JAKARTA – The statement by the Indonesian national team coach, Shin Tae Yong, who said that the striker position was the weakest position in the Garuda squad during the 2020 AFF Cup in Singapore, did not surprise Ronny Tanuwijaya. The former Persijatim manager and advisor to the Indonesian Football Coaches Association (APSI) has predicted it for a long time.
Now this has really been proven when the South Korean coach stated that the position of the spearhead is one that must be improved. Shin Tae Yong, as is the case with Rattan, Ronny Tanuwijaya's nickname, pointed out that the Indonesian League clubs' habit of using foreign players for striker positions greatly influenced this.
"In our team the weakest position is the striker. In the Indonesian League, foreigners are also used as strikers. So it is very difficult to develop," said Shin Tae Yong in a press conference session.
Rattan himself revealed that five years ago. "I've been warning about this for a long time. But my analysis seems to have not been heard by stakeholders, whether PSSI, the league body, or the club itself," said Rotan when contacted by VOI, Sunday, December 2.
Rattan also saw that PSSI's policy so far, which often naturalized foreign players to become national team strikers, was even more burdensome. "This is no longer true," said Rattan.
He assessed that there are still many young talents who can grow and become national team strikers if given the opportunity. For example, Irfan Jaya from Persebaya. "It's only possible that the flight hours at the international level are still minimal," said Rotan.
To overcome the lack of striker conditions, Rattan proposed a radical change in the national competition. “There should be a certain quota for clubs to use foreign players in certain positions. This is to provide space and opportunity for local strikers to get enough flying hours in the competition,” he said.
Rattan also hopes that in naturalizing PSSI players, they must be really selective in choosing players. "Don't just let it be so allowed by law. If the results are like today, it is clear that the benefits of naturalization are not optimal,” concluded Rotan.
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