Don't Be Complacent, The Indonesian U-17 National Team Is Only Half Way To The Asian Cup

Indonesian U-17 national team (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - The Indonesian U-17 national team advanced perfectly in Group B of the U-17 2023 Asian Cup Qualification after being able to beat Guam with a landslide score of 14-0 and weight of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) 3-2. However, that is only half the way to the 2023 U-17 Asian Cup

The Bima Sakti coach's squad has indeed become the leader of the standings after going through the two matches. However, there are still two waiting matches, namely against Palestine today and Malaysia, next Sunday.

In order to ensure that in one place in the final round, the squad nicknamed "Garuda Asia" must win from the two matches.

To be able to pocket perfect points from Palestine and Malaysia, the Bima Sakti coach emphasized that his squad needed to focus and reduce mistakes, especially in the defense area.

Indonesia's first test was against Palestine. Palestine has always lost in the two matches that have been passed in the 2023 U-17 Asian Cup Qualifiers, but the squad handled by Loay Al Salhe has experience competing in international tournaments.

Prior to competing in the 2023 U-17 Asian Cup Qualifiers, Palestine participated in the WAFF U-16 2022 Championships in June and the 2022 U-17 Arab Cup in August.

Palestine was unable to get past the group stage of these tournaments. However, there, they fought tough teams like Algeria and Lebanon.

In Group B Qualification of the 2023 U-17 Asian Cup, Palestine also made it difficult for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in their second match. Palestine had two goals ahead, before finally falling to their knees 3-4.

Bima Sakti certainly doesn't want Indonesia to slip when they meet Palestine. Moreover, the opponent is strengthened by players with a high posture typical of West Asian footballers.

One challenge that must be answered by Bima Sakti is the rotation of players. The busy schedule of the U-17 2023 Asian Cup Qualifiers, in which the team competes twice in 3 days for about a week, makes them have to keep racking their brains so that their players stay fit.

Players such as Arkhan Kaka, Muhammad Iqbal Gwijangge, Muhammad Nabil Ashura, Rizdjar Subagja, Muhammad Kafiatur Rizky and Habil Abdillah were always on the list of the first eleven when they faced Guam and UAE.

If you force these names to continue to play against Palestine, the risk of injury lurks. Muhammad Nabil Ashura and Muhammad Kafiatur, for example, had muscle problems in the UAE match.

However, in the end, the decision to field players is in Bima's hands. The man who brought Indonesia to the 2022 AFF U-16 Cup champion was optimistic that with the quality of all the players in his team.

"If there are injured players, we have other players who are better prepared," he said, quoted from Antara, Friday.

Malaysia is Indonesia's second test to penetrate the 2023 U-17 Asian Cup. On paper, Indonesia should be able to beat Malaysia. Osmera bin Omaro's squad showed ups and downs in Group B.

The young "Tiger Malaya" team drew 1-1 with Guam, who were beaten by the UAE 9-0 and Indonesia 14-0, after winning convincingly four goals without reply to Palestine.

Osmera bin Omaro even called his team's performance "embarred" after being held to a draw by Guam. For the record, it was the first point of the U-17 Guam national team in the AFC competition.

This result was a continuation of the unsatisfactory game of the Malaysian U-17 national team in 2022. Previously, they failed to advance from the 2022 AFF U-16 group phase, where Indonesia won the throne.

Even so, Malaysia always has excessive motivation when competing against Indonesia. Relations in the "hot" green field between the two countries are the cause.

Indonesia could actually benefit if supporters are allowed to watch live in the stadium. However, the current conditions are different. Pakansari Stadium is empty of cheers from supporters of "Garuda Asia" to honor the victims of the Kenjuruhan Stadium tragedy, Malang, which occurred on Saturday last week.

Indonesia needs a strong mentality when testing the strength of Malaysia. Because, tactically and technically, Indonesia is superior. Obedient to the instructions of coaches, discipline, concentration and not being provoked must be owned by Indonesian players to conquer Malaysia.