"Indonesia's National Team Players Are Equal To The Korean Levels But Not Yet Mentally," Said Shin Tae-yong

The coach of the Indonesian national team, Shin Tae-yong. (Photo: Twitter @pssi)

JAKARTA - The coach of the Indonesian national team, Shin Tae-yong (STY) admitted that the physical strength of the players was at the same level as the footballers in South Korea. But there are things that have not made the coach satisfied, namely mental-related.

The statement was made by Shin Tae-yoh after attending the Fame K League at Jang Gu on Tuesday, May 2. On that occasion STY assessed the physicality of Indonesian players, including those who could be trained to become South Korean players.

"There are similarities in the physical condition (of the Indonesian and South Korean national teams) but qualifying for the World Cup is something else," said STY after the award was reported by Chosun.

Regarding the World Cup mentioned by the coach, this is related to the moment when Indonesia canceled hosting the 2023 U-20 World Cup and was replaced with Argentina. Shin Tae-yong admitted that this moment had frustrated him.

After the deletion of the host's status, Shin Tae-yong realized that his task was also getting heavier. Moreover, he also has to pay attention to the mentality of the players, where this aspect is recognized by Shin as the difference between national and South Korean players because it is not equal.

"For Indonesian players, they have a physical condition similar to that of Korea, but it needs to be emphasized that being in the World Cup 10 times is part of the mentality," he asserted.

However, STY I was not discouraged. The former South Korean coach at the 2018 World Cup admitted that he would remain in Indonesia to continue to develop and guard the players for the better.

After failing to escort the team at the U-20 World Cup, Shin Tae-yong is actually still waiting for many tasks. The 53-year-old coach in the near future had to help the team struggle to qualify for the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup, qualify for the Olympics, qualify for the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers, and appear in the 2023 Asian Cup.