Kluivert Not Closed Eyes Shin Tae-yong's Success In The Indonesian National Team, Determined To Exceed

JAKARTA - The coach of the Indonesian National Team, Patrick Kluivert, officially replaced the position of Shin Tae-yong who was fired Monday, January 6, 2024. The 48-year-old coach did not turn a blind eye to the success made by the South Korean coach and the Garuda Squad.

When officially introduced as the new coach of the Indonesian national team, Patrick Kluivert praised the previous coach, Shin Tae-yong.

He said Shin Tae-yong had made a positive track record for the Red-White Team over the past five years. He was determined to surpass the 54-year-old coach's achievement.

"Shin Tae-yong has worked well. I want to achieve greater success."

"People can like me or not like me, but what else can I do?" Patrick Kluiver said during an official introduction at the Mulia Hotel on Sunday, January 12, 2025.

Since coaching starting in 2020, there have been a number of impressive achievements that have been achieved by Shin Tae-yong. Among them are the significant increase in the FIFA ranking of the Indonesian national team from 173 to 127.

He also brought the Indonesian national team for the first time to advance to the knockout phase of the Asian Cup.

However, now the Garuda squad is under the direction of the new captain, namely Kluiver. There is a big responsibility and determination of the coach to continue the struggle of the Indonesian national team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

"Of course we want to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. We have to be sharp against Australia and Bahrain. From those two games, I want to get four points."

"Of course there is a desire to get six points, but we have to respect the opponent," he said.

At the beginning of his tenure, Kluivert was immediately faced with two big agendas in the Third Round of the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers. There were four matches that had to be played, two matches were presented in March 2025 and two others in June 2025.

He considered that the remaining four matches were like the top parties that must be fought for. When he met the players, he admitted that he would formulate the best for winning the best results from each match.

"Of course this match is important, I say that these four matches are like finals. Therefore, I want the players to train well. Players must train harder than other players," Kluiver said.