Vietnamese Media Says Philippe Troussier Has Concerns About The Secret Weapons Of The Indonesian National Team

JAKARTA - Vietnam will face the Indonesian national team on the second matchday of Group D of the 2023 Asian Cup. Ahead of the match on Friday, January 15, 2024, there are concerns that Philippe Troussier as Vietnam's coach.

Vietnamese media, Soha, said that the concern that Troussier felt towards the Indonesian national team turned out to be related to Pratama Arhan's long throw. Arhan's ability is considered a benefit for the Garuda Squad and is a threat to the opponent.

"A very strong pass towards the penalty box and the ability to duel the air is a typical pattern of Indonesian attacks at all levels. This is a secret weapon that Pratama Arhan can do with his talents," Soha wrote in his narration quoted on Wednesday, January 17, 2024.

Furthermore, Troussier had a bad experience with Arhan's throw-in. This happened when Vietnam lost 2-3 in the semifinals of the 2023 SEA Games. At that time, the Garuda Squad scored a goal in which two of them started with Arhan's throw.

The moment is also attached to Troussier's memory because it became his first stage as a Vietnamese coach after replacing Park Hang-seo.

"Coach Philippe Troussier also admitted that Vietnam was able to control the match with 10 players, but still conceded from the throw-in situation (Indonesian National Team)," Soha wrote again.

In addition to Arhan's throw-in, another thing that Troussier is worried about is related to the posture of Garuda's squad players. The reason is, the Indonesian national team's posture is superior to participants from other Southeast Asia in the 2023 Asian Cup.

"Fysic is also a concern in the 2023 Asian Cup when Vietnamese players are the team with the lowest average posture," Soha reports.

The Indonesian national team is known to be a team with the highest average players from all participants in Southeast Asia. The Garuda squad has an average posture of 179.6 cm, while other ASEAN countries, such as Malaysia, are recorded at 178.6 cm.

Then Thailand and Vietnam are participants in the 2023 Asian Cup from ASEAN with the lowest average posture, namely 176.3 cm and 175.3 cm.