have to win and get tickets to the AFF Cup semi-finals. This is not an easy task. But I have faith. believe in young Indonesian players. They are maturing every day and are ready to face other teams with the addition of many experienced players.”
Without the naturalized players, the Indonesian team became normal again, making coach Shin Tae-yong worried.
The Indonesian and Myanmar teams are ranked 2nd and 3rd in Group B AFF Cup 2024 (ASEAN Championship) with the same 4 points and the same difference of 0. The Indonesian team ranked above thanks to a direct confrontation, winning 1-0 against Myanmar. . The other team, the Philippines, ranked 4th with 3 points. The Vietnamese team is ranked first in the table with 7 points and a difference of +4.
In the final round taking place on December 21, the Vietnamese team will decide to continue and top the group if they draw or win against the Myanmar team at 8:00 p.m. on December 21 at Viet Tri’s home field in Phu Tho province. The Indonesian team will also determine their chances of continuing if they win against the Philippines.
However, the Indonesian team, after their opening match against Myanmar (1-0), drew 3-3 with Laos and lost to Vietnam (0-1). These results made the President of the Indonesian Football Federation (PSSI), Mr. Erick Thohir, unhappy and ordered coach Shin Tae-yong to help the Indonesian team win against the Philippines to determine their place in the semi-finals.
“The Indonesian team must maximize each match to win points to increase the FIFA rankings, including matches at the AFF Cup. I never said there is no goal. The Indonesian team’s goal is to enter the semi-finals. AFF Cup finals. We want the team to compete with every team at every level in the world. Ranking first or second in the group is not important, the important thing is to reach the semi-finals. I always have a specific goal Indonesian team, never without”, Mr. Erick Thohir emphasized.
Quang Hai scored the only goal to help the Vietnamese team win 1-0 against Indonesia on December 15
This somewhat put direct pressure on coach Shin Tae-yong. The Korean coach also explained: “There are certain shortcomings, but Indonesia’s young players still have a year to improve their shortcomings. Furthermore, if we win against the Philippines, the young players will definitely There will certainly be much better development conditions than now.”
Mr. Shin Tae-yong also hopes that Indonesian fans will continue to support the young players and come to the stadium to cheer them on in the decisive match with the Philippines.
Regarding the playing squad, for the first time, coach Shin Tae-yong determined to send both key stars, defender Pratama Arhan and captain Asnawi Mangkualam, onto the field from the start. These are the two most experienced players of the Indonesian team, but since the beginning of the 2024 AFF Cup, they have not played any match together.
“Maybe I will play both of them from the beginning. Sometimes I use one of them to start, and the other to be a substitute. But against the Philippines, they will play from the beginning. I am testing Pratama Arhan in many positions. Because I need him for the World Cup qualifying matches in March next year. Asnawi is the same, they are all my key players,” coach Shin Tae-yong expressed.
