U-19 National Team Can Beat Cold Weather In Croatia

U-19 national team winger Witan Sulaeman while training in Croatia (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - The adaptation of the U-19 national team players in Croatia went well. However, winger Witan Sulaeman said the adaptation was not easy at first.

This is because the climatic conditions in Croatia are very different from Indonesia. Not to mention the five hour time difference between the two countries.

"The first day of arrival may indeed be very pronounced because of the time difference between Indonesia and Croatia," said Witan, who now plays at the Serbian club FK Radnik Surdulica, quoted from Antara, Thursday, September 3.

The performance of the U-19 national team players continues to improve, said Witan, along with routine training. They are ready to undergo trial matches.

Witan said the coaching team led by Shin Tae-yong had contributed to the smooth adaptation.

"The coaching team has provided material for time adjustments for the players. So the adaptation is improving and now it is as usual again," said Witan.

The Indonesian U-19 national team was in Croatia since last Sunday and is scheduled to be in Croatia for one month.

There, apart from undergoing training, the U-19 national team is scheduled to take part in the U-19 international friendly tournament on September 5-11 2020.

The competition was attended by four countries, namely Indonesia, Croatia, Bulgaria and Saudi Arabia.

Indonesia's first match in the competition against Bulgaria on Saturday (5/9), facing host Croatia on Tuesday (8/9) and testing the strength of Saudi Arabia on Friday (11/9).

Apart from that, there are also trial matches against several teams such as the Qatar U-19 national team, Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Dinamo Zagreb youth team.

The TC was held in preparation for the U-19 Asian Cup which will take place in Uzbekistan on 14-31 October 2020. However, based on the latest news, there is a possibility that the tournament will be postponed by the AFC due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

After the U-19 Asian Cup, the U-19 national team is projected to compete in the 2021 U-20 World Cup which will be held on 20 May-12 June 2021 in Indonesia.